The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-08-01
FACTS ABOUT OUR FORESTS.
Gen. C. C. Andrews, Chief Fire Warden In
His Seventh Annual Report Shows
the Conditions of Forests.

1
| the State Auditor Forest Commissioner,
! and authorizes him to appoint deputy,
| TO be known as Chief Fire Warden.
From the Seventh Annual Report of this
| officer Gen. c. G. Andrews), which has
| just been issued, it appears that in 1901
| the local wardens Clown supervisory re-
| ported So forest fires, which burned over
So, 395 acres of mostly light timber, brush
| and meadows, and did damage to the
| amount of $42,1 40. One Of these fires was
caused by two small boys burning dry
| grass, so as to find cow bell. There
| was dry and dangerous weather, both in
| the spring and autumn. The number or
prairie fires reported was 15 which burn
| ed over 6,120 acres; damage, 81, 4O2
There were nineteen prosecutions for
carelessly causing forest or prairie fires,
| including two indictments against rail-
| road company, and seven convictions.
| The careless causing of a forest or
| prairie fire which Injuries or endangers
| the property of another is an offense
! punishable by a fine not exceeding $4,000,
or by imprisonment in the county Jail
| not exceeding three months. To set a
fire in dry and dangerous weather, for
controlling it, is carelessness, within the
| meaning of the law. The degree of eau
ton to- be employed depends upon the
sets fire in dry weather, in the midst
| or near wide area of dry material,
there is great probability that it will
spread and endanger other property.
The precautions therefore must be great.
| A person who sets fire in dry weather,
| whether to clear land or otherwise, must
| do it in such careful way that it will
not endanger the property of another, or
| he must suffer the consequences. The
| careful man will pile his brush and dig
or scrape a break around it; he will
| burn no more at a time than he can
| control. The careless man is the one
| who does not take proper precautions;
he undertakes to do too much, and does
| not have nor apply proper means for
preventing his fire from spreading.
The law makes it the duty of the Chief
| Fire Warden to investigate the extent
| of the forests in the state, together with
| the amount and varieties of wood and
timber growing therein, the method used,
| If any, to promote the regrowth of tim
| Der; the information so gathered to be
| included in his annual report. The spirit
| Of the law requires him to keep abreast
| with scientific forestry, and to discuss
| the subject in his annual reports in a
| way to advance its interests. 1t is the
policy of the law to create a public sent
| lment in favor of forestry. His first an
nual report contained a full account of
| the forests in the state.
To climb a mountain range, to look off
on bold landscape, to mingle with the
wilderness-this was my experience in the
county from Gunf1int Lake, on the
| states northern boundary, to Grand
| Marais, at Lake Superior. The first ten
miles was made by boat on Guntiint,
Loon and Iron lakes, the balance, forty
miles, afoot on the county road, which
is very much overgrown with bushes and
|
miles out from Grand Marais.
Cook county has an area of a million
acres, and a population of only S00 The
surface which is much broken, was once
thlckly wooded, and, while long stretches
| have been desolated by fire, the country
| is still richly forested. There is $1,000, 600
worth of standing pine remaining in
scattered localities; great quantity of
| spruce, CEDAR birch, maple and poplar.
l passed over tracts too rocky for Guilt
| walton, but on which the numerous dead.
coll how fr11fOl of 10
white pines testify to a once magnificent
| forest. Already on the same land a
fairly thick regrowth of young white
pine has a start of from ten to fifteen
| years. There are some townships in the
county which, on account of the prevail
ing hilly and rocky character of the sur
for agriculture. The greater. part of the
| county is covered with mixed timber.
and when cleared will be used for farm
it is estimated that there are, in scat
tered localities, and principally in north
ern Minnesota, 100000 acres of waste
sandy, hilly or rocky land that is only
fit for bearing pine forest. Hence, If the
| state were now to begin to plant that
land with pine at the rate of 1880 acres
| per year, the whole would in eighty
| years become a well stocked normal for
| est, yielding perpetually thereafter 6l5,
0O0, coo feet board measure annually. The
net annual revenue to the state would be
just what this amount of 675,OO0,OOo feet
would, at such future time, be worth,
standing. 1t might be 100000 or more.
| What a great endowment this would be
for the state! Besides yielding a splen-
did revenue from waste lands, which
otherwise would every year become more
| barren and useless, it would afford
steady labor for thousands of people,
! and, among indirect benefits, it would
tend to beautify our landscape, modify
| the temperature, fertilize the soil, and
| replenish the water supply. Very few
| states. indeed have the natural resourc-
es for such great work. Individuals
| will not, and cannot, wait eighty years
for crop of timber to grow, and if our
| waste lands are to be utilized the state
must undertake the enterprise.
The report contains the Morris bill,
| passed by Congress June, 1902, for open
ing the Chippewa reservations. near Cass
| and Jeech lakes. Under this act the
pine timber is to be cut and sold for the
benefit of the Indians, after careful
measurement, ample notice and under
sealed bids at not less than, $500 per
| 1000 feet for Norway pine, and $500 per
LOCO feet for white pine, and according
to rules to be made by the Secretary of
| partment of Agriculture Only the mer-
charitable pine is to be cut on the pine
lands. The purchaser of timber has to
burn or remove sufficient amount Of
| from fire to the timber left standing.
After the pine is cut. the lands are to be
| open to settlement. However, 100000
acres Of the pine lands are to become
| and remain a forest reserve as soon as
| the pine is cut thereon, and on these
| lands five per cent of the standing pine
| is to be left for reforeStation. In addi-
| ton, ten sections (6,400 acres of land,
with the timber thereon, are to form a
| part of the reserve. The islands in: Cass
| and Leech lakes, and Pine and Sugar
| points, are to remain as Indian lands.
| The cutting of the pine Is to be under the
| supervision of the said Forester. The
| bill repeats the dead and down" tim
| Der act, and marks altogether an i'm
| portant advance in forestry.
For over twenty-five years. Minnesota
| has paid $4,000 a year in bounties for
| planting trees on prairie land The re-
| port contains the provisions of law regu-
| lating the payment of such bounties,
j which are $3.50 per acre for period of
six years fer not exceeding ten acres for
| each individual
| This report contains short. clear and
| practical sketches of the administration
| of state forests in sixteen countries in
| Europe, obtained from. the respective
| governments, being the most comprehen-
| sive, reliable and practical view of Euro
| pean forestry that has been brought
| together in any one publication.
By permission of the eminent forester,
| DIR. William Schiich, forest working
| plan report is copied from his Forestry
| Manual forest working plan regulates
! the anagement of a forest in such a
| manner that the objects of the industry
| are as fully as possible realized. The