628 



Canadian Forestry Journal, July, ipi6. 



of the natural regeneration by which 

 nature sought to reclaim these vast 

 areas. 



Having succeeded in eliminating 

 the pine forests of Michigan as a 

 commercial asset, inroads are now 

 being actively made upon our Hard- 

 woods and other timbers, and al- 

 though the condition may not be so 

 acute when uor hardwood lands are 

 cut over — because of greater agri- 

 cultural possibilities upon them, we 

 will still have our non-producing fire 

 burned pine plains as an evidence of 

 the improper solution of the slash 

 problem. 



Authorities differ as to the proper 

 solving of the problem of disposal 

 of refuse from logging operations, 

 but the common assumption is that 

 to secure safety, slash should be 

 burned. In fact, we have in some 

 states, compulsory slash burning, 

 thus compelling operators to invite 

 further ravages bv the demon — 

 FIRE. 



I do not believe in the use of fire 

 under any circumstances, nor do I 

 believe it necessary to expend a 

 considerable amount of money in 

 this work, thus adding to the cost 

 of production by way of windrow- 

 ing, brush piling or top-logging; but 

 on the other hand, until means are 

 devised by which slash can be 

 UTILIZED, forest management, 

 which should include patrol, fire 

 lines, lookout towers, and educa- 

 tional features should prevail. 



This question at once presents it- 

 self: Can slash be utilized? And 

 I sav in answer that there are many 

 products which can be derived from 

 the saving and utilizing of the forest 

 slash, and if the returns from such 

 utilization meet the cost of the 

 necessary saving operation, the gain 

 — that of the elimination of the 

 forest fire danger — is both real and 

 material. 



Fuel, Ashes, Pulp. 



And now, having concluded that 

 the utilization of the slash, or the 

 refuse from logging operations is a 



feasible, and the reasonable pro- 

 cedure, let us consider what prod- 

 ucts and by what means such ma- 

 terial can be harvested. Of the 

 many products which can be made 

 from forest refuse, the three which 

 appear to offer the greatest possi- 

 bilities, are: first, FUEL WOOD; 

 second, ASHES; and third, PULP. 



Abroad, the utilization of 

 FAGOTS or fine wood as fuel, is in 

 general use. AVhy not begin the 

 saving of our best body timber for 

 commercial use, and encourage the 

 utilization of our present waste by 

 turning it to fuel purposes? 



This can be accomplished by edu- 

 cational means, covering both the 

 necessity of the saving of the better 

 grades of wood and the possibility 

 of using for fuel those grades of less 

 commercial value. The actual 

 method of reclamation may be noth- 

 ing more than the axe. the saw and 

 means of transportation. Equip- 

 ment could, of course, be developed 

 as the exigencies of the case neces- 

 sitated. 



In years to come we will look 

 back upon this wasted asset with 

 wonder at our lack of foresight. 



The production of ashes for fer- 

 tilizer, potash, lyes and other bi- 

 products is also easily accomplished, 

 and entails onlv the destructive 

 burning of the slash in closed fur- 

 naces or retorts, so that NO DAM- 

 AGE results to the soil and NO 

 RISK to surrounding property. 



How much are Unleached Hard- 

 wood Ashes worth? Just ask your 

 dealer, and the figure will surprise 

 you. "But" you say, "ashes are a 

 fertilizer in themselves, and when 

 the slash is burned, it returns this 

 ash to soil.'- This statement is but 

 partially true; and even if wholly 

 true, neither solves our problem nor 

 is it often of value. 



Modern science is constantly at 

 work in the paper making industry 

 as in other lines, and great advance- 

 ment has been noted. We recognize 

 as paper making material — straw. 



