Uo stan a0) LOU Oma Le) OF THE WOODLOTS OF MICHIGAN SU eA FRANK HOBART SANFORD 2K a a oa a, — Wes reeho wT? AT om _ 3.1293 00991 230 — THE ECONOMIC HANDLING of tne WOODLOTS OF SICHIGAN. by FRANK HOBART SANFORD. 1913. THESIS THESIS. for ADVANCED DEGREE 108496 Being an investigntive study of woodlot conditions and the economic use of woodlands. Especial reference being given to the owners! attitude. That the MWichig2n woodlots have suffered a grad- ual decline during the past twenty-five years, is rendi- ly conceded by all who rre advised of the facts. But just how far this decline has gone and the most prob- able reasons for it, hnve not been wade clear; not will the iatter be righted for many years after the facts are knowm. The genernl expression so comnonly voiced in the words--"Well, the woodlot does not look as well as it used to" may be applied to seventy-five per cent of the woodlots of Central Wichigzin. Observations r2lonz this line were first noted by the writer in 1905, since which time studies have been made and noted whenever and wherever possible, and es- pecially in that part of Michigan somuth of'a line from Saginaw to Muskegon, which constitutes the north bound- ary of the ture woodlot area of the State. Woodlots have been exanined in every county south of the line in- dicated; while woodlands of the counties of Jackson, Nate on, Inghan, Calhoun, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Berrian, Cass, Wayne, Oakland, Saginaw, and Ionia have been exanined very fully. In following out tne work indicated above, many other woodlot arens tnan those covered by this re- port were noted in 9 general way while traveling past them, Observations taken in this way from the carriage or the car window, proved of very great vr-lue later, when checking up conditions in various counties. Several townships were studied thoroughly, viz.: In Jackson county, the townships of Sandstone, Paria, Tonpkins and Sprinsport; in Genesee county, the towns of Atlas, Grand Blanc nnd Gaines; in Inghan, the towns of Meridian and Lansing; in Ionia, the town of Easton; in Oakland, the town of Oxford and in Cass, the town of Penn. In all a few over five hundred wooded areas were examined to obtain the data for this report. The meth- od employed, was in A general way, the sane in all coses. The following iteas received the most careful consider- ation:-- Ll. The total orea and the genernl condition of the stand; whether younz second growth, or old mature tim- ber. 2. Species predowinating and drainage, or types. 3. Whether the area aight not be more valuable for agriculture than for forests. This depended l2rgely on topography 2nd could not be deterained with any degree of satisfaction under the methods employed. 4. The uses made of the woodlot, the methods em- ployed in the managenent, and a general view of the own- er's ideas, It was necessary to meet and talk with the owners of the woodlots, regarding the profits and bene- fits they derived annually, and as well as their views, opinions and intentions; in this way the owner's atti- tude was made apparent and a closer relation revealed. Ofwmer's Attitude. These talks often revealed more than was really stated, for many times in the owner's absence the rent- er's version was noted with interest and the reasons for the existing conditions were often thus revealed. It was further found that during the last twenty-five years, a very large per cent of the farms had either changed hands or gone into control of renters, either change usually working havoc with the woodlot. The writer witnessed scores of answers to the query regarding the disposal of recently cut timber, as:-- "Yes, that made a part payment on the place, and besides, I needed the land for pasture." Se common was this attitude among renters and new purchasers that it was often considered futile to sug- gest a better systen of woodlot management to them. Fur- ther, it was observed that the older men--those who had 7 oars =e to a me wee wee: - (Ain in owned and preserved their woodlots for the past thirty | to fifty years, and also, the younger men who had re- ceived instruction or who were experienced earlier on their father's farms, were conservators and not wasters or careless users of the woodlot. Both classes were emphatic in expressing some well considered plans. From the standpoint of the forest enthusiast, as well as from the aesthetic viewpoint, this condition spells "“Qisaster." But from the standpoint of economic de- velopment of the Michigan farm, it may be the reverse. In conferences with good farmers, it was found that in many cases farm lands were too valuable to be permanently devoted to the growing of timber. The av- erage farmer did not care to take upon himself the re- sponsibility of devoting a part of his best agricul- tural land permanently to the growth of trees. Some considerable sentiment prevailed against any addition or improvement to the present forest lands, for the reason that the returns from timbered land were not large enough to justify the cost. Bach owner or renter interviewed was induced to state as far as possible, his views and attitude to- ward woodlot improvement and maintenance. The follow- ing are some of the questions asked to obtain that ine formation:-- 1. Does your woodlot pay? This question usually started talk which was carefully guided by other ques- tions until the desired information was secured, such asi-- 1. Amount of fuel per yeaf and value? 2. Head of stock pastured? 3. Timbers cut? 4. How do the returns from the woodlot compare, acre for acre, with the returns from farm land? 5. Do you plan to improve the woodlot? Such interviews revealed that there were three rather well defined classes of woodland owners. Class 1. Those men who considered the woodlot an indispensable adjunct to the farm and who were doing what they considered the proper thing for its preser- vation. Usually they freely acknowledged the woodlot to be a poor business proposition, but were unwilling to convert the standing timber into cash and the soil into farm land, because of sentiment. They were at- tached to the woodlots and could afford to maintain them as such. Class 2. Those men who were fully acquainted with the present woodlot condition and were not satisfied with the results from it. They were ready to change their old methods for better. They looked at the wood- lot from an economic standpoint rather than a senti- mental. Many of them had compared the money returns of the wooded acres with the income from the farmed acres and were not satisfied with the showing made. Others were talking of cutting and clearing portions of their woodlots, because of the need of greater acreage and higher returns, The acknowledzenent of this last con- dition was usually made with some reluctance by the owner. Sentinent was strong in him still, but the de- mand that the land be made to produce more was strong- er. Class 3. This class included a large class of owners and renters who use the woodlot as they would @ supply depot, taking out the timber and fuel most easily obtained, regardless of young growth or future yield. They pasture every acre every year. They seen to act on the motto--"There is enough for us--let the — future look out for itself." Or as one "self-made" farmer expressed himself--"Well, the boy can look out for himself like I had to; nobody spent any money grow- ing timber for me.* The handling of woodlots by this class means only one thing eventually, viz.: A’ de= pleted and worthless woodlot of poor cull species, and a materially lessened inheritance to the "boy" who takes the farm a few years hence. An attenpt made to determine the number of owners belonging t each class was not satisfactory, but a care- ful estimate places them about as follows:-- we ne Class 1, ------------------------ 40 % Class 2, ------------------------ 35 % Class 3.cccn- -n eee n ene n ne enenn- 25 % On account of an apparent indifference regarding the work and often a reluctance to make positive state- ments, a number of men who might rightly belong to Class 1 or 2, were necessarily placed in Class 3, thus making that class somewhat too large. A’ few outlined definite plans for handling their wooded holdings. In most cases these plans were for cutting only. They were systenatically renoving the timber from the more valuable lands. Their ultimate aim meant the conversion of timber into cash, and wood- lot into plowland. Only in a few of these exanples, was there found any sentiment favoring systematic grow- ing of trees for woodlot purposes. One example in southern Inghan county illustrates the exception. The owner of a large farm is planting the odd irregular patches and exposed hillsides for permanent woodlot purposes. His present timber lands are being cleared because they are level and better suited for farming. He plans to cut systematically from the woodlots as fuel and farm demands, until the new plantings become available. Another man near Wat- ervliet, recently made plans to gradually establish his woodlot on eroded land, by planting, and to clear the woodlot which stands on good rich level land. The ul- timate result will mean the utilization of all good land of the farm for farming, and the poorer lands for the growing of fuelsposts and general purpose timbers. Other Wood Crops. In a few instances the writer found that special or product crops were being taken from some portions of the farm woodlot annually. The two important crops in this line are Maple sugar and nuts. Strictly speaking, such business is orcharding and not forestry; never=- theless, it is considered as a part of the woodlot re- turns, and as such, goes far toward raising the annual revenues of the woodlot. There is little question but that woodlots of hard Maple and Shagbark Hickory, Walnut.ind Butternut should and will be the last to be cleared to make way for more intensive lines of agriculture. The present returns are from five to twenty dollars per acre, per year for the products alone, and with systenatic care, proper thinn- ing and selection cutting, the incomes should be increas- ed. Types of Woodlots. Ignoring all factors save that of probable future timber crop, we find that there is a wide range in the kinds of woodlots. Many are ideally located as perm- anent woodlands, occurring on the poorest, most inac- cessible land of the farms--too hilly to farm or too wet for cultivation and impossible to drain; while others are located on the main roads--near the farm house--on heavy flat lands, capable of yielding large farm crops. -The following types of woodlands occur with greatest frequency:-- Type 1. The timber stand of all ages on steep hilly land, usually of rather light, gravelly soil or gand or clay which washes badly when the timber is re- moved. The species of trees on this type are mixtures usually of Black, White and Red Oaks, Cherry, Blue Beech, Ironwood, Dogwood, Sassafras and often some of the Poplars. (See Fig. 1.) Type 2. The same hilly condition with timber of one age class present or with many 3ge classes lack- ing; denoting either recurrent fires or frequent graz- ing. The species composing such a type may be some- what mixed but only a limited number of medium too large sized trees to the acre; and of such species as White Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak and Cherry. There is usually a noticeable lack of underbrush and no repro- duction; grass is usually present. (See Fig. 2.) Type 3. The low swamp stand of Cedar, Black Ash, and Tanarack where drainage is difficult or impossible (See Fig. 3.) Type 4. The lowland type composed either of mix- ed species, such as Hlms, Ashes, Basswood, Swamp Oak, Burr Oak, Sycamore, Maple, Tulip, Gun and Beech or nearly pure stands of Hard Maple by selection. Practe- ically even age and little or no young growth. Cap- able of drainage, usually. (See Fig. 4.) Type 5. The dense second growth stands of White Oak, Black Oak, Red Oak, Cherry, Beech, Hard -laple, Tulip, Ironwood, Sassafras, Birch and Poplar growing on the rolling loans--not pastured because too dense. (See Fig. 5.) Type 6. Dense second growth Maple stands, after cutting of old tinber cle-n. A mass of young seedlings and sprouts from one inch to four inches--six inches in diameter; not pastured because too dense. (See Fig. 6) Type 7. Stunp lands of all soils with sprouts in scanty stond--pastured. (See Fig. 7.) - fhe park-like stand of mature reserve cull trees-- the commnon wooded pasture. Other isolated stands were found but did not recur often enough to warrant classi- fication as types. Types 1 and » are found with great frequency in several counties, viz.:-- Jackson, Oakland, Inghan, Ionia 2nd pgyomise more from a permanent woodlot stand- point, than any of the other types, for the reasons-=- 1. The soil is better suited to wood crops than to agriculture. 10. sn = ee ee eee ee em 2. 35 : 8 : 0 : 30 Parma. : : : : Jackson =; : : : Co., : 22 : 9 : 0 : 14 Sandstone; ; : : Jackson ; : ° Co., : : : : Spring- : 14 6 : 1 : 12 port. : : : : Oakland : : : : Co., : 40 3: 7 : 0 : 80 Oxford. ; ; ; : Cass Co.,: : ; : Penn. 42 : 4 : OQ : 45 Ionia Co.:: : : : Baston. :: 56 16 : «4 s 32 Ingham : : : : Co., : 4 : 1 : 1 : 3 Meridian.: : : Ingham : : : : Co., : 5 : 3 : 0 : 4 Lansing. 3: : : : TOTALS. : 244 : 60 : 9 : 236 In all, five hundred and forty-nine woodlots were exruined. On three hundred and thirteen woodlots there was found so little reproduction that no sanple plots were made. On two hundred and thirty-six woodlots the young growth was sufficient to warrant an estianate. The final avérage was two hundred and nine seedlings of all species per acre 3s the result on one hundred and fifty- eight saaple squ»re rod plots. The two reasons why the reproduction stand averages so low 2re:-- l. Crown Density. 2. Grazing. ‘The inaximum crown density recorded in a few wood- lots was ninety-five per cent, while the average crown density for the woodlots comprizinsg the two hundred and thirty-six acres above uentioned was fifty-eight per cent. No records were nade of crown density on the three hundred and thirteen woodlots where no reproduc- tion occurred, but since grass was growing well, the dens- ity average would hxrve rend below four per cent. Pasturage. It may be said that no other agency has so seri- ously interferred with the best developinent and growth of the South Central Michigan woodlots as the pastur- age and trampling of liveestock. Following a careful 17. examination of three hundred ani sixty-two woodlots, it was found that two hundred and fourteen were past- ured regularly every season, or that only thirty-eight and one-third per cent were not pastured at all. In nearly all cases where the woodlots were pastured, it was not possible to make 1 study of reproduction since the reproduction was either entirely lacking, or so scanty as to warrant no consideration. Of the one hundred and fifteen woodlots that were not pastured, it was found that:-- l. All age classes were represented, 2. All land utilized, no openings. 3. Well formed trees, properly crowded. 4. Good ground cover of lenves, duff and litter, without grass. 5. Over-stocking of trees genernlly, and dense stand=--no chance for wind to sweep through. 6. The soil was soft, loose and open, and con- tained much humus; retentive of moisture and furnishe- ing a good germinating bed for seed, An examination of the pastured woodlots revealed conditions as follows:-- l. Irregular clunvs of trees and intervening op- enings. 2. Soil p2cked and hard. 3. Absence of leaf cover and litter. 18, Pe ———_ ai 4. Evidence of wind sweep. 5. Grass, weeds, underbrush and brambles pres- ent but little or no reproduction. 6. No chance for seed to reach miner?7l s0il for germination. 7. Trees often ill-eshaped, having very rapid tap- er 3nd very branchy. 8. Usually very few age classes were represented, depending however, on number of years since regular pasturnge began. Irregular Ppasturacze. A small per cent of the woodlots classified as not pastured, ere in reality pastured; either lightly or at long intervals with very little danaze, if any, result- ing. Value of Pasturage. — Many factors enter into the question of the value of woodlot pastures. The three most important are;-- l. Density of woods. 2. Kind of stock pastured. 3. Character of ground cover. The more open the woods, the more valuable it becomes for pasture, since all forage plants and grasses re- quire abundant light. A’ woods having a crown density of nine per cent furnishes little or no green fodder for the sheep or cow; and if such woods are pastured, .- 19. the only benefit derived is the shade and freedom from flies during the heat of the day. The danage to such woods, other then packing of the soil, was practically nothing. The crown density of a woodlot furnishes a very good cuage for measuring the probable damage from gsraz- ing. Taking the woods of lesser density first, it was found thst a crown cover of three per cent or less, be- longed ordinarily to Type 7 as described; and as such does not warrant the expense of maintenance as woodlot. Woods of eight per cent density or above, were found to be little dnmaged from pasture, since not e- nough light reached the forest floor, to establish her- baceous growth. The woods having densities ranging between three and eight per cent however, were very subject to the pasture damase. Ninety per cent of the pastured wood- lots came within this class.. Kinds of Stock Pastured. Cattle and Horses. The chief damage from young horses and cattle in the woodlot, arises through the tramping of the soil and injury to the seedling crop. The browsing did not appear to be serious, except when grass pasture was very short, and even at that, not as serious as is commonly supposed. The real injury be- 20. longs to the soil, since the packing of the soil by stock and loss of the rich le?f and Litter ‘zaulch by wind action prevents the means of natural fertiliz- ation. Sheep. Sheep browse very closely, and seem to al- ways prefer the one end two year old tree seedlings to the wire grass and other woods plents, and are especiale- ly destructive. Hogs. It was observed ina limited way that the pasturage of nogs in the woodlot duriny the mast seas- on has a beneficial effect, since they root the soil and tnereby bury quantities of seed that otherwise would not reach the inoist :,ineral soil. No data was avail- able to prove that this observation was correct. In three instances, hogs were found to be pasturing regu- larly and these were observed. Oharacter of Ground Cover. The amount of ground cover in the woodlot depends directly upon the density of the crown as stated above. The kind of plants making up the ground cover vary wide- ly and depend upon the moisture present in the soil. Dry, rolling soils having a low crown density of one to four per cent 2re usually poor for pasture. Wire grass is the only abundant forage plant. Also, many forms of objectionable undergrowth come in on these lands, such el. as brauble and briar vushes, along with the tree weeds in large quantities. Low flat lands having a low crown density furnish the greatest anount of weeds, grass- es and other forage. And it is this class of woodlot which inust be cleared eventually and give ly to pasture. The Model Farm Woodlot. In order to place the results of this series of investigation in a form for economic application, the writer undertakes a plan for the conversion of good farm soil woodlands into farms, while the necessary acreage of woodland inay be maintained and made to serve a double purpose of farm protection and ti.aber produc- tion. Why the Present Conditions Exist. The study of the future forest crop possibilities was considered as being very important, since it furn- ishes the key to the future development and value of the woodlot. Natural planting costs nothing while artificial planting requires an outlay of both time and money. fc- Qnomic handling demands that attention and care be giv- en to the protection of these annual crops of wild seed- lings if the woodlots are to be perpetuated. The follow- ing conditions were revealed by the search:-- l. No records of instruction regarding the proper O22. handling of the seedlin,g crop. 2. An attitude of indifference and often of ignor- ance regarding the way trees grow and reproduce, Several well enough posted men, otherwise, were sur- prised and decidedly so, when told that trees like Elm and Maple grew from seed. One inan who had spent the :nost of his life in the lumber woods, and an authority on logu- ing operations, would not believe that good forest could again be grown on the cut-over land; nor could he be made to realize that there was any use of protecting the young growth. These examples are cited only as illustrations of the conditions existin,; throughout our fair State. They are in no way exceptional or extreme, and they should help to emphasize the great need for more liberal educa- tion. The reason that woodlot owners are uninformed to such a large extent, lies in the fact that the wood crop has yielded them the least annual income of any of the crops handled. They do not hesitate to inform themselves upon the fine points of growing corn or alfalfa, as soon as they see it demonstrated as a paying proposition. The average farmer is very quick to see the practi- cal turn in any suggested improvement, and once interest- ed, he is usually 1. consistent worker; but the writer is forced to accept the fact revealed in personal conversa- 23... tions with a great number of woodlot owners, that the practical advice given out during the past decade, nas been almost worthless. Even forest educators have in- dulged in the peddling of sentimental notions to a great extent, while the various organizations acting from aes- thetic promptings have always favored and accepted such doctrines and have helped to spread then broadenst. Continued sentiuental talk and articles tire even the theorist, while they disgust the men of practical af- fairs. Farmers have repeatedly spoken of the forestry sentiment as twaddle and nonsense, 2nd usually because no direct and practical methods have ever been pointed out to them. When they are shown that benefits of im- portance to all crops are secured if a well defined sys- tem of tinber growing is followed, the attitude changes favorably. Whenever a plan of operation was presented, to cover the following points of value to the farm, an interest was usually manifested at once. The points of value in the plans covered, 1re:-=- 1. Protection to farn buildings and stock. 2. Windbreak action to prevent excessive and rapid evaporation of soil water from the fields, adjacent to the wooded aren. 3. A continued supply of fuel and farm timber. 4. The rotation plan of treating timber as a crop. 24, 5. The nerns of handling the wooded area of the farm so as to incrense fuel production without injury to the windbreak feature. 6. Economic use of side hills and poor areas. Five per cent of the farmers are tree planters; their tree planting is done in tne form of windbrerxs and for ornanent7l purposes, or both. Leas than one-half of one per cent of the farmers interviewed by the writer dur- ing the last eight years, have attenpted systeaatically to improve their woodlots by planting. The results from such work once begun, are very discouraging and seldom completed. There has been no way to determine the nunber of woodlot owners who have accepted recomnendations offer- ed by various institutions, but in nearly every case where a feasible method was presented to then,thney acknowledged the logic and reasonableness of the proposition, but w:2re not enger to undertake the long improvement. The above observations were itade on woodlots occupy- ing land so situated as to be as valuable if cleared, as the firm land adjacent. No objections to the use of lands not fitted for farming purposes have been heard at any time. That woods owners recognized the need of wooded ar- eas both from an aesthetic and fron a practical stand- point, and are entirely ready and in many cases agree to formulate plans for the development of plantations to meet 25. such needs, is on the increase annually. The issue as it appeared after this preliainary exanination was as follows:-- That there existed two general classes of woodlots called farn woodlots. The one occupying land of nigh value from an agricultural standpoint, when clerred; the other occupying the woste, hills, -rzarshes ind irregular portions of the farnus. No distinction has been .aade by the i1vera.se speaker or lecturer before the various town- ships and county organizations, between these two class- es. Consequently, they have tried to apply one rule to both.