FOREST POLICY. • 



In 1899 the "Forestry Commission" (appropriation $2,000 

 annually) was revived as a commission of inquiry and legislative 

 advice. It consists of three scientific members, but no lumber- 

 men. Allowance $2,000 a year, to be spent for gathering statistics. 

 A department of forestry was established in 1901 at the State Uni- 

 versity (now under Dr. F. Roth), and S7,ooo acres of land for- 

 feited for non-payment of taxes were turned over to the commis- 

 sion to be worked for two years. In lieu of these 57,ooo acres a 

 recent law has turned over to the commission all State holdings 

 in three townships at the head waters of the Muskegon River. 

 By the aid of a continuous appropriation of $7,500 a year, the 

 commission is gradually acquiring the contiguous lands, so as to 

 make these reserve holdings more solid. The attempt of reserving 

 all land forfeited for non-payment of taxes (and of a protective 

 character) for State reserves failed in 1901. 



7. Laws: Fire laws since 1817. Not enforced. Loss from 

 fires reported by Sargent is $1,000,000 in 1880. 



8. Reservations: Now 64,000 acres at the head of the 

 Muskegon River. 



9. Irrigation: None. 



FORESTRY CONDITIONS OF MINNESOTA: 



1. Area: Woodlands, inclusive of stump land, cover 52,000 

 square miles, an area equal to 66% of the State. Stand of white 

 pine after Sargent, in 1880, eight billion feet b. m. ; after Gen. 

 C C. Andrews, in 1895, seventeen billion feet b. m. ; after Horace 

 B. Ayres, in 1900, twelve billion feet b. m. 



2. Physiography: Undulating. 10,000 lakes and lakelets, 

 the largest being Red Lake, Leech Lake and Millelac Lake. A 

 multitude of swamps increase in size and number towards the 

 north. Hills are rare. The Rainy River and Rainy Lake form 

 the boundary line towards Ontario; the St. Louis River empties 

 at Duluth; the St. Croix River runs on the Wisconsin line; the 

 Red River on the Dakota line; the Mississippi starts in Lake 

 Itasca and is navigable from Minneapolis southward. 



3. Distribution: Two-fifths of the State is prairie, ad- 

 joining the Dakota and Iowa lines; another fifth, next to prairie, 

 shows hardwoods prevailing over the softwoods; the remaining 

 two-fifths is pine land and swamp land. 



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