The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1904-09-10
FORESTS OF THE NORTHWEST.
Minnesota still Has Millions of Feet o.
Lumber Uncut.

Minnesota still Has Millions of Feet of
Lumber Uncut.
The chief IRE warden Of Minnesota
in his annual report says that the
standing timber In the State Is worth
easily 100000, 600, and it IL this prop
seeks to protect, according to the New
York Post. The State itself owns
$500, 900 acres OF land, part OF which 4
is forested and protected by the fire
warden system. The State last No
vember sold SGO0.0OO worth OF timber
from its own land, and has in all re-
ceived 100000 for just the timber
sold from lands II received as a gift
from the United States. The State
will continue for many years TO sell
timber OF various kinds from these
lands, and is on this particular account
deeply interested In preventing dam
age by forest fires. The local service
in preventing and fighting fires. both
forest and prairie. Is rendered by the
town supervisors, who are ex~cftcio
fire wardens, and by those whom they
summon to assist, and In unorganized
territory by fire wardens specially ap-
pointed. The service is paid for In the
first instance by the counties in which
1t is rendered, and the State pays to
the counties two-thirds Of such ex-
pense.
One OF the richest pine timber re-
eions OF the Northwest was the Sagi-
nav and Huron shore districts OF
Michigan. In 1893 there was cut in
that district S5S,00O,0O0 feet Of pine.
but the supply OF pine timber had so
diminished during the next ten years
that In 1903 only 100000 feet were
cut. The number of feet OF pine logs
cut In Minnesota the season Of 1902
1903 was 1000, 100000. The amount of
pine lumber cut in the year 1903 by
the mills In the districts OF Duluth,
Minneapolis, above Minneapolis and
st. Crolx was 1900. 62S,0O0 feet. A
comparatively small amount of this
may have been from the forests OF
Wisconsin. liberal estimate places
the remaining standing pine in Mime
sofa at $4,000, 100000 feet. ANY one
can Judge for himself" says the war
den, therefore, how soon this fores
. capital will be exhausted and say
whether 1t is not time to begin a sys
: tenn OF reforesta hon by utilizing waste
land in the production OF pine timber
. In summing up his report the war
/, den says: what forestry means To-
Minnesota is simply this: The re
naming original pine timber VIII b.
cut in the next fifteen years. Som
e second growth pine, II protected from
!. fire, will then be cut from year l.
year, but It will not be as good as tn
! original growth. and there will not b
enough OF 1t for home consumption
Lumber will be dearer and our grea
lumber industry win decline. Their
are, however. fully three million acre
: OF waste land in scattered localities
= which II planted with pine would 1
time become normal forests, yieldin
=. forever a supply sufficient for ou
home need. Such forests would b
their growth perpetually yield a ne
. annual revenue on the capital inves
ed OF 8 per cent. compound interes
besides many indirect benefits. o
n such waste sandy land 1t will take o
an average about eighty years for
crop OF pine trees to grow to me
charitable size. individuals came
- walt so long for a crop and they wi
=, not engage in the business. The Stat
-. ~ whom time does not occur mu
ed undertake the work by purchaser
D., waste land and planting It with pin
The Minnesota forestry board is read
to 90 to work, but until there is son
10 man in the Legislature who will NAL
s. forestry 6 specially and fight for
with energy we shall not get the ne
~ essary money for forestry"