12 BULLETIN 139, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



JACK-PINE PLAINS. 



Jack pine obtains possession of the driest, sterile sands through its 

 ability to reproduce prolifically after fire and to grow rapidly during 

 the seedling and sapling stages. Originally, it is believed, Norway 

 pine formed at least 10 per cent of the stand on this type, but repeated 

 fires have decreased this proportion until on some sand plains there 

 is no Norway pine at all. 



COMPETITION WITH OTHER SPECIES. 



For Norway pine to succeed, the ground must be at least partially 

 free from thick grass, briars, and weeds and not excessively dry. 

 White pine, on the other hand, succeeds best with some cover, such 

 as bushes, berry vines, or scattered poplar and cherry seedlings. On 

 the richer soils the tolerance of white pine enables it to obtain a start 

 over Norway, which is usually crowded out. On moderately dry, 

 pure sand Norway pine drives out the white pine and hardwoods by 

 its more rapid growth. On rich clay, suitable for agriculture, the 

 hardwoods obtain the supremacy through their ability to seed up the 

 soil and get a good start. As such stands become open, however, 

 white pine, and later some Norway pine, gain a foothold. Dry, coarse 

 sands favor jack pine, which grows faster than Norway pine at the 

 start, but which begins to decline in vigor when from 80 to 90 years 

 old, permitting the Norw T ay pine to break through the crown cover 

 and quickly occupy the available growing space. 



SUPPLY AND CUT. 



The total stand of all pines in the Lake States to-day probably 

 amounts to more than 50,000,000,000 board feet. Of the 250,000,- 

 000,000 feet estimated to have been cut in the Lake States since lum- 

 bering began, Norway pine has probably furnished about 15 per cent, 

 or about 37,000,000,000 board feet. The estimated present stand of 

 Norway pine — 17,000,000,000 feet — will probably appear too small 

 after another decade or so, since with proper fire protection the pro- 

 duction of second growth should materially increase the supply. 



Accurate estimates of the cut of either white or Norway pine in 

 the Lake States are impossible, because the two species are marketed 

 together. Mr. R. S. Kellogg, secretary of the Northern Hemlock and 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, has estimated that between 

 1880 and 1910 Norway pine formed 25 per cent of the total cut in 

 Michigan, 20 per cent of that in Wisconsin, and 15 per cent of that in 

 Minnesota. These figures may be taken as conservative. In 1911, 

 Mr. H. S. Childs, secretary of the Northern Pine Manufacturers' 

 Association, estimated that Norway pine cut 30.4 per cent of the total 

 production in Minnesota and Wisconsin, a conclusion reached on the 



