The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-06-24
MINNEsOTA's LUMBER.
Esfin,dfes fh0f the Pine Lumber
available for M0nufHcfur-
INC WIV be Exhausted
tn TsrenfH Years.

The following is an extract from
advance sheets of the annual report
of Prof. n. ii. Winchell, State geolo
gist of Minnesota: In the estimate
of amount of pine lumber suitable
for manufacturing, standing at this
date, | take it that there is IN equiva-
lent to forty townships, Oh each
forty.acre tract OF which there are
$50 900 feet of pine standing. This
is taken after careful examination
Of all the data have been able to
collect, and il correct. then we shall
have $3.50, 10000 feet. This in
clmdes about one township out of
every nine within our district, all of
which are within the area where
drainage goes into the Mississippi
river. 1t also includes the several
Indian reservations, on which are
many millions of feet Of excellent
pine. and tract on the Big Fork
river, whose waters are now drained
into the Rainy Lake river, but it
seems from the facts obtained, the
250, OOO, 900 or 800, 0OO. 900 feet on that
stream, BowString lake and the tribll-
taries thereto, may he iloated down
the Mississippi. Many of the In.
dians and half.breeds interested in
the various reservations are begin
ing To realize the fact that in this
pine timber on the reservations they
have mine o: wealth, and I'LL will
bc made available to manufacturers,
How long the timber now standing
and available will hast is question
often asked, and it is Il question of
interest not To the rising generation
only. but to the present, ~ in few
years-;tt most within twenty-five --
1T the present rate of destruction
with no more effort than is now used
to arrest useless waste or to renew
the growth, will See an end of lum.
herring on the upper Mississippi. To
demonstrate this will require only Il
little reflection and Il few figures.
There was manufactured ut and above
Minneapolis during the years 1878 to
1879. inclusive, SG7,0S7 $50 feet OF
lumber. being Il mean of lI3, 4U7 49,
feet per year. 1t is but fair esti.
mate that there is us much more de.
struyed 10y fires, storms, natural de.
cay, and useless waste in the forest
hy careless handling. On the other
land, there is IN increase by the an.
nual growth of trees now too small
for saw logs. From Il great many
measurements Of th" growth, have
found that Il tree that in, say 1865,
measured twelve inches in diameter,
in 1879 measured twenty inches in
diameter, All increase al eight inches
in fourteen years. This may he con.
sidered rs u fair average of the
growth of pine in the upper Missis.
sippi region. and an estimate of S..
100000 rs the annual increase by
natural growth. Now if we add the
excess of loss 10y causes above men.
toned, amounting to 5,0oo, 200 feet,
10 the annual consumption, we have
Il total of over 2SS,000, 900 feet Us the
annual consumption and loss. Then
divide five hundred and seventy-siX
millions 10y the two hundred and
lightweight millions and il gives IN
even twenty years rs the time in
which numbering will cease to he Il
profitable business from the pineries
on the upper Mississippi, unless some
means are provided to prevent the
annual consumption and waste.