Prefa 



ce 



THE McSWEENEY-McNARY Forest Research Act of May 22, 

 1928, authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to make and keep 

 current a survey of the Nation's forest resources. In 1933 the Lake 

 States Forest Experiment Station of the Forest Service, U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, initiated the first complete field inventory of the 

 forest resources of Minnesota as part of the nationwide forest survey. 

 The Minnesota survey was completed in 1936 and, for the first time, 

 provided reasonably accurate data showing the area, volume, growth, 

 and drain of forest resources. (Reported in The Forests of Minnesota^ by 

 R. N. Cunningham and H. C. Moser, U. S. Forest Service Lake States 

 Forest Experiment Station, 1938.) 



By 1946 the earlier data needed bringing up to date and a coopera- 

 tive survey was planned. The Lake States Forest Experiment Station 

 took responsibility for planning and coordinating various segments of 

 the job and contributed to field and office work. The National Forest 

 organizations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Minnesota De- 

 partment of Conservation assumed responsibility for surveying public 

 lands under their jurisdiction. The Iron Range Resources and Re- 

 habilitation Commission assuined responsibility for covering lands 

 outside public forests. As the work progressed, individual counties 

 and several private industries participated. The entire job was com- 

 pleted in 1953. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Com- 

 mission has published detailed reports covering the entire State, either 

 by individual counties or groups of counties. 



This report is a resume of forest statistics for the State as a whole. 

 It incorporates data collected by all cooperating agencies. Analysis 

 of the statistics, comparison with previous surveys, and any conclusions 

 drawn are the responsibility of the authors. The opinions expressed 

 may or may not be shared by the other agencies. 



In any comprehensive planning program dealing with the forest 

 resource, other integrated uses and values besides wood production 

 must be given careful consideration. These include water resource 

 management, fish and wildlife, and recreational uses and other socio- 

 logical needs. Although the scope and intent of this publication do not 

 permit their inclusion, the authors are nonetheless aware of their vital 

 importance. 



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