Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1883-06-21
WE'RE THE PLAINS OF OSCODA
COUNTY ONCE TIMBERED2

COUNTY ONCE TIMBEREDl
This has been question of no little
speculation and comment, and We now
come forward with additional points
on the subject. Last week we were
out with a survey party in town 81. 2
east. The land was undulating, COM
posed of gravelly loam with a noticea-
bic admixture of clay. The numerous
brooks had clay banks with stony and
gravelly bottoms. Timber-bcech. su-
gar, maple, with large hemlocks, and
an occasional birch, white ash, IRON
wood, etc. Fortyfour years ago the
| Y. :. survey found the same land
Third rate t!uhered with roplar.
birch, hemlock, etc Tlree-fourtls
of the monuments erected by tie L
! =. survey were made upon poplarS
from to 10 inches in diameter. Ia Il
straight run OF tive miles we found bus
dry sIun mcdti! 81 iuc-e- ia. u,anIetrr
We imply from this that the chamc cter
OF the timber has changed with the
past 40 years, and now we will prove
it, l. The beeches and naples are yet
young. averaging not more than s or
10 inclrs III diameter in this particular
locality. 2. The hem!ocks are of big
size-3G inches and over. g. All tie
large hemlocks are either hollow or
very -haky, while very many are dead.
4. Brooks, four links wide and larger.
were found where none existed II years
ago. 5. Further to the north and up
OH the same soil with decided admix-
ture of clay, We found plain covered
with dense growth of poplar and
birch, with some norway and spruce
pine all of not more than five years
growth, and some soft maple, cherry
and ironwood sprouts. A few young
spruce pines yet seemed to hold nomi.
nal possession, while the blackened
stubs of the once gigantic white and
yellow pines give the remainder of the
history written by fire. 6. The spruce
pine will withstand n considerable
amount of fire without injury, as at
tested everywhere by their blackened
and charred trunks and green tops. -
Fire seems absolutely necessary for the
termination of its seeds which. by the
hundreds of bushels, lie in the soil of
the plains until fire sweeps over it at
the proper season of the year, when
the trees spring up in abundance. We
have seen places SO thickly severed
with spruce pines not more than three
feet high that at short distance it re-
sembles field of wheat.
What, then, is the history of the
plain which we saw covered with pop
lar and birch' Many years ago it was
forest Within the past Is years the
land has been denuded of timber by
frequent fires.
What will be its future1 Should fire
not interfere, the poplars and birches
will grow in 75 years to forest trees, the
maple, ash and ironwood sprouts will
grow likewise and become more hume
rous.
Poplar almost invariably dies at the
end of this time, and birch is always
crowded out and killed by other tim
ber except in spots peculiarly adapted
to its growth. In so years more the
maple, beech, linden, etc., will have
gained the ascendency, and for the
next 200 years we will see magnificent
forest where was once a parched and
barren plain. IL has taken hundreds
of years to make this change, but it
has nevertheless taken place.
But suppose that at irregular inter
.vals, of from two TO 10 years, fire con
linGe 10 sweep over sn place. T li,ks
from the hills the scanty deposit OF
mold from the falling leaves, and digs
deep into the peaty soil of the swamps.
Death and desolation seem to reign