8 NEW YORK STATE FORESTRY 



any means. There were others who of the State, you will have done what 



differed, sometimes in minor things and seems to me one of the largest pieces of 



sometimes int important things, from civic work now open to be done in New 



what the Camp Fire Club thought was York. Therefore, it has been a great 



necessary. Now, if by getting together pleasure to me to come and wish you 



as you are doing you can bring the godspeed, for you have as large a future 



united efforts of all organizations and of usefulness as any organization could 



all men of good will to bear on the possibly have, 

 tremendously important forest problem 



Ten million board feet of lumber are used for cigar boxes in New York State every 

 year. Most of this is made of Spanish cedar. Other substitute woods are being gradually 

 used for cigar boxes such as basswood and yellow poplar. 



The Forest Preserve contains approximately one million, eight hundred thousand acres 

 of land and two hundred thousand acres of water. This area is twice the size of the State 

 of Delaware, larger than Rhode Island and is equivalent to about half the size of the State 

 of Connecticut. It embraces 6,850 parcels situated in 16 counties with approximately five 

 times as large an area of private property and is bounded by over nine thousand miles of 

 lines. 



The Constitution of this State prevents any direct use of the Forest Preserve. This 

 prohibition was adopted in 1894. Important economic, industrial and administrative changes 

 have taken place during the two decades since the present constitution took effect. The 

 area then was 720,744 acres, or about 45 per cent of the present 1,800,000 acres. Our popu- 

 lation during this period increased from six to nine million people. The State lands then 

 contained only about four billion feet of lumber or about 10 per cent of the total quantity in 

 the Forest Preserve counties. At present there is upon the State land approximately twelve 

 billion feet or nearly 50 per cent of the total amount in the Forest Preserve Counties and 

 nearly 25 per cent of the total stumpage of the State. 



The utilization of the mature and dead timber on the New York State Forest Preserve 

 of 1,800,006 acres would yield a revenue of at least one million dollars every year without 

 impairing the beauty of the forest or its value for future timber supply and water shed 

 protection purposes. 



Trees are like other plants in that they reach maturity, die and decay. The constitu- 

 tional restrictions which prevent utilising the growth upon State lands result in a large loss 

 to the State. It has been estimated that the annual production of lumber upon the Forest 

 Preserve amounts to two hundred fifty million feet per year; that this material is worth 

 $4.00 per thousand feet on the stump, therefore, the loss to the State itself amounts to one 

 million dollars. In addition to this direct revenue the utilisation of this product would 

 inaugurate increased business in the forest section and furnish employment to laborers. 



Of all the trees cut in our native forests only about 40 per cent is ultimately used in one 

 way or another. The remaining 60 per cent is wasted in the form of stumps, tops, sawdust, 

 slabs, etc. In Germany about 06 per cent of the wood grown is utilized in one form or 

 another. Our virgin timber supply is disappearing so rapidly that more and more attention 

 is being paid to closer utilization of our forest products. 



