846 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



for the Empire State Forest Products Association, R. S. Kellogg, sec- 

 retary of the News- Print Service Bureau, and F. H. Colby, forest com- 

 missioner of Maine, initiated a plan to ascertain the remaining timber 

 supply of New York and New England, particularly spruce, through 

 the active efforts of the War Committee of the Society of American 

 Foresters. 



Early in May statistical cards were printed to send out to timber- 

 land owners in New York and Maine, and arrangements made for 

 Recknagel to collect the statistical information in New York, and Colby 

 in Maine. 



The chairman of the War Committee undertook to find foresters and 

 others in Rhode Island. Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, 

 and Vermont to undertake the work of distributing suitably prepared 

 statistical blanks in their respective States to be filled out by the timber- 

 land owners. State Foresters Mowry in Rhode Island, A. B. Hastings 

 in New Hampshire, and W. G. Hastings in Vermont, the chairman of 

 the War Committee in Connecticut, and H. A. Reynolds, secretary of 

 the Massachusetts States Forestry Association, accepted the task of 

 distributing the statistical cards in their respective States and the tabu- 

 lation of the data. The work was extended in New York in co-opera- 

 tion with the Conservation Commission. 



The importance of a comprehensive timber census for New York 

 and New England, particularly for the purposes of determining timber 

 of various kinds suitable for war needs, brought about co-operation 

 with the U. S. Forest Service, and Kenneth M. Clark, of that Service, 

 after conference with the chairman of the War Committee and those 

 co-operating in the gathering of the statistical data, arranged for ma- 

 terial aid in tlie furthering of the enterprise. 



The first task in each State was the securing of a list of the owners 

 of merchantable standing timber by towns. In most States the com- 

 pilation of an acceptable list was made possible by co-operation with 

 the office of the State Tax . Commissioner and through him with the 

 local assessors. 



The aim is to adopt a uniform method in working up the data from 

 all the States. The work of collecting the data is already completed in 

 some States ; in others it is well under way. In only one or two States 

 has the work lagged and not met the expectations of the ^^'ar Com- 

 mittee of the Society. 



J. W. TouMEY, 



Chairman. 



