Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-07-10
TIMBER IN MINNESOTA.
Fire Warden Andrews Makes
Some Estimates OF Our
Standing Timber.

plCSVl SoSlO1 OSSS A"Nksa ~ $3.50 = - ~
Investigate the extent Of the forests
OF the state together with the
amounts and varieties Of the wood
and timber grown thereon" and to
inrlnde such Information In his IN.
nual report. This Chief Fire War
den G. G. Andrews has done as far us
he has been able during the first
year Of his tenure Ut office, and IN
his first annual report gives sOme,in-
teresting ubserva tons on tho results
obtained. He states that "this is a
very important anu interesting
work, but to do it thoroughly would
require much time and means to em-
ploy competent persons to make an
actual examination of the timber In
the woods. OF course no such means
have yet been provided and all the
information that can now be fur
nished az to the extent Of the forests
and the amount and varieties OF
timber growing therein is a con-
servative estimate based, in part,
upon information received from
many owners of timber land, from
examination Of plats and field notes
of public surveyors. from estimates
of fire warlens, from consultations
and correspondence with timber
land experts and from Il little per-
sonal acquaintance with the Mime.
sofa forests gained by visits during
the past forty years"
1t would seem that the chief fire
warden had gone at the matter in
the best manner possible under the
circumstances, but estimates of
standing timber must Of necessity
be taken for what they are-'nerely
estimates. and nothing else. Yet
they furnish the best means at hand
for forming an idea of the extent Of
the standing timber in the state,
and for this reason we believe that
the observations of the chief fire
warden are of interest to the lum-
bermen of the northwest. When
Wisconsin and Michigan make si:ni-
lar, efforts to arrive at the standing
timber left within their borders, the
combined statistics will indeed be of
considerable value. 1t is observed
that the pine forests of this state oc-
cupy portions OF all parts of the
north half of the state, though not
extending westward quite to the
valley OF the Red River OF the NORTH.
Thelongest area of tho forest region
which it occupies in direct line east
and west is $50 miles. and the long
est extent north and south liz 2O4
miles. Pine is found ON all the
sources of the Mississippi river and
about all the territory north Of Lake
Superior. Its southern aud western
boundary may he traced ON line
about as follows: Beginning on the
eastern side Of the state, at a point
about fifteen miles above the falls of
the st. CrGix, thence running west
on line twenty-five miles south of
Mile Laos lake to the Mississippi
river; thence q little north of west
to Pine lake, source Of Otter Tail
river; thence continuing little west
of north to the northern boundary
of the state and passing on a line
thirty miles west Of Red lake. The
area Of what originally was exclu-
sively broad-leaved forest, and of
which the "Big Woods" was the
most dense part, extends from the
pine region in sort of wedge-like
form, as far as the most southern
bend of the Minnesota river and still
contains more or less of such timber.
Taken as a whole, the forests Of
Minnesota contain about every kind
of tree that is native to New Eng
land except the hemlock and the
beech.
The greater part OF the pine region
is moderately undulating, with red
dish colOred and fertile soil. The
best white pine is usually found on
somewhat elevated ground, with
good soil, and with the oak, hard
maple or birch for neighbcrs.
Reports from twenty-three forest
counties, including the following:
Aitkin. Becker. Benton, Beltraini,
Cass, Carleton, Cook, Crow Wing,
Douglas, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca.
Kanabec, Lake. Mile Laos, Morrison,
Ottertail, Pine, Roseau, st. Louis,
Stearns, Todd and Wadena counties
are given in detail, showing the fol-
lowing amounts and varieties OF
timber: ..- $50.
MINNESOTA TIMBER STATISTICS
Land, acres e2,s55, OOC
Forest acres 49,. 1O.889,0 OC
White pine. feet 90 II, 424, OOO. OOC
Norway Tor red) pine, feet 3,412, AIS OOC
Gray lor jack pine, feet &C., .o 0oott
Ash, feet 126, ,00(
Eastwood, feet 491.00O,00(
Birch. feet 7O6, 600, OO(
Cedar, feet 1,0l0,5OO .00t
Elm feet ZIG. ,00t