FOREST POLICY. 



3. Distribution: Prairies only in the extreme south of the 

 lower peninsula. South of the 43(1 degree of latitude, broad-leaved 

 species prevail on land pre-eminently fit for agriculture. Here 

 are found elm, ash, basswood, maple and white oak of splendid 

 development. 



The northern part of the lower peninsula and the entire 

 upper peninsula were occupied by the famous pineries of Michi- 

 gan, sprinkled with swamps of tamarack, cedar, spruce and bal- 

 sam, and sand barrens stocked with jack pine, poplar, birch and 

 scrub oak. 



In the pineries there are mixed with the white pine, often 

 as an undergrowth, ash, sugar maple, beech, oaks, hemlock, bass- 

 wood, elm. 



In 1880 the standing hemlock was estimated to be seven 

 billion feet b. m., carrying seven million cords of bark. 



The maple sugar industry is important, Michigan ranking 

 third in 1880. 



4. Forest ownership: The State claims 3,000,000 acres of 

 so-called tax homesteads, which are held for sale to ignorant im- 

 migrants. 



320 lumber firms own 2,750,000 acres stocked with 5,300 feet 

 b. m., on an average. 



In the southern section wood lots are usually owned by 

 farmers. 



5. Use of timber: From 1862 to 1887 the State produced 

 $870,000,000 worth of white pine. In 1880, Sargent reports for 

 white pine a growing stock of 35,000,000 feet b. m., whilst Fernow, 

 in 1896, estimates it at 6,000,000 feet b. m. (underestimate). An- 

 other five years will, probably, bring about the end of the white 

 pine in Michigan. 



In lumber "production Michigan has recently lost its leader- 

 ship, held since 1870, to Wisconsin. The value of the saw mill 

 products was in 



1850 $ 2,500,000 



i860 7,000,000 



1870 32,000,000 



1880 52,000,000 



1890 83,000,000 



1900 54,000,000 



45 



