Red pine glory

ESCANABA — Red pine plantations are unfairly maligned by some elements within the environmental community. In reality, red pine plantations are often a legacy of past efforts to rejuvenate the forest. They continue to be a promise for needed future fiber to support our ever-demanding society.

Red pine is a marvelous forest species with a colorful past and a unique life history. The Civilian Conservation Corps planted many millions of red pine over tens of thousands of acres on cutover and burned-over land. Red pine was chosen because it could be produced in nurseries, was fairly easy to plant, survival rates were acceptable, and was among the fastest growing in the Lake States. The utilitarian wood could be milled into lumber, pulped and then made into paper, and used for a wide variety o