FORESTRY COMMISSION. 



89 



Area, hind in farms and improved lands in Mifhigan. 

 U. S. censi;s 1900. (Numbers rounded off.) 



Since the above refers to the land area as per United States Land 

 Office Eeports, and since the amount of land in towns and highways 

 forms certainly less than five per cent, even if all highways were cut out, 

 it appears that fully twenty-three of the thirty-six million acres of 

 land in Michigan are unimproved. 



Eeturning to the lighter pinery lands, it is but natural that after 

 the great fires had swept the forest cover and not only destroyed it, 

 but almost cleared it from the land, that little encouragement existed 

 for the timber man to hold them or give them any further care. At 

 first the lands were olTered for sale and later a large portion of them 

 reverted to the State for non-payment of taxes. They were offered for 

 sale for taxes but usually bid in by the State so that today there are 

 about six million acres of these lands either delinquent for taxes or 

 actually deeded back to the State. This is a remarkable and a very 

 significant state of affairs, six million acres, about one-sixth of the land 

 area of the State is "in soak" for taxes. This fact not only indicates the 

 proprietory relation but describes quite fully the natural and economic 

 condition of these lands. 



The policy of the State with regard to these lands has been liberal, 

 in fact, too liberal. The State has made a persistent effort to get the 

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