The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-04-15
ADMINISTRATION
Work of Producing Timber on
Cut-Over Lands
NORTH PART OF STATE
Duluth lumberman Gets Busy And
Sets Out Large Numbers of
Young Trees Up There

ApropOS of reforestration of lands
that have been denuded of their tim
Der, the Duluth Herald, in a recent
issue, printed an interesting article
which gave an account of the planting
of large number of small trees on
cutover lands. z. %. Scott, men,
Der of Duluth lumber firm, relates
his experiences in planting trees on
these lands, and it isquite interesting.
Mr.. Scott made his first paintings
last spring when he set out 1000 in
FAINT spruce trees. These were set out
about six feet apart over the cutover
ridgessof twelve forties. Many of the
trees were placed in the ground by
Mr.. Scott's own hands. He says it is
not much of task to plant the little
trees. One morning he and two other
men started out at o'clock and be-
fore $50 O'Clock he had placed by him
self the roots of 800 trees in the
ground. The other two men dug
the holes with hoe. This was easy
work as the holes need only be few
inches deep. Besides the young trees
that he set out he scattered large
quantity of seeds, but he has little
hope that anything will come of
these.
Last fall Mr.. Scott went over the
ground where he had started the
miniature forest in the spring, and
found the great majority of the trees
to be thriving. He figures that un-
der ordinary conditions about Is per
cent of the trees set out should grow.
To continue his work of reforestra-
tion, Mr.. Scott has already ordered
&c, 900 more young trees from home
and foreign nurseries, to be set out
this spring on the north shore. He
plans to plant several thousand more
trees each spring on the lands which
the company owns. There are many
lands which the company has cut,
which it does not own, and these Mr..
Scott says it would be folly to refor-
est, as the owners would not protect
the trees.
Mr.. Scott says the cost of buying
and planting the trees is very small,
compared with clearing and preparing
the ground to receive the trees. AL
the old slashings must be cleared and
burned of, 50 as to protect the young
trees from destruction by forest fires
The matter of planting the trees is
harder on the back and the knees
than the pocketbook.
AS Mr.. Scott has his young forest
planted. the trees, which are only six
feet apart, would be far too close to
gether, when they grow to be big
trees. They will be allowed to grow
standing thick, until they have reach
ed height of from twelve to fifteer
feet, when they will be weeded out, sc
to speak, until less than half theil
number are left standing. The trunks
of the trees thus cut can be used fol
posts and box lumber. Where there
are now about 1.20O trees to an acre
only 600 will be left.
In his effort to perpetuate the for
estS for Minnesota, Mr.. Scott hopes
eventually to get the help of the state
in the matter of taxation. If he can
not get the states assistance in the
way of some provision to lessen or not
require taxes to be paid on lands
while being reforested, he will have
to give up the undertaking, for in
time the taxes would eat up the pro
perty. Mr.. Scott admits that by re-
planting the forests he is increasing
the value of the land. but not to such
a great extent that he or anyone else
can afford to pay taxes on it, while
waiting for the trees to grow.
Mr.. Scott believes the devastation
of the forests is fast becoming a seri
Gus question. He believes that il
logging had been carried on properly
i'm the first place. there would be nc
danger of a lumber famine i'm the
country. If the methods used in Ger
many would be followed in this coun
try they would have no need to worry
Cut only the big trees, burn the slash
ings to prevent forest fires. and plant
new trees, and the forests would be
| forouor nrp6ucfiyo
There are thousands of acres along
| the north shore of Lake superior
which are broken up, rugged and use.
less for agricultural purposes. These
are now for the most part covered
with forests, which are disappearing
rapidly. If as the trees on them now
are cut, young trees are planted and
the slashings cleared and burned, sc
as to prevent forest fires, the north
shore will be perpetually covered with
trees in every stage OF growth.
Mr.. Scott sees no reason why the
state should not be willing TO free
from taxes these lands, already made
barren by logging operations and fires,
until fresh forest can be nursed in
to existence. The lands in great