Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-12-22
GLOOMY REPORT MADE TO THE
SENATE ON WISCONSIN. MICH.
IoAN AND MINNESOTA.
LUMBER PRODUCTION FALLS
White Pine Nearly All Gone and the
Quality Also Deelines-Hemloek and
Hardwood Timber Are Now Being
Cut Rapidly.
BY JAMES P. HoRNAoAY.

AAaA ANAN1A AAth "a dhlAoAitAdAtAg L.
100000 acres, the lake states now have
little, If any, more than 24.O00,OO0
acres; an original whlte-plne stand
estimated at not less than $4,000, 0OO,-
600 board feet has been reduced to s.
0O0,0O0,O0O board feet; the stand Of
timber suitable for lumber Is being
cut more than three times as rapidly
as Il Is grown: In another decade the
per capita consumption OF lumber IN
the lake stsieS must either fall from
300 to nearly 200 board feet per year.
or nearly one-third of the lumber
needed for home use must be import
ed. These are the outstanding facts
regarding the lake states contained
I'm report on timber conditions of the
country made 10 the United States
senate by the forest service.
Wisconsin, Michigan and Mime
sofa. which in 1899 were the three
leading states IN point of lumber pro-
duction, had IN 1918 fallen to eighth,
thirteenth and eleventh places. respec-
lively. Wisconsin nov produces less
white pine than the second-growth cut
Of either Maine or New Hampshire;
and Michigan, which from 1870 10
1895 produced more lumber than any
other state In the Union. actually cuts
less than half as much white pine as
Massachusetts.
Quantity and Quality Decline.
The peak Of lumber production In
the lake states was passed in 1892,
when the reported output was a little
more than S9OO.OO0OOO board feet
largely white pine. according TO the
report. In 1918 the cut had fallen to
S.202000,OO0 board feet. of which only
- per cent was white pine. As the
cut dwindled. white pine lumber went
down boh in quality and quantity;
and Norway and jack pine. and even
tamarack, we're admitted rs lower
grades Of northern pine lumber"
The fine old timber which gave white
pine its reputation Is now nearly all
gone. In Minnesota two-thirds or more
of the cut is box lumber. Only small
scattered remnants Of the Old-growth
white pine forests remain In Wiscon-
sin and upper Michigan. while In low
81 Michigan the most widely known
tract covers about 100 acres.
As the higher grades of white pine
became scarce. hemlOck, which was
once considered worthless, began 10
compete with the lower grades of pine
that were introduced. HardWOOds
also began 20 be In demand and their
utilization has now progressed 90
point where they are cut not only for
lumber but for such other purposes as
chemical dlstillation. charcoal. etc
The depletion OF commercial timber
Aas proceeded furthest In the lower
peninsula OF Michigan, where proba-
bly, not much over half a million acres
of hardwoods and hemlock remain. the
report states. Out OF hundreds OF
large sawmills that once operated I'm
that section, there were In 1919 only
about - that cut one million board
feet apiece. Within five years there
viii hardly be half dozen large mills
left.
In Wisconsin and the upper PENN
sula Of Michigan the situation is bet
ter. Il is estimated that there are
about 100000 acres of cumberland In
upper Michigan and 100000 ia Wis
consin with a total understandable
stand OF M least 4S.O00.0O0OO0 feet
All things considered It Is doubt
nj II there will be any appreci-
able amount Of timber left ia com
mercial holdings in Wisconsin at the
end Of 20 years. In upper Michigan
the stand will las; considerably longer.
Conditions in Minnesota.
n Minnesota. timber conditions dif-
fer widely from those IN Wisconsin
and Michigan. in that a1 per cent OF
the cut IN 1918 was white pine. while
in Wisconsin s. per cent OF the cut
was hardwoods aud hcmlock. The
Minnesota state forester recently es-
tlmated that there were 1880 OOO
board feet Of soft woods in the state.
OF this amount Al per cent is white
and Norway pine, 1Tia per cent Is
Jack pine. - per cent Is spruce. bal
sam and cedar. and 1Tla ger cent il
tamarack. The tamarack. which has
been widely used for hcwed ties. has
practically been Silied by the larch
sawliy and must be saivaged soon, IL
az all. The pine forests Of Minnesota.
the report points out. have been thor
oughly culled o. their best material.
and the production now runs heavily
20 box lumber.
II Is estimated that the lumber cut
o. the lake states for the next five
and ten years from the commercial
tracts viii be about as follows:
Present annual cut ...... $500. 100000
Estimated cur. 1873 49,. - 400.O00.OOO
Estimated cut. 1880. .....I. 500 00O 600
II l. pointed ont thar. a. the cut
from the commercial stands decreases.
the cut from farm wOodiofs, cutover
areas. etc. may be- expected 10 In
crease in proportion to tire total cut