A STUDY OF WINDFALL IN THE ADIRONDACKS 



By C. Edward Behre 



introduction 



Tlie country in the vicinity of Lake Ne-ha-sa-ne, N. Y.. which Hes 

 about (iO miles north of Utica, on the Adirondack division of the New 

 York Central Railroad, was visited during the month of May, 1916, 

 by a windstorm which uprooted or broke about 5 per cent of the 

 timber over a large area and did more damage than any other storm 

 in recent years. About two weeks after the storm the members of 

 th-? junior class of the Yale School of Forestry, who were at that time 

 enj^agcd in field work in the Adirondacks, made a study of the windfall. 



HISTORY OF THE LOGGING 



.'\n unusually good opportunity was offered for a study of the effect 

 of cuttings on windfall and to compare types and species as to sus- 

 ceptibility to windfall, because the history of the area in question was 

 known and the area has been under management for several years. 

 This tract, in fact, was one of the first in this country to be managed 

 according to ^ working plan made by a technical forester. The orig- 

 inal working plan was made and the first cutting supervised by H. S. 

 Graves in 1896. The working plan called for a selection cutting. 

 Sprtice and pine over 10 inches in diameter on the stump were cut but 

 practically no balsam and no hardwoods were taken. In these early 

 cuttings two seed trees per acre which were 10 inches or more in 

 diameter were left to secure reproduction. In the swamps, the cutting 

 was in general heavier and fewer seed trees per acre were left than 

 on the uplands. 



( )n the area studied cutting'? under this plan had been made in ]89(> 

 on the southeast side of the lake and in 1898 on the northwest side 

 of the lake. These cuttings averaged about 2,600 board feet per acre. 

 Graves estimated that between 2,500 and ;\000 board feet per acre 

 were left in all types, which means that about oO per cent of the stand 

 was removed. 



The tract is now under the management of F. A. Gaylord. who in 

 ]9]r) started to cut over these areas for the second time. The portion 



