The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-09-23
McEWEN TALKS
ON FORESTRY
Chairman of State Conserva.
ton Board Answers The
Herald Fears.
CBy w. z. McEWen.l

Wy w. T. 4s4lLHCl1J
The Duluth Herald fears a forestry
program that will throttle Duluth "by
bottling up in one way or another
most of its surrounding area" OF
course the department of conservation
or the conservation commission has
nothing like this in mind. An eight
! year program contemplates the estab-
lishment of forest area of three mil
lion acres. This viii not be in one unit
but scattered throughout northern
Minnesota
Before more lands are set aside for
forests a soil survey viii be made, and
only such lands as are not fitted for
agriculture and best fitted for growing
trees will be selected for forestation and
reforestation. Ultimately the entire
forest area viii be twice as large as the
present, and this viii include wood lots
scattered here and there throughout
the original timber belt Much of the
proposed forest area should continue
to be privately owned, but under state
supervision
4OACSbo lp O040L41, VI d4l1
other community? The Herald editor
fails to recognize the relation of forestry
to agriculture, particularly in the nor
thern section of the state east of the
prairie lands. Under proper manage
ment and by selective cutting forest
lands should in time have as great
an economic value to the people as
agricultural lands. In some sections
they now have a greater value
"A survey recently made of the orig
inal coniferous timber belt of the state
of Michigan by the U. S. Forestry SER
vice reveals that by keeping the fire out,
permitting the new timber to grow, and
with selective cutting there in time will
be an opportunity for a million more
people to gain a livelihood in the nor
thern section of that state. Permanent
saw mills and mill towns viii be eStab-
hshed business and professional men
viii find new openings, and agriculture
in the neighborhood viii be given an
impetus.
1T will not be necessary to wait rs
years for a pine tree to mature and
be ready for lumber. Less than Is per
cent of the merchantable forest pro-
ducts consist of Norway and white pine
More than IS per cent represents trees
which few years ago had no market
able value. Jack pine, once scorned
by loggers and lumbermen, thanks &c
the chemist, recently has come into use
in the paper manufacturing industry.
Poplar, which was undreamed of for
use in industry, is also used in the
manufacture OF paper and matches. It
is a fast growing tree. In Minnesota
there are millions of cords of standing
poplar ready to be cut. Today at the
match factory at Cloquet this tree is
commanding a price Of So a cord.
Hundreds of farmers who are realizing
very little from their agricultural crops
are harvesting poplar and jack pine,
and are paid good cash for it at the
Cloquet mills.
The lesser timber is also in demand
for insulation, wall board, tooth picks
and a number Of other uses. Scientific
foresters declare that with the proper
management and development of our
forests there may be re-established in
Minnesota at least five permanent wood
products centers, not all as large as
Cloquet, but Of sufficient size to give
employment to several thousand wage
earners, not mentioning other thous-
ands who viii cut and deliver the
forest products to the mills.
The ideal situation will come when
our northeastern Minnesota farmers
residing in the neighborhood of forest
areas may harvest their agricultural
crops in the autumn and their timber
crops in the winter. This is already
being done on a small scale. Last
winter the mills at Cloquet purchased
more than 5000 cords of pulpwood from
farmers living within radius of 80
miles of the mills. They were paid a
fair price for this wood and at a time
when there was no market for their
farm products The salvation of nor
them Minnesota is in the redemption
of her forests"