NATIONAL FORESTS

IN

MICHIGAN

UNITED

STATES

• DEPARTMENT OF
• AGRICULTURE

• FOREST
• SERVICE

NORTH

CENTRAL REGION

•

MILWAUKEE,

WIS.

—

THE

ON

Great

COVER.

Falls

Conglomerate on the

Black River.

p-3e«M

ERRATA

• Line
• Page

45,000,000.

be

should should
97,000,000 Porcupine

3

57

• listed
• be

not

4fur bearers.

vvilh

Si.o'jld

by its

red pine
"the

t»Vj". read

Cf
7

17

ClUoLC"G

• of Munising".
• east

rniies read "4

Should
2-3
44

UNITED

STATES
GOVERNMENT

• PRINTING
• OFFICE

WASHINGTON

• :
• 1941

• •*
• .

sEr^ «$•

THE HIAWATHA

FOREST.

• NATIONAL
• AU TRAIN FALLS ON

Drama of

Forests

Michigan

of the forests of has

in

DRAMA

been written

several acts

Michigan

THE

ficent woodlands

its

The action has

each with

colorful

of the

• concerned the
• magni

pageantry.

the of those forests in the

in

the present.

redman,

but sure

• rapid
• depletion

last

and their

• slow
• rebuilding
• century,

The

iron and land
"northwest and

to

Indian furs and Indian

elusive

China,

souls,

In

1621, passage"

• the white men to
• Michigan.

Rock,
Etienne young copper brought after the

at

1

landed

• Pilgrims
• only
• year
• Plymouth

Superior
Brule,

• of
• and
• was
• reached Lake
• protege
• Champlain,
• disappointed

• to find its waters fresh. Thirteen
• another
• Nicolet,
• later,

years

protege

Michigan

longed-for

Jean

• of
• French
• of
• unknown
• Canada, entered the

the

Lake governor of

• the Straits
• Mackinac.

he

• found the
• never

Though

through

to

• Orient,
• did

the

fur

trade with the Indians

route

the

• Nicolet
• initiate
• French

in this territory.

• of
• and

to

Heroic followers

Nicolet were the

• Brule
• fathers
• and
• Jogues

Jesuit

• in
• 1641 at Sault
• who

• the
• Ste.

Marie,

Ojibwas in

• Raymbault,
• preached

was

where the first

settlement

made 27

Michigan

• permanent
• later

years

and Dablon. by Marquette

• Frenchmen all,
• and missionaries
• traced the rivers and

and explorers, trappers,

—

lakes of

• this
• Radisson and Groseillers,

• Marquette
• territory

Joliet,

• and La
• Salle, but it was not to France that the rich

Hennepin

Michigan Treaty

of prize

By fell when the ambitions of two

clashed.

empires

• the
• great

to

in of Paris

1763

• dominion.
• English

the

treaty closing

Michigan

passed

Twenty

the War

withdraw later it

ceded to the United States was years

by

• of
• the Revolution, but not until 1796 did the British

garrison from
Detroit.

The

and in

1805 the

Northwest was

of Indiana

was

Territory of Indiana and

growing,

• into the
• two Territories

separated

• Michigan
• Lower

(the

In

to

the Union

as

• a
• 1837

was admitted

Michigan

for land lost to

which was to
State

and,

the

little known
Peninsula). in

received

Ohio,

prove compensation
Peninsula grudgingly

one of the richest ore basins in the

Upper

country.

White sails

to

• bark
• on

• the
• canoes

• the Great Lakes and in turn
• replaced

steamboats; the war

• of
• and
• Ottawas,

gave

• way
• whoops
• Chippewas,

• Hurons faded
• to historical

echoes;

and in

• of
• Indian

the natural resources. great

Michigan

of conquest

—

tribes was followed

a

• new
• by

• struggle
• conquest

[1]

• NATIONAL
• IN MICHIGAN

FORESTS

• IN THE BEGINNING NEARLY ALL MICHIGAN WAS CLOTHED WITH
• MAGNIFICENT

A

• OF WHICH THIS IS
• BEAUTIFUL

REMNANT.

FORESTS,

• was more
• than the
• in

the

None of these

the

important

forests,

north,

pines

• in
• hardwoods

the south.

and the

era is

colorful

one of the most

• in
• periods

The

State. the

• of
• logging

Magnificent of the lumberjacks.

the

history stands of white and red

The

fell

• before the
• axes

• pine
• hungry

had

• lumbering industry
• exceptional

advantages

in

because the timber was massed

and was located

vast

on in

stands,

• sizable
• streams,

Michigan

making large-

scale

down in pine

• operations
• mainly

The

possible,

• to mills.
• first

great surge the

• could be floated
• which

logs

with the

• of
• and

• the
• came

exhaustion of

eastern forests

and the

• lumbering
• development

of of railroads. The

• settlement
• the

• Chicago
• Prairie

pine lumbering reached of growth

In

a stimulus from the West.

1890

furnished when

States feet

lumber and

• its
• 4,245,717,000

held of

Michigan

produced

• in lumber
• place

peak,

all

the States. above the latitude of center.

first

Out

• production among
• undisputed

the lumber

the

of

• cities
• most
• the

Michigan

pine-lumbering

great

industry grew the first
Saginaw Valley,

of this years

• reached their
• in

the

The

Lake

forests

country

greatest glory of the

the turn white-pine and for 20

States,

• preceding
• century

Chicago

Middle

• cried for the durable,
• and

easily

• worked white
• and the
• West
• light,

echoed with the bite axes and the

• of
• woods

• of
• Michigan

• Michigan.
• pine

[2]

NATIONAL

FORESTS IN

MICHIGAN

of

• swish
• saws,
• the

of "Timberrrr

• .
• .

."

as the

• interrupted by
• cry

great

and

a

• trees creaked
• and

little,

• crashed.
• listed,

• moved 40
• 40 into
• by

the Manistee, Au
Lumberjacks

the forest

of

Michigan,

Saginaw were manufactured primeval

• of
• the banks

stripped.

• Sable,
• and

Muskegon,

left the woods for the sawmills

Log

to be

upon log lumber and into

• south.
• were

• in
• even floated
• timbers

rafts to

were built
Huron National

Long

shipped in mills
New York, and

is

half

the

it

• said that
• the houses in Buffalo

from lumber cut in

there was

of

the

Forest. vicinity

present

• on
• in

• the
• the

Peninsula

Finally

and

once

• "daylight
• swamps"

Upper

Even all

over the once

wooded areas of

the State.

be an abundant

those who

heavily

• believed there would
• of

always

Michigan

supply

was set for pines

were disillusioned. And so the forest tableau wherein

Michigan

another scene in the of

the resources is the stage

• rebuilding
• dominant

theme.

THE
REBUILDING

FORESTS

are

Men

she is for better use of

• in
• the cut-over lands

Michigan;

where

areas; are

planning

a

chance nature with and aid is reclaiming

• given
• man's

devastated

from fire lands unsuited

• through
• to
• planting
• protection
• farming

RECKLESS

AND
FOREST

• LOGGING
• MOSTLY MAN
• IN
• RESULTED VAST DEVASTATED
• FIRES,

CAUSED,

• LIKE
• AREAS

THIS.

[3]

• IN MICHIGAN
• NATIONAL FORESTS

The new forests are

timber

forests.

• turned into
• producing

• being
• productive

to

further deterioration of

needs and are

human prevent

They give

to meet

helping

erosion.

• effective
• in

stream

aid soil

the basic resource

through

a

for

• wildlife;
• habitat
• flow and water
• regulation; they provide
• they
• supply

and other recreation. Most

better

• hunting,
• fishing,
• important,
• provide

• to
• to

employment

• are and will continue
• contribute

these forests

perhaps,

• of
• communities.
• stabilization

forest

and

In this

and National
National Forest was

Michigan

of forest restoration, State

forests have

proclaimed. Manistee in

as

program

Back in 1909 the created. been in the

the Huron and

State,

national forests

Now there are five

• and Hiawatha
• Peninsula; and the

Lower Upper

public
Marquette

the the are

(administered

the in the

Peninsula. All

Upper

• and
• Ottawa

these

Michigan),

so as to be of the

• forests and as such are
• service

managed

highest to the

people.
Timber Production.

• of the forest is that it can be renewed and
• advantage

need

in
One never

some great

Protection from fire allows natural

be exhausted.

reproduction

• of the burned-over land the desirable
• of
• but on much

• areas,
• types

and a new forest must

established

have

trees seedlings.

killed

• be
• been

• by
• planting

Nursery

—

• Stock is
• Forest Service nurseries
• the Beal
• provided by

• BY
• AIDED
• FROM

• IS
• ON MUCH

NATURE,
PROTECTION
FIRE,
RESTORING FORESTS NATIONAL

• OF THIS
• CUT-

OVER LAND.

FOREST.)

(OTTAWA

[4]

NATIONAL

FORESTS IN

MICHIGAN

F-243170
SUCCESSFULLY
UPON THOUSANDS

RESTORE
OF SEVERELY BURNED AND ERODED ACRES

FORESTS CANNOT

THEMSELVES.
FOREST SERVICE

• OF SEEDLING TREES TO REPLANT
• ARE

• RAISED
• MILLIONS
• SUCH AREAS

FOREST.)
IN

NURSERIES.

NURSERY, HURON NATIONAL

the

(BEAL

at East and the

97,000,000 needed

• the
• at

• Manistique,
• Tawas,

at

• Watersmeet,
• Wyman
• Tourney

• provide
• Chittenden at Wellston. These

• nurseries
• an

average

of

• for
• each

been the national forests of

Michigan. Much

seedlings has

year done in

recent

• with the
• of

• help
• planting

the Civilian

is

undertaken

years

Conservation
Corps.

• Reforestation of
• the thousands of
• in
• of

of

• acres
• need

restocking each

• careful
• after

The

of

tree

• only
• planning.
• requirements