The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-07-19
MINNESOTA FORESTS.
Fourth Annual Report of Chief Fire
Warden Andrews.
The Report Deals Extensively With Forest
Fires in the State.--The Losses Sus-
talned.--The Benefits Derived
and Expenses Incurred.

The Fourth Annual Report of the Chief
been published The most notable thing
in regard to forest fires in Minnesota
was the fact that. although there were
few weeks of dry and dangerous wealth
er in the northern part of the state, both
in the spring and autumn, our state es-
capped any very serious fires, while in
the adjoining state of Wisconsin forest
fires occurred in the fall of enough mag
nitude to be heralded as a calamity The
forest fires in Wisconsin, the million-dol-
lar fire in Michigan in 1886, and the ex-
tensive fires in South Dakota would i'm
press candid person of the value of
even the little preventive means used in
this state. No sensible man pretends
that human agency can extinguish a
great forest fire. The object of the Fire
Warden Law is to prevent such fires
from starting, or If, unfortunately, they
have started, to extinguish them before
they become unmanageable. Prevention
is the main feature of the Fire Warden
Law, as is seen in the Importance at
tached to posting and publishing warn
ing notices. Thus far the state has ex-
pended, under this law, less than 5000
ty expenses which it pays; and the ex-
pense of the thirty odd counties affected
by the law has averaged less than 800
a year.
Reports from fire )wardens made to the
Chief Fire Warden, of forest fires in
1898, show that there were 81 such fires
and which burned over 21,5S0 acres much
of which was light timber or cut-over
aeo
which seems very small, and is accounted
for in part by some of the damaged tim
Der being cut the succeeding winter Sew
enty-eight per cent of the whole number
of fires reported were extinguished or
controlled by fire wardens or their help
ers man in Todd county was made
to pay a fine of $500 and costs for care
lessly causing a fire which spread half
mile into neighbours field where it
fatally burned woman and severely in
jured a boy who tried to protect her.
There were several other vigorous and
effective prosecutions.
The number of acres reported as
burned over by prairie fires was $4,000;
damage, $13,436. The number of such fires
caused by burning grass, straw or stub
BILE was %; by railroad locomotives IA,
other causes 5, unknown %.
The report, which contains numerous
illustrations of the Minnesota forests, de-
scribes some of the timber country in
Beltrami and Cass counties which was
visited in the month of August. A par
ticular description is given of splendid
pine forest on the south shore of Cass
lake, recently made accessible by rail-
way; also of some very fine forest on
10 rI,o Y III.
longing to the State University, and
which the Chief Fire Warden advocates
being set apart as demonstration forest
for the use of the school of forestry
connected with the Agricultural College
and Experimental Station. If this were
done, he thinks the State University of
Minnesota would outrank all other uni
versities, except Cornell, in this country
in the important science of forestry,
which is so rapidly coming to the front.
The Chief Fire Warden visited the Itasca
State Park and points out the need of
roads and paths therein.
1t is leading principle in forestry that
only land that is unfit for profitable
agriculture should be kept in forest
The plan recommended by DIR. c. A.
Schenck, an able German forester, for
| utilizing waste lands in Minnesota for
forestry purposes is printed in full. DR..
Schenck assumes that the land is to cost
the state rs cents an acre, and estimates
that planting with pine on the large scale
of 900 acres year (Which is less than
is planted annually in Prussia), 5000
plants per acre can be planted at 81. %
per acre, to which add cost of land, 25
cents, makes $11.50 per acre. This capital
at two per cent compound interest will
amount in eighty years to $500. Mean
time expenditures for taxes, protection
and administration per acre will increase
at two per cent compound interest, to
$50; which added to $500 makes $64 80,
the cost of an acre of this forest at the
end of eighty years He estimates that
the product per acre average soil
at the end of eighty years will be $1,000
per thousand feet, equal to $66 per acre,
being equal to the capital invested, ac-
cumulated at two per cent compound in
terest. Continuously after eighty years
the forest will yield annually on $4,000
acres crop which can be cut of 1900
feet board measure per acre, or 10000. 900
$50, 600
In proportion as people are informed in
regard to forestry will they be disposed
to use precautions against the ravages of
forest fires. With this view the Chief
Fire Warden prints in his report short,
fresh and comprehensive sketches of the
states, including Saxony, Prussia and
France. which are foremost in the sci
ence. The Importance of setting apart
tract of primeval pine forest by the
state as a health resort is also dis
cusSed.
The report concludes with the follow
ing: THE public cannot too deeply be
| impressed of the Importance of prevent
ing forest fires. If only for the preserva-
ton of our scenery How they wipe out
property-how dreadful they are to wom-
en- and children whose humble homes are
in woodland regions-most people can
imagine. But it needs one to open his
eyes upon the miles and miles and scores
of miles of blackened and dead forests
that have been killed by fire along our
railroads to comprehend what it is to
destroy scenery. A living forest border
ing railway is beautiful Turned into
dismal waste of tree skeletons by fire,