NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



317 



golden eagle, several varieties of hawks 

 and owls, meadow lark, crow, blue jay, 

 and vireo. A complete statement of 

 early conditions in Vermont is to be 

 found in Thompson's Vermont, 1853. 

 As Vermont was one of the first ter- 

 ritories settled, the pioneers at an early 

 date occupied the lower slopes of the 

 mountains and then pushed up the 

 mountain slopes clearing farms on the 

 more gentle slopes and later on the 

 steeper slopes and "alpine meadows." 

 As drainage was improved they also 

 moved down to the lower lands along 

 the rivers. 



Due to this occupation by man only 

 the higher mountain tops escaped the 

 work of the ax and these are the only 

 places left in Vermont which are today 

 preserved in their "natural conditions." 

 However the changing commercial con- 

 ditions have made the cultivation of 

 many of the hill farms unprofitable. 

 Many have been abandoned for the more 

 fertile lands in the valleys or those of 

 western states. 



Vermont, then, represents a state 

 which is gradually going back to natural 

 conditions in her mountainous regions. 

 The abandoned upland farms are being 

 reforested partly by natural reproduc- 

 tion and partly by artificial planting. 

 An old cellar hole and a decrepit orchard 

 are not uncommon sights in spruce or 

 hardwood forests which now occupy 

 thousands of acres of the state. 



The forest areas of the state are being 

 purchased by four classes of owners: 

 by the lumber companies for purely 

 commercial purposes; by the cities as a 

 protection for water supplies; by the 

 outing clubs and by the State. Added 

 to these are the University of Vermont 

 which owns the top of Mt. Mansfield, 

 the highest mountain in the state, which 

 has been little disturbed in either flora 

 or fauna and Middlebury College which 

 owns the Battell Forest, a large tract 

 of land, part of which is a commercial 

 forest and the remainder is to be pre- 

 served in its natural conditions. 



There are 12 or 13 State forests. Some 

 of this land is not suitable for tree 



growth for commercial purposes. The 

 state forests contain hundreds of beauti- 

 ful lakes of all sizes to which many 

 tourist come every summer for their 

 vacations. The state policy encourages 

 this movement but attempts to so guard 

 the permits that our native flora and 

 fauna are adequately protected. The 

 state legislature passed a law protecting 

 many of our rare plants. This was 

 necessary because a number of nurser>' 

 men were coming to the state and taking 

 rare plants in large numbers. If un- 

 protected many of the tourists would 

 not hesitate to take the last specimen 

 of a rare plant. 



Where soil and topography are suit- 

 able the State is planting softwoods for 

 commercial purposes. 



The problem of Vermont, then, seems 

 to be one of a return to natural con- 

 ditions rather than the preservation of 

 such conditions. There seems to be a 

 growing sentiment in the state in favor 

 of the movement to repair the damage 

 which unintentionally has resulted from 

 the conditions existing in the past. 

 The younger states should profit by this 

 example and wherever possible preserve 

 their natural conditions. 



The principal areas in Vermont which, 

 in all probability, will be kept in their 

 natural conditions, or allowed to return 

 to their natural conditions are the 

 State Forests, the forests recently 

 purchased by cities to protect their 

 water supplies, the game preserves and 

 the lands owmed by the Universities of 

 the State. 



NATURAL AREAS 



Stale Forests 



The principal State Forests are as 

 follows: 



*Downer State Forest. A tract of 800 

 acres located in the Green Mountains 

 in a natural spruce area. Sharon, 

 Vermont. Walk or drive 5 mi. north 

 to forest. Accommodations for an in- 

 definite stay in a very comfortalile 

 farm house located in the center of the 

 forest. 



