•si t y \\ 





F — 445444 



Figure 15.— Ash-elm forest on overflow land near the Presque Isle River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Many of the larger 



trees are deformed or defective. 



to 12 

 '^ 10 



2 - 



0"- 



f^N'- N -j Aspen, gross, or brush 

 Y//X\ Type species, poorly slocked 

 Type species, stocked 



FT^ 







I 



POTENTIAL POTENTIAL 

 HARDWOOD SPRUCE -FIR 



Figure 16.— Potential area of m 

 proijortions now poorly stocked 

 and brush. Some of the aspen 

 convert naturally to the types 

 to he planted. 



14 



POTENTIAL 

 PINE 



RESIDUAL 

 ASPEN 



ajor type groups, showing 

 or covered with aspen, grass, 

 areas, if well protected, will 

 indicated; others will need 



Pine forests covered at one time about 24 million 

 acres in the Lake States, not including the mixed 

 types where white pine -^vas an important compo- 

 nent. In the development of the region, about 

 half the original area ^vas cleared and put to other 

 uses. But approximately 12 million acres of poten- 

 tial pine land remains, fairly evenly divided among 

 the three States, Presently, about two-thirds of this 

 is occupied by aspen, grass, or brush. Aspen does 

 not thrive on dry sandy soils; thus, recon\ersion to 

 pine is highly desirable. Unfortunately, the rate of 

 natural conversion is slow. With jiresent relatively 

 good fire protection, the rate of reseeding to pine 

 should accelerate, but not enough to insure com- 

 plete conversion, without considerable planting (fig. 

 17). 



Forests of spruce, balsam fir, tamarack, and cedar 

 once covered about 27 million acres in the Lake 

 States. Roughly, 11 million acres have been di- 

 verted to nonforest uses, and 1 million acres have 

 been converted inore or less permanently into aspen 



Forest Resource Report No. 1. U. S. Depart inctit of .Agriculture 



