STATE FORESTERS IN MINNESOTA 



595 



IT HAS BEEN CHARGED THAT PLANTING ON THE MINNESOTA NATIONAL FOREST IS A 

 FAILURE. THIS AREA WAS PLANTED IN 1900 TO RED AND NORWAY FINE AND IS NOW A 

 FORMIDABLE YOUNG FOREST. 



"The forest problems of Minnesota, especially fire 

 protection, are so large as to seem almost appalling to a 

 state forester who comes from Massachusetts. In Massa- 

 chusetts we can get only a partial forest fire protection 

 by the expenditure of $60,000 on an area of 8,000 square 

 miles, while the State of Minnesota is expecting Forester 

 Cox to protect more than five times that area with an 

 appropriation of $175,000. There are favorable aspects 

 to the forest problem in Min- 

 nesota, however, chief of 

 which is the ease with which 

 they can get natural repro- 

 duction of coniferous trees, 

 especially of Norway and 

 jack pine where circum- 

 stances permit, said circum- 

 stances being protection from 

 fire and a source for the 

 seed. Except in certain lo- 

 calities there is not that rush 

 to^hardwood reproduction on 

 cut-over lands that has to be 

 met in most sections of New 

 England. Where natural 

 seeding is not possible, the 

 conditions for artificial plant- 

 ing are ideal. I was also im- 

 pressed with the future pos- 

 sibili'fies of jack pine, espec- 

 ially if allowed to grow on 

 soil site one grade better than 

 that to which it is now large- 

 ly confined. 



"The last impression is that 

 forestry in northern Minne- 

 sota is a task for the staie, 

 national government and 

 large timberland owners. The 

 private owners are too few 

 and too poor to be any fac- 

 tor in the situation. Their 

 chief use will be to serve as 

 laborers for the larger inter- 

 ests." 



State Forester Edmund Se- 

 crest, of Ohio, summed up 

 his observations as follows: 

 "One who travels through 

 Minnesota's forests for the 

 first time is practically be- 

 wildered by the conditions 

 encountered. Three facts are 

 impressive: First, the exces- 

 sive devastation by fire. Sec- 

 ond, the succession of infer- 

 ior growth following fire and 

 logging, and the absence of 

 reproduction of the white and 

 red pine, which species con- 

 stituted such a considerable portion of the State's for- 

 est wealth. Third, the tremendous responsibility Minne- 

 sota faces not only in protection, but in renewal. 



"Minnesota has a land classification problem of con- 

 siderable magnitude, and one which it would seem will 

 call for careful study. One cannot escape the convic- 

 tion, however, that she will always remain a timber 

 producing state of considerable rank. She is fortunate 



FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THRIFTY REPRODUCTION IN AN OPEN STAND OF NORWAY PINE 

 ON THE MINNESOTA NATIONAL FOREST. 



