Too Much Land Is Understocked 



Although the Minnesota forests have improved in 

 some respects since 1936. they still lack many charac- 

 teristics of a well-managed forest. The 4,483,000 

 acres of nonstocked land, for example, and 1,671,000 

 acres of poorly stocked seedlings and saplings sharply 

 reduce the average yields of timber. 



Softwood Types Losing Ground 



Originally, Minnesota had about 18 million acres of 

 softwood forest out of a total forest area of 31.5 

 million acres. By 1936, the softwood area had been 

 reduced to 5,171,000 acres of commercial forest; 

 by 1953, after heavy cutting during the war years, 

 it was down to 4,445,000 acres. Land clearing has 

 been responsible for more than half of the reduction 

 in the original area. Forest fires and destructive 

 logging have converted millions of acres to aspen, 

 grass, and brush. Now with improved fire protection 

 and better cutting practices, there is some natural 

 reconversion, but it is progressing at a rather slow 

 pace. Most authorities agree on the need for planting 

 to accelerate restoration of softwood because both 

 locally and nationally the demand is greater for 

 softwoods than for hardwoods. 



Uneven Distribution of Stand-Size Classes 



For sustained production, a forest should have an 

 even distribution of age-classes in each type from 

 youngest seedlings up to mature harvestable timber. 

 This condition is not found in many places in Minne- 

 sota; generally, there is a shortage of merchantable 

 and near-merchantable timber and an excess of very 

 young timber. 



In the northeastern division only 7 percent of the 

 area supports sawtimber. The other divisions have 

 somewhat better balance but lack sufficient timber of 

 advanced size. 



A few forest types have shortages in the smaller 

 size classes. The white and red pine types have two- 

 thirds of their acreage in sawtimber, some of it over- 

 mature, and have but small acreages in poles, saplings, 

 and seedlings. This situation may not be quite as 

 bad as it appears since some other forest types include 

 young pine, but not enough to classify as pine type. 



Several of the hardwood types, notably ash-elm- 

 cottonwood and maple-birch, can be managed best 

 in most places as all-aged forests. For this, the type 

 should be maintained as a sawtimber stand. At 



present, only a little more than one-third of these 

 types is classified as sawtimber. 



Too Much Low-Grade Timber 



Because two-thirds of its hardwood sawtimber is 

 classed as No. 3 or lowest quality grade, Minnesota is 

 handicapped in promoting new wood-using industries. 



To a considerable extent, the No. 3 classification 

 applies because of the small size of the timber. If 

 allowed to grow for 20 years, some of these logs will 

 make No. 2 and a few No. 1 grades. 



In some places the timber is short and limby 

 because it is too open grown. In farm woods this 

 may be a result of grazing. Elsewhere it may be a 

 result of poor site, poor seed sources, burning, or some 

 other cause. These conditions can be remedied but 

 it will take time. 



Some forest areas have accumulations of over- 

 mature, decadent, cull, and even dead timber that 

 have been passed by loggers. These accumulations 

 not only waste growing space but they serve as breed- 

 ing places for insects and fungi, and thus are a menace 

 to the forest. How to dispose of such material is one 

 of the biggest forestry problems facing the State. 



Mortality Excessive 



Losses from various natural causes — fire, wind, 

 diseases, insects, etc. — are greater in Minnesota than 

 in most other States. The annual loss of 2.4 percent 

 of growing stock is an exceedingly high rate. 



One reason for high mortality is the prevalence of 

 vulnerable species, of which aspen is the outstanding 

 example. On poor sites — that is, on wet ground or 

 very sandy ground — aspen commonly succumbs to 

 disease before the stands reach good operable size. 

 The long-run solution is to restore these areas to the 

 types of timber for which they are better suited — 

 spruce, pine, or bottom-land hardwood. On better 

 sites and in areas tributary to good markets, aspen 

 needs to be cultivated intensively with frequent light 

 cuttings to forestall mortality. In more remote areas 

 where frequent cutting is impractical, the more 

 prudent course, regardless of site, may be to encourage 

 replacement of aspen by longer lived and less \"ul- 

 nerable species. 



Jack pine and balsam fir also are relatively short- 

 lived species and deteriorate rapidly after maturity. 

 Overmature stands in areas not accessible by road 

 present a problem that the State is trying to solve by 



Minnesota's Forest Resources 



41 



