The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-05-31
HOW MUCH FOREST
IS too MUCH

On the third swing OF the pendulum
some thoughtful people are beginning
to wonder if it isn't going too far.
AT first it was taken for granted
there was nothing in northern Mime
sofa but pine and when that was gone
the land was worthless, not even good
to raise another crop of pine.
Then 1t was discovered that north
ern Minnesota had wonderful agri-
cultural possibilities, surprising dairy
country, unequalled for grass and
clover. 1t appeared that pine had no
objection to growing on good soil, in
fact, that white pine was sign of
fertility. And for while it was as
stunned that every acre would be put
under cultivation as fast as it was
cleared To talk about holding any Of
1t for forest reserve was a little worse
than treason.
In the third stage it became evident
that some of the cutover country was
better for forest than for farms. For
estry enthusiasts began to talk about
two or three million acres in public
forest and ten or twelve million acres
in forest altogether.
At this point many thoughtful peo-
pie began to wonder if that wasn't too
much forest
Well, it's fair question
Time alone viii tell, but some light
on the probable answer can be gained
from the experience of older states
Pennsylvania, Ior example.
One-half the area of Pennsylvania
is designated as forest land. Three mil
lion acres have been acquired as state
and national forest Eleven million
acres are privately owned as forest
lands or farms woodlotS
Pennsylvania is not only one of the
thirteen original states, but one of the
most populous. At the first census
taken by the United States in 1870,
Pennsylvania was ahead of New York
IN population and way ahead of all
the others except Virginia. 1t is now
second only to New York
Agriculture certainly has first call
on any land in the state Philadelphia,
still the third city of the United States
Is on the eastern border, and Pitts
burgh, one of the first ten, is in the
northwest corner. The oil regions are
all spotted with towns, while from
Bethlehem to Reading and Harrisburg;
and through the coal regions, urban
population needing to be fed is almost
u
vania can do better in farms than in
forest, it viii surely be kept in Guilt
Walton.
Some of it evidently does. Years
ago the section around York and Lam
caster was accounted the most pros
porous farming country in the United
States, and perhaps it still is At any
rate, the big red barns and the solid
brick farmhouseS in the Mennonite
country and the fields and orchards
round Cherry Valley and Kunkeltown
are a sign that farming in the more
fertile sections of Pennsylvania is very
far from being forlorn hope.
And yet, 100000 acres out Of 3D.
100000 have been set aside as perman-
ent public forest, while almost exactly
half the area is designated as forest
land
Lands that have been farmed. or
that someone had tried to farm. for
more then a hundred years have re-
verted to forest. And, as the Mime
sofa ReforeStation commission point
ed out in its report, these lands which
were laboriouSly cleared and painfully
cultivated in the desperate effort to
make farms of them, were bought by
the state at an average price Of 81 As
an acre
According to the experience of Penn
sylvania, then, one-haIf the land can
do better raising trees than anything
else.
That is easily seen as one crosses the
state The Appalachian mountain
range takes up about half the area.
The Alleghanies on one side and the
Cumberland on the other offer a lot OF
ground for forestry and not much for
cultivation
The fact remains that every acre IN
the state on which there is the slight
wanted for cultivation
Minnesota, IN comparative terms, is
better OF than PENNSYLVANIA IN many