that is a subject that pertains rather to restoration of forests than to 

 t'heir destruction, anct will be treated of when reforestation is taken up. 

 Having considered something of the necessities preliminary to the 

 problem of restocking the idle acres it remains to be found out what is 

 being done and can be done to restock. The point of attack for that 

 study is logically the forest reservations of the Public Domain Com- 

 mission, where beginnings have been made, and to that area of the in- 

 quiry, the state forests, we now return. 



ARTICLE VII. 



On millions of acres outside the state forests the problem first to 

 be faced, as we have seen, is reduction of the fire menace as an as- 

 sistance to nature in her efforts to reproduce the useful trees, later 

 to assist nature by planting. 



On the 650,000 acres allotted to the Public Domain Commission 

 for state forest reservations, the fire problem is well in hand, by con- 

 trast with conditions outside. Nature is being given her chance, and, 

 more, nature is being assisted. The whole program is to restore to 

 the millions of acres of devastated lands up north the forest industry. 

 About $55,000 a year is being spent to this end. 



AN INFANT INDUSTRY. 



Remember that you are about to scrutinize an infant industry. So 

 infantile that you are asked ,to examine the industry in the very mak- 

 ings of it, from practically nothing. It will be found to have some of 

 the puny, weakling aspects of a thing newly born. It is only about 15 

 years old in this state. It will be 45 years longer growing out of ado- 

 lescense; for it takes on the average 60 years for suc'h a tree as those 

 planted by the state forester to reach a size that makes a lumberman^ 

 covetous. The pulpwood man and the chemical wood man, not to 

 mention the /barrel and box men and a host of others who can make 

 money scavenging forests, will be coming down on our youthful for- 

 ests long before the 60-year term is up. They are finding much now 

 in protected forest areas, and they would find much more in 10 to 15 

 years if fires were kept out. 



Of the Public Domain Commission's 650,000 acres only 156,158 

 acres have to date been organized as a forest reserve. One has to put 

 in that "only," for large as the aggregate state forests are, one 

 can not forget that 100,000 acres of cut-over are being added to the idle 

 land area of this state every year. 



The state forest domain is in eight forests. The newest one was 

 "opened" last summer. That is the Pigeon River reserve, in south cen- 

 tral Cheboygan county. "Opening" a state forest, as has been else- 

 where mentioned, consists in running the e v xterior boundary fines, put- 

 ting up living quarters for the forester's men, a barn, at least one watch- 

 tower, telephone lines, then beginning construction of fire lines and 

 planting. 



The other seven state forests, named in the chronological order of 

 their opening, are: Higgins Lake, Houghton Lake, Fife Lake, Lake 

 Superior, Ogemaw, Presque Isle, Alpena. There is, besides, a tract 

 of virgin white pine, Interlochen State park, in Grand Traverse county, 

 where the state forester gets much seed, but does not pursue reclama- 

 tion activities. 



A 32 



