14 College of Forestry 



Thus the danger of fire is reduced and the ground, which 

 otherwise would be covered with scattered brush, is free for 

 new seedlings to take root without delay, or the stumps left 

 to sprout up with a new wood crop. 



Utilization of Wood in the Industry 



Favorable Conditions in New York. 



New York State forests are very fortunately located for 

 the carrying on of the wood distillation industry. It has 

 three very necessary conditions for successful operation, 

 namely: (1) a plentiful and therefore a relatively cheap wood 

 supply; (2) comparatively near a good fuel supply, such as 

 natural gas and coal; (3) reasonably accessible to a market 

 for the products of the industry. The only desirable condi- 

 tion that is not present is that of large iron furnaces where 

 the charcoal can be utilized to the best advantage. 



New York State contains an unusually good supply of 

 native woods for use in the wood distillation industry. The 

 highlands of the southeastern part of the State, the Alleghany 

 plateau of the southern part of the State and the lower 

 elevations of the Adirondacks, embracing a considerable por- 

 tion of northeastern New York, contain splendid stands of 

 beech, birch and maple and in the former two regions these 

 and other species sprout to excellent advantage. In fact, 

 many areas have been cut over at rotations of twenty years 

 where the cut showed an annual growth of one cord per acre 

 per annum. This rate of growth is as good as can be expected 

 under the best forest management. 



Desirable Species. 



Woods that are hard and heavy are the most suitable for 

 the wood distillation industry, especially those that are, in 

 addition to the above qualifications, free from tarry and 

 resinous products. As a rule, heartwood is considered much 



