FORESTRY COMMISSION. 67 



THE FAEM WOODLOT AS A PART OP THE FORESTRY PLAN 



FOR MICHIGAN. 



BY I. H. BUTTERPIELDj PONTIAC, MICHIGAN. 



Tlie farm woodlot has received but little attention in the consideration 

 of the forestry question in Michigan, or in this country, but its impor- 

 tance can be established from an economic and esthetic point of vie^v. 



The preservation of large forests at the sources and headwaters of 

 streams, and along the shores of large bodies of water, are very impor- 

 t.nnt features in the forestry plan, but the south half of the Lower Penin- 

 sula of Michigan is practically all capable of improvement for agricul- 

 tural purposes, and few large forests are likely to be maintained, even 

 with the most advanced methods of forestry that can be adopted for that 

 part of the State. 



Hence, the farm woodlot must be the only means of maintaining sufH- 

 cJent forest growth to accomplish anything of importance in the way of 

 the general protection that forests afford, from cold or dry winds, from 

 storms moving across the continent, or to prevent the rapid dispersion and 

 waste of the rainfall. 



If a few large forests could be maintained in certain sections, sur- 

 rounding the sources of streams, as in Oakland county, where the sources 

 of the Huron, Clinton and Shiawassee are in one township, or at the 

 sources of the Raisin, Kalamazoo and Grand in Hillsdale county, and 

 several other similar conditions, it would be of great advantage to c'le 

 Lower Peninsula. These are not likely to be started or maintained. 



It is, however, practicable to have a woodlot on every farm, and, with 

 projier co-operation between the OAvners of farms and the State, through 

 its Forestry Commission, it could be accomplished. 



Some legislation would be necessary and considerable education in 

 public semiment and on the part of the individual. The American people 

 are jealous of their rights in property, and resent interference with its 

 use, hence would not take kindly to the restrictive and directive methods 

 of European governments, in the management of private forests. Some 

 concessions might and should be made by private owners for the general 

 good, by which at least some general control might be exercised by the 

 State over the maintenance of private forests and of timber growth on 

 each holding of land of certain area. 



And, first, people must be educated to the fact that the farm woodlot 

 is profitable. It can be easily shown that it is so, for the production of 

 wood, and even more so in the protection afforded the remaining culti- 

 vated land. It has been definitely shown that at least one-fifth of ihe 

 land may be in forest, and the production of the whole area in field crop 

 be not diminished. The protection afforded from cold or drying winds, 

 the retention and prevention of evaporation of moisture are some of the 

 reasons tor this fact, so that, aside from any economic value from the 



