THE FORESTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 553 



The following extracts are made from Mr. Putnam's report upon the forests of Michigan: 



"The southern boundary of the pine forest in Michigan may be represented by a line drawn from Samia 

 westward across the state nearly to the mouth of the Kalamazoo river. Originally the pine forest covered 

 the' northern two-thirds of the state, and estimates made in 1835 gave the amount of pine then standing as 

 150,000,000,000 feet. This estimate included the northern peninsula. The present estimate of the pine standing 

 in the whole state, the northern peninsula also included, is 35,000,000,000 feet. There are now remaining no large 

 bodies of standing pine in the state which have not been more or less cut into, and the timber adjacent to streams 

 has all been cut.' The pine now remaining is scattered generally through the northern half of the state, lying back 

 at a distance of from 2 to 10 miles from streams large enough to float the logs. The best pine in the state has been 

 cut. The belt of pine which ran through the center of the state, extending north from the southern boundary of 

 the original pine forest for some 75 miles, contained the best pine in the northwest. This pine was what was called 

 by lumbermen 'cork pine', a soft white pine, large and sound, with a thick bark. The quality of the pine of the 

 Saginaw valley was particularly fine, too ; that on the west shore was of smaller size. 



"The standing pine on the lower peninsula of Michigan is estimated at 29,000,000,000 feet, of which there are 

 in the Saginaw valley about 7,000,000,000 feet, including the pine upon the Saginaw, Au Sable, and Cheboygan 

 rivers and their tributaries; on the streams flowing directly into lake Huron there are some 8,000,000,000 feet 

 more; making 15,000,000,000 feet upon the streams of the east shore. On the western shore of the state there are 

 14,000,000,000 feet, including the pine upon the Kalamazoo, Black, Grand, Muskegon, White, Pentwater, Aux Bee 

 Scies, Boardman, and Pine rivers. As before stated, the quality of the timber in the eastern portion of the state is 

 better than that upon the west shore; this is smaller and partakes more of the sapling nature, while that on the 

 east shore is largely cork pine. The pine of the east shore and Saginaw valley is largely used for finishing lumber,. 

 and should be transported to the east ; indeed all the pine in the lower peninsula of Michigan is wanted at the 

 east, and none should be sent west. The pine of the western shore is suited for fencing, flooring, and dimension 

 stuff, being smaller and containing more knots and sap. 



"The largest bodies of pine left in the lower peninsula are in the counties of Presque Isle, Montmorenci,. 

 Alpena, Alcona, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Crawford, Missaukee, Wexford, Manistee, Grand Traverse, Lake, Osceola, 

 Clare, Giadwin, and Charlevoix. There are bodies of pine also in other counties from 15,000 to 20,000 acres in 

 extent which have not yet been cut. The pine left in the lower peninsula is generally scattered through hard-wood 

 timber, into which the settlers are now entering, clearing the hard-wood forests and exposing the pine to destruction 

 by fire and windfall. This destruction has largely increased with the settlement of the country, and will increase 

 still more unless stringent measures can be taken to protect the pine forests from waste. 



"The southern part of the state outside the pine belt was originally covered with a dense forest of hard-wood 

 timber; this region is now largely settled and is the farming region of Michigan. There is a large amount of 

 hard-wood timber of commercial value still scattered through this farming country, particularly in its middle and 

 northern parts. Along the west shore as far north as the straits of Mackinaw the pine has been cut in large 

 quantities, but there is still a large amount of hard-wood timber left upon this area. 



"The pine of the northern peninsula of Michigan is estimated at 6,000,000,000 feet. This includes the pine- 

 from the Saint Mary's river westward to the Wisconsin line and the mouth of the Montreal river, and upon the 

 south shore of lake Superior. It is divided as follows: 



" 1. On the Menominee river and tributaries, 1,000,000,000 feet. 



"2. In the western portion of the peninsula, not including the Menominee and tributaries, but including all 

 west of the line of the Chicago and Northwestern railway between Escanaba and Marquette, 2,400,000,000 feet. 



"3. East of the line of the Chicago and Northwestern railway, 2,000,000,000 feet. 



" The largest bodies of pine in the northern peninsula are in the counties of Chippewa, Mackinac, Schoolcraft^ 

 Marquette, Houghton, and Ontonagon. There is also quite a large body in Keweenaw county, covering perhaps 

 30,000 acres. Ontonagon county, which extends along the south shore of lake Superior for nearly 100 miles, for 

 35 miles back from the lake is mostly covered with hard-wood timber, with a little pine along the streams, but not 

 in sufficient quantities to estimate. This is also true of the northern part of Baraga and Marquette counties, 

 extending along the southern shore of lake Superior, a distance of 125 miles from L'Anse to Onota, in Schoolcraft 

 county. There are here a few small bodies of pine scattered through the hard wood, but it is needed by the 

 settlers, and has no export value. The quality of the timber upon the Ontonagon and Presque Isle rivers and the 

 upper Menominee, growing among the hard woods along the south slope of the Penokee iron range, is similar to 

 that on the western shore of the lower peninsula. This timber is, however, somewhat difficult of access. The 

 streams over which it must be driven (the Ontonagon and Presque Isle) are rough, broken, and require considerable 

 improvement. The pine east of the line of the Chicago and Northwestern railway between Marquette and Escanaba, 

 on the east half of the northern peninsula, is of poor quality, and may be classed as 'sapling pine', with occasional 

 groves of what is called 'big sapling' scattered through the hard woods. 



" In the upper peninsula of Michigan, according to the Lake Superior Canal Company's reports of examination 

 and estimates of cord wood, there is an average of about eighteen cords of wood per acre over the whole area of 

 the peninsula, of which two-thirds is hard wood and one-third soft wood. 



