Trees of Michigan and the Upper Great Lakes

Of Michigan's great wealth of natural resources, few have been more important in the past or are more highly valued today than our forests and the trees which compose them. Not only are they a continuous source of raw materials for industry and agriculture but they affect the climate, water resources, and soil, purify our air, furnish food and shelter for wildlife and are indispensable to our vast recreational and scenic areas. They form a basic part of our diverse natural environment - our ""biodiversity."" Their protection and management are vital to the state's wellbeing. Industries which depend upon trees for their existence are major employers and rank high in the state's economy. The annual production and manufacture of forest products is measured in billions of dollars. The recreation ""industry,"" including vacation travel, resorts, food, lodging, hunting, fishing, and camping, is likewise a multi-billion dollar a year business. Equally important is the intangible wealth which trees bring to us through sheer enjoyment of beauty and love of nature. Whether in field, fencerow, woodlot or forest, or along highways, rural roads, urban streets, or greenbelts, this bounty is ours for the taking. We have only to picture ourselves without trees to appreciate this value.

Norm Smith is a native of Ann Arbor and a graduate forester, with A.B., B.S.F., and M.F. degrees from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in forest management and forest recreation. His career with the Department of Natural Resources spanned the years from 1937 to 1976, including 27 years with the Forestry Division in Lansing during which time he was involved with forest use planning and development. He played a direct role in the growth of the State Forest campground system in the 1950s, in the establishment of scenic forest drives and riding and hiking trails, and in the preparation of informational material. From 1964 until his retirement in 1976 he was Chief of the Office and Planning Services, responsible for the development of the first statewide Michigan Recreation Plan, and for initiating the Natural Rivers and Wilderness and Natural Areas programs. In 1966 he was appointed to the State Board of Registration for Foresters, and served as a member for 10 years. Norm is a collector of old things, and his office in his home in East Lansing contains such forest memorabilia as log marks from the early lumbering days and antique wooden tools. His interest in exploring the history and uses of trees and in tree photography were both a hobby and an avocation throughout his career. The first edition of Michigan Trees Worth Knowing was published in 1948 by the Conservation Department, now the Department of Natural Resources. The book was enlarged in subsequent editions. Color was introduced in 1978 with the addition of a section on Small Trees. This edition is completely in color.