MINNESOTA STATE FORESTS 



BY W. T. COX 



STATE FORESTER 



MINNESOTA now has a fair start in forestry. The 

 Federal Government some years ago granted to 

 the state the lands at the headwaters of the 

 Mississippi, to which have been added a number of other 

 sections purchased by the state, constituting Itasca 

 State Park or Forest. This includes Lake Itasca, the 

 source of the Mississippi, and 22,000 acres, mostly virg- 

 inal forest, surrounding it. 



Burntside Forest, in the Vermilion Iron Range, con- 



conducting the management of the state forests must be 

 established without the aid of precedents within the state. 

 So far as possible, the experience of the national gov- 

 ernment in managing its forests will be used as a guide 

 to make this work successful. We must bear in mind 

 that these state forests are to be managed by the Forestry 

 Board as estates in trust, of which the school, the uni- 

 versity, the internal improvement, and the swamp land 

 funds are the beneficiaries. The public must interest it- 

 self in its forests and give hearty co-operation 

 if their management is to be successful. Wise- 

 ly managed, they will increase in productive 

 value year after year. 



The state lands constituting the new state 

 forests are embraced within the territory ex- 

 tending from Rainy Lake to Lake Superior, 

 and from Vermilion and Pelican Lakes to the 

 International Boundary. Nearly all of this 

 land is so rocky or so hilly that agriculture 

 on it would not be profitable. Persons not 

 familiar with conditions of tree growth may 



TYPICAL SCENERY ALONG 



Most of the lakes are clear and deep, their shores 

 covered with primeval forest to the water's edge. 



sists of 20,000 acres granted to the 

 state for forest purposes by the fed- 

 eral government. Pillsbury Forest, of 

 1,000 acres, was given to the state by 

 the late Governor Pillsbury. 



Three years ago, the people of Min- 

 nesota, through an amendment to the 

 constitution, authorized the legislature 

 to establish state forests to be managed 

 on forestry principles, and the legisla- 

 ture at its session last winter created 

 state forests aggregating over 350,000 

 acres. It left to the Forestry Board authority to work 

 out the details of their management and the administra- 

 tion of these lands. By the enactment of this legislation 

 a complete cycle was established whereby the state on its 

 own lands provided for sustained production of timber 

 products. The principle that makes forestry a business 

 of the state is recognized and its practice authorized. It 

 now becomes the duty of the State Forestry Board to 

 regulate this practice along broad and constructive busi- 

 ness lines. The regulation and order of procedure for 



THE LAKE SHORES IDEAL COUNTRY FOR THE CANOEIST 



An infinite variety of choice is offered to the camper, fisherman or canoeist to follow the trail 

 through the primitive wilderness. 



ask how trees can grow on land where agriculture 

 crops are not practicable. This question is easily 

 answered by a trip through the forest country of north- 

 eastern Minnesota and adjoining parts of Ontario. It is 

 by no means claimed that there is no agricultural land 

 in northeastern Minnesota. There is a great deal of it, 

 and it is land which can be made very productive; 

 but on those portions which have been or will be selected 

 as permanent state forests, agriculture will not be practi- 

 cable within any reasonable time. 



