The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-09-28

sources, their protection and perpetual
ton. He declares that lit will be
agreed that:
Increasing population, new inven-
tiOns and discoveries, and new uses,
insure steadily increasing demand
for all the timber Minnesota ever will
produce.
There is q dangerous and growing
timber shortage-state and national.
Every Minnesota acre should be de-
voted to its best economic use.
All waste and idle lands should be
utilized.
There should be the most complete
practicable utilization of all forest pro-
ducts.
Minnesota has produced great stands
of valuable timber and has all es-
sentials requisite to timber production.
Some portions are and always will
be timber areas. No amount of effort
or advertising will make them agricul-
tural.
A million acres of state owned land
are better suited to forestry than to
farming.
Several million acres of privately
owned land are better suited to for
estry than to any other use.
Several parts of Minnesota contain
areas of cheap, waste land of c0nsid-
cradle acreage that profitably can he
devoted to timber production.
Lands that can be devoted TO agri-
culture more profitably should not be
used to grow timber.
Secondary objects are recreation;
protection of water sheds, water
courses, water supplies, scenic beauty
and wild life; prevention of erosion
and floods.
Forestry is proctical science re-
quiring profound study, deep research
and looking to positive action; it is
not an academic dissertation inviting
controversy. ..
Forestry conditions in Minnesota
have been deplorable, are still bad,
can and should be improved.
The problem is economic and not
political.
Forest supervision should be nom
political, with personnel determined
by knowledge, experience, ability,
capacity, fitness-not political ext
gency.
The forestry problem is national,
state and local. In its solution Ill
units of government and all related
agencies should cooperate,
The plan of future procedure should
look many years ahead.
In this constructive program the
state should lead.
"a simple, Understandable, logical
classification divides forest lands and
projects in Minnesota into four classes,
national, local, private and state.
Minnesota should initiate and aid
national forest and allied projects
within its borders. Such projects or
related ones, existing or proposed, in
clude Superior National Forest, Chip
pewa National Forest, Upper Miss
issippi River Wild Life and Fish Re-
fuge and Quetico-Superior interna-
tional playground.
Superior National Forest consists
of three separate tracts in Cook, Lake
and northeast st. Louis counties,
with gross area June 80, 1923, of
1,654,1745 acres, of which 840,6T9 acres
is state or privately owned and 3d.
466 is net national forest. August Is,
1928, areas aggregating 72,2s5 acres
had been recommended for acquisi-
ton by the federal government.
Chippewa National Forest was
formerly called Minnesota National
Forest 1t is located in Cass, Itasca
and Beltrami counties. It's gross
area is 312,659 acres, of which 1872
1873 is net federal forest land and the
balance is owned by the state, by in
dividuals, or held in trust as Indian
allotment. State land within Chip
pewa National Forest aggregates H.
525.69 acres and was set aside as a
state forest by Chapter 246, Laws 1927.
"The Upper Mississippi River Wild
Life and Fish Refuge was created by