36 MICHIGAN FORESTRY. 



We see then that the protest may be and is fairly met and it is gratifying to 

 note here that in the counties of Roscommon and Crawford where the reserve 

 policy has made its beginning the people have completely changed their views 

 and there is today a most hearty ^nd intelligent cooperation between the state, 

 and the people in the matter of forest reserves. 



And now, what is it that the state should do? The answer has practically 

 been given in what has been said, but may briefly be stated more categorically 

 as follows • 



1. The reserve policy of dealing with all state lands has proved acceptable 

 to the people, it is the only economical and safe pohcy, it is in keeping with ex- 

 perience of the older parts of our Union and mth centuries of experience in the 

 old world. It should be continued and it should be extended to all state 

 lands and to every acre of land as soon as it becom.es delinquent for taxes. 



2. No state land should be sold for less than $5 per acre, for the land alone 

 and any timber on the land should be sold according to rules established by the 

 State forestry Commission. 



3. No ands or timber should be sold except by public aution to be held in 

 the county seat of the county where the land or timber is located. 



4. No lands once deeded to the state should be sold or offered for sale un- 

 less written application is made therefor and the useless wholesale advertise- 

 ment of our lands and the forcing of these lands on the market should cease. 



5. Lands deUnquent for taxes should be offered for sale once in accordance 

 with the present law, but it should be illegal to waste the funds of the state in 

 repeated advertising as has been done in the past. 



6. Lands on which the taxes have not been paid for five years should be 

 deeded to the state irrespective of any circumstances and the title thus ob- 

 tained by the state should be sufficient. 



7. The policy of the federal government in selling its land only to actual 

 settlers and in tracts not to exceed 160 acres is sound in principle and practice 

 and should be followed in the disposition of our state lands. 



S. Non-agricultural lands should not be sold at all and in cases where doubt 

 exists the Forest Commission should decide, since lands of this character are 

 generall}^ more valuable for timber than for farms. 



9. The appropriations at present devoted to the handling of the tax title 

 lands should be used to give these lands protection, care and urprovement and 

 to defray the taxes which the state pays to the town where lands are reserved 

 for forests. 



10. The state in selling any lands once deeded to the state, should never 

 give a quit-claim deed, but should always give a warranty deed. Cases are 

 now on record where citizens of this state in good faith buy the lands claimed 

 to be the property of the state, and after purchasing these lands are obliged 

 to allow other persons to cut off the timber or endure other trespass. A deed 

 from the stn.te should be sufficient evidence before any court to enjoin trespass 

 of any kind. 



But why should the state do the^e things now? Why not wait and let 

 things develop? The answer is largely given in the nature of the case as 

 presented. The state is rapidly growing and with it, the demand for timber. 

 According to the best estimates we use each year more than two thousand 

 million feet of lumber and timber in our state. If the timber and lumber are 

 high, the house is not built and the barn "has to do;" development in e^ ery 

 direction is hampered and cliecked. 



But it takes 150 years to make white pine such as we have used in the past 

 and it takes fifty years to make even fair pole timber fit for ordinary market. 



