26 STATE OF MICHIGAN. 



The stands of jack pine varj' from place to place. Few occupy small 

 areas in the midst of former stands of Norway pine, and appear as if the 

 stand of Norway pine had been broken by storm or other cause and the 

 gaps had fllled with jack pine, owing to its superior seeding capacity. In 

 such places the jack pine stands close, has a height of 35-50' feet, is fairly 

 well cleaned and generally runs from 6-10 inches in diameter. In one 

 case a sample acre of this kind contained 511 jack pine trees, mostly 

 between five and nine inches in diameter, with a few scattering oak 

 sprouts in the more open spots, with no young growth of jack pine and 

 a scanty ground cover of sedges, grass and huckleberry. 



On another tract about 430 live jack pine, largely 4-8 inches in diameter, 

 were counted on one acre. In addition there were found about 100 dead 

 jack pine, 12 small oak, besides about 50 jack stools, a few scrub maples 

 and cherry. 



On the regular jack pine plains, the stand is very variable, and with it 

 the character of the trees. Generally, the stands are open, so that each 

 tree has room to spread, and as a consequence the trees are short, short- 

 bodied, large crowned, bushy, limby and rather worthless from the tim- 

 bcrman's standpoint. However, these bushy trees are generally prolific 

 seeders and can be counted upon as a valuable aid in the process of re- 

 forestation. And while it might be argued that this runty growth of Jack 

 Pine is but little better than no forest at all, the readiness with which 

 Jack Pine finds a market and good use at the present time leaves no doubt 

 of the usefulness of this growth in the future. 



The Sioamp forests vary ; they are generally a. Cedar-Tamarack combi- 

 nation with a variable mixture of Spruce and Balsam, Ash and Maple and 

 a border or fringe of mixed woods in which the swamp-conifers associate 

 with Poplar, Birch, Maple, Ash, White and Norway Pine in an almost 

 endless variety of proportion. The swamp forests are by far the most 

 valuable part of these burned pinery districts. 



It is from these swamp woods that the only merchantable timber of 

 this area comes; it is only in these swamp forests where a fairly satisfac- 

 tory forest condition exists and a reasonable amount of valuable material 

 is grown every year; it is here where natural conditions have protected 

 the forest growth and where today a large amount (in the aggregate) of 

 reproduction of the adjoining lands takes its start. Covering such a large 

 portion of the total area these swamp woods deserve especial care and 

 consideration. The following illustrates more fully the character and 

 composition of these swamp woods : In one swamp one acre of a sample 

 area examined contained in round numbers, 540 live Cedar trees, of which 

 amount 120 were over six inches in diameter ; 30 dead trees of Cedar, 200 

 trees of Spruce, 100 Tamarack, 20 Balsam. In addition about 700 young 

 Cedar, 120 of young Spruce, 30 young Balsam and a few Tamarack and 

 White Pine were counted. 



The size of this swamp timber is never great. The usual height is from 

 50 to 70 feet and the diameter of mature trees ranges usually from eight 

 to 14 inches, though the Cedar is apt to make an exception in this re- 

 spect and develop a "bottle butt" often two feet in diameter and over. 



As will be noted from the above count there is no lack of reproduction 

 and the only thing required to perpetuate this forest is a careful ex- 

 ploitation of the dead and riper material and efficient protection against 

 fire. 



