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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



VOL. 27 



SEPTEMBER, 1921 



NO. 333 



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THE PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE IN FORESTRY 



BY FILIBERT ROTH, DEAN OF FORESTRY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 



IT' ORTY years ago Sargent in the loth Census told the 

 ' people of the Lake Region that if they continued to cut 

 and burn as they were doing then, they would soon be at 

 the end of their pine supplies and have a denuded waste. 

 The lumber papers thought it a joke and invented the 

 term of "denudatics" ; the lumbermen and even their 



and over 10 million acres, or nearly a third of the State 

 land is unused waste land producing nothing to speak of. 

 As early as 1911 Michigan imported over 500 million feet 

 of lumber for its industries. It cost about 13 million dol- 

 lars. Easily three millions was in extra price and an- 

 other three millions to haul it into the State. The out- 



THIS LAND WAS LUMBERED TWENTY YEARS AGO 



This cut-over area once had a fine stand of white pine and Norway pine; but when this was cut off the land was neglected and 

 fires killed the young growth and the land which might have been growing another crop of timber 



is now absolutely non-productive. 



cruisers were sure of "inexhaustible" supplies; the local 

 press in the pinery towns scolded any man and any articles 

 calling attention to Sargent's statement ; and the legis- 

 latures, naturally paid not a particle of att\.ntion to the 

 outlook for the second largest industry. Even the friends 

 of the forest, the little handful of enthusiasts who neither 

 owned timber nor sold lumber, could hardly grasp the 

 situation; "Oh, we shall cut closer, use smaller timber, 

 use steel and cement and the; supply will last a consid- 

 erable time beyond Sargent's estimate." 



But Sargent was right, his forecasts have come true ; 

 Michigan today does not cut the one-hundredth part 

 as much pine, and cuts mere rubbish compared to the 

 White Pine of those days. Michigan forests are de- 

 stroyed; the land is denuded; the lands are not settled; 



look is this and the estimate safe ; during the next 100 

 years Michigan is going to spend 500 million dollars pay- 

 ing fancy prices and profits, and another 500 million dol- 

 lars in! freight rates to get lumber. And prices will be 

 such that neither people, nor their crops will be satis- 

 factorily housed from now on. We are told that the 

 farm home is 50 per cent under-built; the outlook is that 

 it will stay right there and even get worse; no "whoop- 

 ing" and "boosting" and orating of "back to the land" is 

 going to change this by one hair. 



The Capper Report printed last year is the last word on 

 the forestry situation for our country ; it is amply correct, 

 and probably as correct as any we shall ever have. The 

 Capper Report tells us some astonishing facts; our vir- 

 gin forests are cut to about 1-5 of their former area. 



From an address delivered to Ihe Pennsylvania State Forestry Association, June 16, 1921. 



