788 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



.MINNESOTA FOREST SERVICE STEEL TOWER AT 

 GULL LAKE, ERECTED AUGUST 25, 1911. COST $36.30. 



fund for the aid of the fire sufferers in 

 that district, is the most comprehensive 

 system of firebreaks in the country that 

 have ever been constructed for the pro- 

 tection of such an extensive area. 

 \Yould not such systems of breaks pay 

 in every forested area? 



Quite as interesting, and probably the 

 most valuable, data in this report is the 

 detailed description and accurate cost 

 data on the extinction of an extensive 

 bog fire in southeast Polk County, cov- 

 ering an area of 236 acres, by means 

 of a power ditcher and constant con- 

 trol, at a cost of $1,800. It shows how 

 serious these fires can really be. The 

 moral drawn is that they are very 

 cheaply handled when small and very 

 expensive when allowed to grow. They 

 are usually totally neglected. 



Although this work of fire preven- 

 tion and fire fighting naturally occu- 



pies most of the State Forester's time 

 at present and a large proportion of his 

 report, he makes it distinctly under- 

 stood that he considers it only as the 

 preliminary step which will make his 

 proper work, the scientific management 

 of the State's forests, possible. 



Among the interesting facts con- 

 tained in the report is the statement of 

 Minnesota's forest resources. In spite 

 of the ravages of legitimate lumbering 

 and inexcusable fire loss, she still has 

 the greatest forests of any State east 

 of the Rocky Mountains. They are 

 spread over 28,000,000 acres and con- 

 tain approximately 75,000,000,000 feet 

 of merchantable timber, with a value to 

 the people of the State equivalent to 

 $975,000,000. Quite a considerable por- 

 tion of this is made up of hard woods 

 located in the southern portion of the 

 State. 



