The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1908-01-22
KeTorestah0n Recommended BY TIL
State Forestry Commissioner.

DG6u Sulppcu UuC VI Tic SCdC6. LII q
few more years the original pine
will be gone. Already thirty thou
sand car loads of forest products
are brought into Minnesota annually
from the Pacific coast.
The population of the United
States since its first settlement has
increased at the average rate of
eighteen per cent. every ten years,
and in eighty years will reach the
amazing number of 800, 900, 900!
Forest products will be in much
greater demand then than now. 1t
we neglect suitable measures Of re-
forestation our posterity will be
ashamed of US.
Forestry is not an expenditure.
1t is a savings bank investment.
The great thing in forestry is that
it utilizes third and fourth rate
sandy, billy and rocky-land that is
unfit for agriculture. The yield
tables Of Germany show that an
acre Of such land planted as part Of
forest, with pine, on forestry prin-
ciples seeding trees two or three
years old planted at an average dis
lance apart of four or five feet, it
being necessary to have forest
crowded when young to promote
height growth-will in eighty years
produce $4,000 feet board measure.
The surviving trees for the greater
number would have died would
be from twelve to fifteen inches in
diameter breast high. They would
continue, if left standing, to grow
many years after they had reached
the age of eighty years, but not at
a rate to earn good interest.
If the state this year planted 3D.
500 acres of forestry land in the
same way and continued to do so as
much every year for eighty years it
would then have normal forest of
5000, 900 acres mot in one body but |
in scattered localities of the value
of probably 100000, 900 yielding a
net revenue of three per cent. per
From the 1880 acres
planted this year there could then
be cut CTS 100000 feet board meas
ure of logs and the same amount
every year thereafter perpelually. |
Under forestry management larg-
er percentage of the cut-over area
would become reforested by natural
seeding than in the case under pres
ent methods of logging, (now only
about five per cent. of cut-over land
becomes we'll stocked with pine
from natural seeding); the blank
spaces would be promptly replanted |
and sustained yield secured.
In planting about two hundred |
acres substantially in the way above
mentioned the state has found that
two men can plant one acre day,
the whole cost, exclusive Of land. !
beng about Sc per acre. To plant
81 500 acres each spring would re-
quire $500 employees thirty days.
some thousands of men
will for few years be coming out
OF the logging camps every sdring,
some OF whom could be employed in
planting, and although the planting
would be done in half a dozen or
more counties, still it is not likely
the state could for a number of /
years plant 1880 acres annually.
The state should not undertake to
do any more than it can do eco
nomically and well. 1t should how
ever engage in the work with ener-
gy.
Prussia plants and sows las, 900
acres OF state forest annually. I
/ believe the state will be able to
purchase forestry land attain aver
age price of not exceeding $3.50 per
acre, but as the state has some
school land that is only fit for
forestry, but which according to the
constitution must be offered for sale
at not less than SIS per acre, author
ity should be granted for paying S.
per acre when necessary.
The ordinary revenue is not suffi-
Gent to permit the legislature to
appropriate money enough to carry
into effect plan of reforestation as
extensive as above. To accomplish
fhIc fhoro cbo,,1J ~ \ 1.L..1