FOREST CONDITIONS OF NORTHERN 
WISCONSIN. 
The preliminary forest survey of Wisconsin, the principal 
results of which are here presented, was necessarily made in 
the form of a census or canvass, collecting the knowledge of 
the woods, and the experience in actual logging operations of 
several hundred men, and securing a better interpretation of this 
information as well as a proper insight into the forestal condi¬ 
tions, not usually observed by woodsmen, by personal inspection 
of typical localities in every county. 
From this it follows that all estimates of areas and yields 
represent the knowledge of the best informed men, and a fair 
degree of correctness may be claimed for the same for the reason 
that each district, at least every county, is represented by a num¬ 
ber of competent men, the writer being enabled by personal 
inspection to weigh, verify, or harmonize conflicting statements. 
The greatest help came from the practical woodsmen, who, in 
all parts of the territory, kindly assisted both by verbal infor¬ 
mation and by the use of their exhaustive “minutes,” many of 
which fill volumes, and represent an amount of detail infor¬ 
mation such as exists for but few parts of our country. 
In this connection it gives the writer pleasure to express his 
sincerest thanks to all these gentlemen, whose help alone could 
insure reasonable success to so hasty reconnaissance. The 
journey through the State occupied over three months, involved 
one or more trips over nearly every mile of railway passing 
through this section, besides several hundred miles of travel by 
wagon. The county-seat of every county was visited and no 
county received less than two days’ attention. 
