Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
Michigan’s Forests Topic 1104 History of Logging in Michigan Mr. Christensen
2
Today’s Objectives Identify characteristics of Michigan’s pre- settlement forests Identify individuals and events that impacted Michigan’s forests Describe Michigan’s Logging era and its aftermath Describe Michigan’s forests today, their economic impact, and how they are managed
3
The Forests of Michigan in 1840 From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
4
Michigan’s Logging Era 1840’s NewYork’s Forests cannot meet demand From 1869 to 1900 Michigan is NO. 1 in logging Michigan’s lumber value exceeds the value of the California gold rush by 1 Billion $ 160 Billion Board Feet (four foot by eight foot stack five times to the moon and back)
5
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Michigan in 1840
6
Michigan Logging THE TARGET Cork Pine 300 years old 200 feet tall and 5 to 7 feet in diameter Land is $1.25/acre 1862--Homestead Act—160 acres Surveyors Timber Cruisers—look for Pine Groves
7
Logging Camps Two foremen and seventy men 20 teams of horses 7 yoke of oxen Cold Weather Job—ice roads 4:00 AM until Dusk Choppers/Sawyers/River Hogs/Boomers and Jam Crackers
8
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Shanty Boys
9
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
10
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Choppers
11
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
12
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
13
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
14
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Skidders
15
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
16
Logging in Winter From Michigan History Magazine at: http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/logging/
17
Big Wheels invented by Silas Overpack in 1776 From Michigan History Magazine at: http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/logging/ Silas Overpack
18
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
19
From the Mihcigan Forests Forever Teachers Guide website at http://www.dsisd.k12.mi.us/mff/
20
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
21
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Gabriel Horn
22
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
23
Log Marks Log Marks 1842 Log Piracy Assist in sorting process From Michigan History Magazine at: http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/logging/
24
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Boomers
25
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Log Jam job for the Jam Crackers
26
Log Jam on the Grand River in 1883 Jam Crackers would dynamite the log jams to break them up From Michigan History Magazine at : http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/logging/
27
Narrow Gage Railways From Michigan History Magazine at: http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/logging/ Introduced by Winfield Scott Gerrish in 1776
28
Sawmill at Menominee (1832) From Michigan History Magazine at: http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/extra/logging/
29
From the Mihcigan Forests Forever Teachers Guide website at http://www.dsisd.k12.mi.us/mff/
30
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
31
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
32
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies —http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
33
p From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html Michigan 1840
34
Results of Logging Lumber Barons—men who made their fortunes in logging Stumps were cleared and farming began Massive fires in the debris and underbrush in 1871(Manistee/Saginaw 2 million acres), 1881(thumb 280 dead) and 1908 2 million acres Erosion
37
From the Mihcigan Forests Forever Teachers Guide website at http://www.dsisd.k12.mi.us/mff/
38
From:Michigan EPIC Center for Michigan History Studies http://michiganepic.org/lumbering/LumberingBriefHistory.html
39
Return of Michigan’s Forests Conservation Movement Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and John Muir 1895 First State Park (Mackinac Island) 1900 First State Forests (Roscommon & Crawford Counties Great Depression—Land Abandoned— Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) 1933
40
Michigan 50 Camps Planted 500 million trees Fought Fires Built 7,000 miles of road Improved Streams Stocked Lakes with 150 million fish Build Seney Wildlife Refuge
41
State Forest System Four Million Acres 20% of Michigan’s Forests 2 nd largest state forest system National Forests 2.6 Million Acres Threats Intensive browsing of deer Forest ownership/parcelization
42
Michigan’s Forests Today 11.5 Billion Trees, more are added each year, they cover 53% of Michigan Trees are smaller, fewer pine, tamarack and hemlock more aspens, red maple and paper birch. Tallest tree—white pine 201 feet in (Marquette County) and largest tree Black Willow (Grand Traverse County)
43
Michigan’s Forest Industry Today Forestry is a 12 Billion $ industry plus 3+ billion $ from forest based recreation Forest industry provides 200,000 jobs and over 1.3 billion board feet of lumber annually Highly mechanized forest harvest and replanting
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.