The Problems of Land Ownership and 
Balanced Utilization 
HE complicated land-ownership pattern and 
the diversity of interests of individual owners 
are two of the serious obstacles to sustained- 
yield management in the Upper Peninsula. Few 
owners, including even the public agencies, have 
sufficient timberland of their own in consolidated 
blocks to support a moderate-sized logging opera- 
tion permanently. Some owners are holding 
timberlands as a long-time investment; others are 
interested in immediate liquidation. Hence, co- 
operation is difficult. 
The Federal Government owns nearly 1.4 million 
acres or 15 percent of the forest land, chiefly within 
two national forests (table 14). This land consists 
of remnants of public domain, and cut-over land 
TABLE 14.—Ownership of forest land and timber, 1935 
FOREST LAND 
; Federal State Large Small All 
Type or species and and private | private | (vnirs 
Indian county | holdings | holdings 
1,000 1,009 1,000 1,000 | 1,000 
acres acres acres acres acres 
Pines =. 2--s ae 134 84 125 60 403 
Hardwood ------_- 785 466 2,971 1, 304 5, 526 
Spruce-fir___------ 124 136 575 300 1, 135 
Conifer swamp---- 121 170 568 209 1, 068 
Deforested ____-.-- 236 144 517 307 1, 204 
Motels 1, 400 1, 000 14,756 12, 180 9, 336 
Percentage_------- 15 11 51 23 100 
SAW TIMBER 
Million | Million | Million | Million | Million 
board board board board board 
feet feet feet feet feet 
Pines =1s2. e252 -=. 9 91 586 266 952 
Hemlock=224==-——— 104 195 4, 788 1, 275 6, 362 
Other softwoods-_- 11 136 1, 050 387 1, 584 
Maple-birch-_-__-- 192 347 7, 764 2155 10, 458 
Other hard woods-_- 64 270 2, 593 1, 001 3, 928 
Motaloe= 2252 380 1, 039 16, 781 5, 084 23, 284 
Percentage-------- 2 4 72 22 100 
1 Of the land in this category, between 1 and 2 million acres is delinquent 
for taxes for 1936 and earlier years and is now becoming the property of 
the State. 
20 
Tasie 15.—Classification of 124 owners holding 55 percent of the 
privately owned forest land in the Upper Peninsula 
Class Owners TERR 
Number Acres 
Lumber and logging companies___-_____-_______- 44 1, 056, 900 
Pulp and paper companies__--__--____-__-______ 8 366, 100 
IMGInIn {COM Pani cs ase see ee eee 8 1, 198, 100 
Baris See Hace ces EE Ee 28 a eens eS 3 14, 200 
Automobile and other manufacturing industries_ 8 419, 600 
Railroadsis- se) sista Sete eee nO 3 148, 200 
Hand) companies aso) soe eee unger! 10 178, 900 
Hunting clubs and resorts_____--______--______-- 7 127, 700 
Individuals and estates____.._.__---_--_--___---- 31 262, 700 
Miscellaneous S205 S22 eco eee eae een 2 5, 200 
POtal to on 2 Ge ee ee he eae 124 3, 777, 600 
that has been purchased for reforestation and sup- 
ports only 1.2 percent of the saw-timber volume 
in the Peninsula. Furthermore, the Federal lands 
are poorly consolidated, since only 44 percent of 
the area within national-forest boundaries was 
Government owned in 1935. Thus the two na- 
tional forests are in no condition at present to 
support large-scale operations on a_ sustained- 
yield basis. 
The State of Michigan and the several counties 
own 11 percent of the forest land, the greater part 
of which has come into public ownership through 
tax delinquency. Itis relatively poor forest land and 
rather scattered. Of the 4 percent of saw-timber 
volume represented, the best is on land reserved 
for recreation. Obviously, the State by itself 
cannot support many large-scale operations. 
Private owners, controlling 74 percent of the 
forest land and 94 percent of the saw-timber 
volume, represent a wide variety of interests. This 
is indicated in table 15, which presents data for 124 
individuals or companies controlling about 55 
percent of the privately owned land. 
The copper- and iron-mining companies have 
maintained large holdings partly for subsurface 
values and partly to guarantee supplies of timber 
