SILVICULTURE IN THE ADIRONDAC'KS 893 



Height growth of Norway spruce during the first 6 to 8 years was 

 slow, but for the last 3 or 4 years it has been from 15 to 24 inches 

 annually. It is a tree which gives great promise for pulp purposes 

 in the Northeast. 



On the opposite side of the road from this area the land was clear 

 cut and the brush was burned, but the area was not planted because 

 the college was abandoned. The contrast is striking. The softwood 

 reproduction was very largely absent, and hardwood brush of inferior 

 character now occupies the ground to such an extent that planting 

 would not now be practicable over any considerable area. This area 

 showed clearly that in mixed forests satisfactory softwood reproduc- 

 tion usually cannot be secured after cutting except by means of 

 planting. 



During the afternoon some of the earliest plantations made by the 

 college were visited. The first plantation, made in 1877 on a poplar- 

 grown slash east of the Ampersand Brook bridge, was found to be 

 in excellent condition. Scotch pine, white pine, Norway spruce, and 

 European larch have all done well, especially the latter, single speci- 

 mens of which are 7 inches in diameter at the stump and 35 feet high. 

 Norway spruce shows a rapid height and diameter growth, especially 

 during the last 4 or 5 years. Douglas fir and Abies concolor, of which 

 there were a few specimens, for some reason have only managed to 

 hold their own, being at best 4 or 5 feet in height. 



A plantation made on a cleared-up slash nearby suflfered greatly 

 from the thicket of raspberries which came in after clearing ; neverthe- 

 less, a considerable number of trees survived. 



An interesting feature of the conference was the evening session 

 held after the close of the field trip. The chief question which was 

 up for discussion was the form of management which should be applied 

 to the forests of the Adirondacks. Professor Spring and Mr. Reck- 

 nagel had prepared an outline of silvicultural management which fur- 

 nished the basis for discussion. 



The region was taken up by types, and the following conclusions 

 were agreed upon by those present : 



I. Spruce szvamps and Hats — 



(a) True swamps usually reproduce abundantly to softwoods, espe- 

 cially balsam fir. Windfall usually takes all the larger-sized trees left 

 whose crowns protrude above the general level. 



The practice on one forest tract near Tupper Lake is to remove 



