The Bemidji pioneer., 1901-03-14
TIMBER
STUDIES.

| have been furnished the Pioneer
BY Mr.. T. L. Duncan ofthe diyisi-
on Of forestry of the Agricultural
Experiment Station at st. An
thony Park, as the result Of his
recent investigations in this Vi
entity:
An acre Of small jack pine
two miles north Of Bemidji showed
645 trees with an average diameter
Of SO at breast height from the
ground. A sampletree Of this size
was 26.7 feet high and "a years old.
Measurements gave 6.34 cords OF
wood on the acre. The wood may
pile up to more than that figure as
Iallowed 1O2 cubic feet to the cord,
a factor which / have found by
actual measurement Of a cord Of
well trimmed straight wood. An
ordinary cord Of straight wood
with stubs Of branches only partly
trimmed off will contain much less
than 102 cubic feet Of wood, and
thus increase the number Of cords
per acre where the total volume is
calculated in cubic feet. The in
crease on this acre for the last ten
years was 4.98 cords--more than
/ 90 percent compound interest.
/ The probable increase for the next
live years / place at 3.87 cords, or
a little more than three quarters
Of cord per year. On an acre a
mile and half west of Bemidji,
surrounded by tamarack sWamps,
were 442 jack pine trees with an
average diameter Of 7.6inches and
a height Of 65.5 feet and 80 years
old, containing "A cords Of wood.
THE increase Of wood on this acre
|during the past decade was not
| less than 2.3 per cent compound
Interest, and the prospective in
crease for the next five years may
be put at SGT cords. On a third
acre east of Bemidii were 81 trees
Of 8.4 inches average diameter, 10
wears old and 60 feet high, contain
| ing SO cords. The rate of increase
was here 3.S per cent compound
! Interest, with a prospective IN
crease for the next five years Of
| 5.3S cords, or about 1.07 cords per
1 cent. On the fourth acre, in a
grove Of small stuff north Of Be.
midi were 478 trees averaging
|5.5 inches i'll diameter, 47.5 feet in
height, and 45 yeas in age, with
|17.85 cords Of wood, Rate Of in
crease Of this acre for ten years
was 4.3 percent com pound interest
with prospective increase for the
coming five years OF 3.6 cords.
j Now with these figures before us
we may well ask will it pay to
keep some Of the more sandy lands
q in jack pine stock for the increase
in wood /? Suppose syon have 16C
acres Of jack pine land, which
would not be worth much if clear.
ed up now, and the wood is in.
creaslng at the rate Of one cord
per acre each year, what will that
| and be worth at the end Of 1905
/ Can you hold on and pay taxes
| IF taxes are too high why not ag.
| itate for reduction on lands held
in growing forest. Bemidji alone
probably uses 1000 to 5000 cords Of
wood every year, the product OF
200 acres ofground,- and the mar.
ket is growing while the acreage
lis diminishing. Be in no hurry to
cut your jack pine. Unless you
!, absolutely need the ground for
other purposes, let itgrow Q while
longer. Let 1t grow while you
clean up the tamarack swamps fol
meadow. AZ
/ have also examined an
acre of spruce on which there
were $50 trees from 3 inches in
diameter up to 8 inches, averaging
lin height 30.5 feet and 70 years in
age, and 566 trees of smaller
size. Figuring on the larger trees
only there would be 9.2 cords oil
wood, which has been growing
during the last ten years at the
rate of 6 per cent compound in
terest, and will probably furnish
during the next five years 2,Ss
cords more. On the same acre
;. were lat tamaracks from 5 to IL
inches in diameter, 81 feet high
and containing 10l cords. | made
no study of the growth of tamaracl
as the general inclination seems &c
be to cut it off and clear up tbs
Hand for pasture and meadow te
which it is well adapted. The
rate of increase of spruce on lands
near railroads may be worth con
sidering, as much of that wood is
now being shipped out of the state
/ for pulp making. A little drain,
| age Of the swamps in which spruce
is found might increase the rate
of growth, although the black
spruce is said to be a short-lived
tree on dry soil. This could be
/ -l..l,oJ H., Iba o1aor;no mn