The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-03-12
TIMBER HERE
is VALUABLE
Copper Country Still Has Great
Resources in Its Forests

That the timber in the copper coun-
try is very valuable is proven by sta
tistics gathered under the auspices III.
the copper country Commercial clue
for use in an article prepared FOR the
Michigan Investor of Detroit The
article was written by one of the
prominent members of the local club
and the interesting dMa, given as fol
lows. was printed in the last issue OF
the Investor:
In spite of the fact that numbering
on an extensive scale has been ear
ried on N the copper country for sulIS
halt a century. it is conservauvelN es-
timated that there is now standing IN
Houghton and Keweenaw counties saw
timber whose value on the stump eN-
ceeds 81 .OOO. 600 This estimates does
not include millions of cords of cord
wood pulpwood, cedar poles. lasgins
nor railroad ties, of which there is
large amount in these two counties,
and whose value would easily run into
the hundreds of thousands. Nor is
there included 10000 acres of timber
land. containing probably 7Oj,0O0,O0o
feet of commercial timber which IS
held by corporations which do not Of
fer the stumpage Tor sale.
1t is estimated that the timber lands
of the copper country will cut about
900 feet 10 the acre. In Keweena"
county, exclusive of holdings reserved
from thu market, there are $1,000 acres
OF wooded lands. running approNi-
matey S19.000,0O0 feet OF saw timber
while i'm Houghton county there is an
area Of SS4,79O acres of standing tim
Der. which will approximate S,463,llO,-
0u0 feet or total of ,2S2.l10o0O for
the two counties.
These extensive stands of timber are
accounted for by the fact that the pio-
neer mmbcrman cared tor nothing but
pine. other woods of equal value We're
ignored, and the monarch of the
northern forest alone fell before the ini-
,ial onslaught of the lumberjack. AS
| a result, the copper country today
boasts of the largest and finest belt of
hardwood timber 10 be found in the
middle west. In Keweenaw county
Iesrecially toward the east coast, there
is large amount of oak, which isl
Inow being Dough, i'm by Wisconsin fur
niture industries The oak is not so
plentiful i'm HoughtOn county, but tie
timber runs heavy 20 Eastwood, birch
Of every known variety and elm. In
both Of these counties. hard maple pre-
dominates. The trees reach an un-
usual height and girth, thanks TO the
unconscious foresting of the pine-cut-
ters. and the finest quality of flooring
Is now being manufactured from this
northern maple.
Birds-eyr maple, while not abundant,
lis encountered more frequently than in
any other timber belt in this section
Il the county. 1t is of prime quality
and is selling on the stump as high
as $50 the thousand. 1t is much in de-
mand among the veneer makers, and
large quantities have been purchas-
ed within the past two years for eX-
port trade.
The password has been used freely
10y the mining companies for the
brake shoes on the huge drums upon
which the cables used for hosting are
coiled and uncoiled. It is also sought
by wood-dish manufacturers and the
producers of excelsior and woodwork
For this latter purpose however, a
preference is now being expressed for
poplar, which is one of the copper
ccuntry's commonest and cheapest
woods
The peculiar gcosranhical position
of corrcrdom renders it an ideal sit"
for lumtering operations. The pen
Ursula is crossed b. numerous
railroad lines, and when a railroad is
not convenient, there is always lake
superior PORTAGE lake. Torch lake or
the network of government canals
which thread tho peninsula. There
ueyor has been experienced any diff
Guilty i'm getting timber to market.
Attracted nv tho unique advantages
oncred Ly the copper country as a
manufacturing center. a dozen wood
working INDUSTRIES are now headed for
the land of the red metal. These
plants embrace practically every de-
partmcnt Of the industry and are com .
inc from as far south as Maryland and
from as far west as Colorado. \ ma
aority Of the ulants which will make
coprcrdom their home are now located
| in the lower peninsula, and their at
tention has been attracted by the ac-
tivities e the Copper Country Com
mcrcial club whose operations cover
the entire peninsula, and which 's To-
Gated at IIoughton.