82 THE COMMISSION OP INQUIRY, 



FROM STATEMENT BY FREMONT E. SKBELS, LAND LOOKER FOR COBBS & 

 MITCHMLL^ CADILLAC, MICHIGAN. 



How many fires nature will withstand and retain its ability to re- 

 forest is a matter dependent on local conditions and on the extent and 

 fierceness of the fire. After a number of fires nothing is left, that can 

 to any great extent feed future fires and the work of rehabilitation by 

 nature then begins again. Seeds of some kind are sure to find their 

 way to the ground even though the seed trees are very distant. The 

 first growth that comes abundantly is the fire weed, which follows al- 

 most immediately ; the next growth is usually the wild cherry and briars 

 and poplars. These growing form a natural young cover for the ground 

 and after a few years they are followed by such forest growth as the 

 seed trees near by can reseed. How far the seed trees will promote 

 natural reforestation is a problem depending largely upon the topo- 

 graphy of the tract and its relation to the prevailing wind and proxim- 

 ity to other forest growth. The seed of some trees will carry more easily 

 and more quickly than of some other trees. Some trees will be replaced 

 by shoots from the ground. This is true of the oaks, bass wood, and 

 under certain conditions of the ash. In general, it is true that trees 

 whose seeds do not carry easily will reproduce from shoots or sprouts. 

 In one way or another the greater portion of all of the area of the cut- 

 over lands would reforest more or less adequately in twenty years, if 

 fire were kept out. There would, of course, be thin spots at the end 

 of so short a period of time. I am speaking now generally of all classes 

 of cut-over lands such as we have in northern Michigan, not merely the 

 pine plains and original pineries, but hardwoods as well. I know from 

 my experience and observation that all of these lands will reforest 

 naturally if protected from fire long enough, and in my judgment a 

 good deal more than half would reforest in such a way as to produce a 

 timber stand of substantial value. This is easily within the fact. Of 

 course, I do not mean to say that in twenty years all of the waste cut- 

 over lands would be reforested naturally. There would be stretches 

 probably of land, which, by reason of local conditions, would not re- 

 forest, but in my opinion the greater part of the cut-over land would 

 reforest itself in the time I have mentioned. Of course, you understand 

 that this forest would not be at a matured state, but would be a young 

 growth on the way to a full-grown forest. 



The oak has a tap root that goes deeply into the earth and is not 

 killed even by a fierce fire. After such a fire these roots throw forth 

 shoots from below the ground which will grow up if not reburned. These 

 will keep coming after each fire. They are difQcult to kill, but be- 

 come more numerous after each fire. The seed of the oak is not spread 

 except to a limited extent by squirrels and birds and the phenomenon 

 often seen of oak following where pine originally predominated is ac- 

 counted for by the fact I have mentioned. In the midst of the original 

 pine growth and scattered through it, was originally a stunted small 

 oak growth which is much more tenacious of life and survives against 

 the fire much better than pine, which is easily killed. These small 

 oaks grow an annual crop of acorns. The young pine and the pine seeds 

 are usually destroyed by the first fire. Again the bass wood and ash 

 propogate very readily from the root and also from the seed. The trees 



