OBSERVATIONS ON UNBURNED CUT-OVER LANDS IN 

 THE ADIRONDACKS^ 



By E. F. McCarthy 

 Professor of Forest Utilization, New York State College of Forestry 



The following observations were made during the summer of 1917 

 in carrying out investigative work planned for that year under the 

 direction of The New York State College of Forestry, Syracuse, N. Y. 



The fundamental assumption which led to this method of silvicul- 

 tural investigation is that all immediate problems of reproduction 

 which can be worked out upon sample plots can now be observed on 

 cut-over lands in the Adirondacks, providing the history of the stands 

 can be determined with certainty. 



INFLUENCE OE TYPE 



It soon became obvious that a clear distinction of type in the Adiron- 

 dacks is essential to any silvicultural investigation, and that this type 

 distinction must be much sharper than that employed in previous 

 studies on virgin timberland. 



In going over the literature it was found that no particular effort 

 had been made to segregate types in the preparation of stand tables 

 for prediction of yield ; that the studies of type made by Pinchot and 

 Graves had formed the basis of practically all investigations. In 

 spite of the thoroughness of the work done, the stand table upon which 

 future yield was predicted below 10 inches d. b. h. was constructed 

 without reference to type, one stand table representing all types on the 

 area. There resulted from this method of prediction of future yield 

 an exaggerated representation of softwoods on the hardwood type in 

 diameter classes below 10 inches. This is necessarily true because of 

 the larger number of small diameter softwood trees found on swamp 

 acres and upper slope acres than that found within the hardwood 

 type. The definitions of type used herein follow the plan prescribed 

 by the original Bulletin 26^ study and retain the same names and gen- 



* Delivered before the New York Section of the Society of American Foresters, 

 at Albany, N. Y., January 22, 1919. 



' Graves. Henry S. : Practical Forestry in the Adirondacks. U. S. Forest Serv- 

 ice, Bui. 26, 1899. 



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