The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1929-02-27
State ''U" BOtanists Issue Study
of Trees and Shrubs; De-
scribe Original Stands

Ten types of forest in three dis
tinct "vegetational regions" of the
state of Minnesota are listed in the
new complete study of "Trees and
Shrubs of Minnesota" that has just
been published by the University.
The authors, Professors C. o.
Rosendahl and F. K. Buffers, divide
the state into the evergreen forests,
the deciduous forests (of trees which
shed their leaves each year, and the
prairie region. These are the vege-
rational regions.
The entire evergreen forest, ex-
tending from point south of Mile
Laos, westward almost to the Red
River valley, northeastward into On
tario, and eastward into Wisconsin
and Michigan, is classed as single
vast area. The deciduous forests are
divided, however, into many groups,
as follows: Forests Of the southeast
corner of the state; the "Big Woods"
running from Mortified to Mankato,
and north to St. Cloud; the region
of open woods, groves, and savannas
about the Twin Cities; the heavy for
ests of Chicago and Isanti counties;
the deciduous forests of northwestern
Minnesota, and the bottom land for
ests, along the beds of rivers and
creeks. Three types of tree growth
are seen in the prairie region, name
ly, prairie groves, forests IN the
prairie bottom lands, and the woody
vegetation of the prairie proper, the
characteristic shrubs Of the open
plains.
"The evergreen forests originally
covered the northeastern third Of the
state" say these university botanists,
"extending south to line about half
way between Duluth and Minneapolis,
and west nearly to the Red River val
ley. The characteristic trees OF the
mature, upland forests of this region
are the three native pines, white
spruce, balsam fir and white birch,
while the swamps are filled with black
spruce, tamarack, and white cedar.
Deciduous trees, other than the white
birch, are generally minor or tenn
porary factors in the vegetation.
Thus throughout the region such trees
as the balsam poplar, aspen, red
maple, pin cherry, black ash, yellow
birch and mountain ash are more or
less frequent, but except where there
has been interference with natural
conditions they form quite subsl-
diary part of the vegetation"
The book says that the big
Woods" extended from line run
ming through Mortified and Fari-
bault northerly, passing about 10
miles west of Minneapolis and north
along the Mississippi river
to the vicinity of st. Cloud. The
area was about 100 miles long from
north to south and forty miles wide
at it's southern end.
"All this area except the bottom
lands of the Minnesota river and oc-
casional marshes was heavy forest.
In the less thickly settled parts of
this region, considerable patches OF
the original forest are still standing,
but in general, the land is very fer
tile, and there has been more clear
ing of the forest here than in the
more rugged southeastern counties.
"Throughout the Big Woods the
dominant trees were the hard maple,
white and red elms, and
red oak. Other trees were relatively
rare, though the occasional specimens
of bur oak reach larger size than in
the vicinity of the Twin Cities"
In the Big Woods, there were no
conifers, except some red cedars on
the banks of the numerous lakes, and
tamaracks in the swamps OF the
eastern part of the area.
"The commonest tree of secondary
size throughout the Big Woods is the
ironwood, and the most abundant
shrubs are dogwoods, sumacs, thorn
apples, blackhaw and rosa blanda,"
the study reveals. "On the west,
south, and southwest, the woods end
abruptly along the line of the prairies,
while in the northeast, they pass more
gradually into the region of open
groves and savannas about the Twin
Cities"
Slight differences in soil are de-
clared to account for the heavier
woods in Isanti and Chicago counties