428 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



/'■ K. I'. C- '.Ung. 



FIRST SKKD BEDcs PATNODE NURSERY, LAKE CLEAR JUNCTION. 



necessary to plant trees on a large per- 

 centage of this area, because natural 

 reforestation would have reclothed the 

 ground if even reasonable care had 

 been given in lumbering, and if ade- 

 quate protection from fire had been af- 

 forded. 



There is another forest planting 

 problem in the Adirondacks which is 

 entirely aside from the replanting of 

 areas denuded by lumbering and fire. 

 The original forests were a mixed 

 growth of hardwoods and conifers. 

 The conifers, first the pine and later 

 the spruce and balsam, have been re- 

 moved over hundreds of square miles 

 because they early had a market value. 

 On these areas the old hardwoods 

 which were left have closed in and 

 usurped all of the growing space. 



These hardwoods are now coming 

 into their own and have a value which 

 justifies their removal. From the stand- 

 point of good forestry, common sense, 

 and cold, callous commercialism they 

 should be cut and replaced promptly 

 with the more valuable, faster grow- 

 ing softwoods. This was preached 

 years ago but it was not taken very 

 seriously until recent demands made 

 the logging of hardwoods a profitable 



operation under certain conditions. 

 Men familiar with the hardwood busi- 

 ness now believe that the hardwoods in 

 the Adirondacks should be cut and 

 softwoods substituted. On a financial 

 basis this policy is justified because the 

 value of hardwood stumpage per acrg 

 is about equal to the cost of replanting 

 with conifers. This l)eing true there is 

 no loss if the lumbermen cut their 

 hardwoods and replant, the investment 

 remaining the same if the profit from 

 the hardwood is reinvested in young 

 plantations. In the one case the owner 

 would have an over mature hardwood 

 forest, depreciating because of age and 

 decay. On the other hand a fast grow- 

 ing young forest of valuable species 

 worth at maturity, even at present 

 prices, many times the value of the old 

 hardwood stained. 



The only strong opponents of the 

 cutting of the hardwoods and their re- 

 placement by young trees of high value 

 are the wealthy residents down the 

 State who use the Adirondacks as a 

 hunting and recreation ground. Their 

 motives are selfish, narrow and un- 

 worthy of good citizens, their only ex- 

 cuse being that they do not fully un- 

 derstand the situation. The Adiron- 



