844 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



One of these is the town of Danville in New Hampshire. To quote 

 from the 1927-28 report of the New Hampshire Forestry Commission: 



This town has one of the most unique town forest records of any in the State. 

 For 158 consecutive years or since 1790 this town has appointed a parsonage 

 committee which have had as part of their duty the management of 75 acres of 

 forest land one a 55-acre piece and the other a 20-acre piece. This committee 

 cut and used the lumber for the building and maintenance of the first meeting 

 house and parsonage. During these years the receipts from the sale of wood 

 have been deposited in banks until the fund has now reached almost $10,000. 

 Every year at the March town meeting there is a warrant usually as follows: 

 "To see how much of the parsonage fund the town will vote to spend for preach- 

 ing for the year ensuing." Thus the town of Danville hires its own preacher and 

 decides how much money they will pay him. * * * 



The two tracts were probably set aside at the time the town received its 

 charter and as was the custom in many towns were called the minister's lot. A 

 careful study of the old parsonage committee records shows receipts from the sale 

 of wood and timber up to about 1830. Many hundred dollars worth of timber is 

 recorded as sold and used for repair of the meeting house, the parsonage and the 

 fences about the two cemeteries. From 1830 until about 1880 the receipts came 

 from rentals of pasture, the sale of rye and hay, making over $1,000 from this use. 

 In 1865 another growth of timber had matured and $1,500 worth was sold at 

 that time. In 1895 the records show that $4,500 was received at auction for sale 

 of timber on the 55-acre piece and the money deposited in the bank. In 1903, 

 about $1,200 was received from the sale of wood and timber on the 20-acre piece. 

 With almost $10,000 in the bank as a result of this careful management, can any 

 one doubt the wisdom of these parsonage committees in holding on to their two 

 tracts of forest land? 



In 1897 the town of Woodstock, in New Hampshire, acquired 25 

 acres of well-timbered land surrounding its water supply, and has 

 cut much timber for highway and bridge construction from it. The 

 town of Newington, N.H., lists as a town forest a tract of 122 acres 

 acquired as long ago as 1710. The city of Fitchburg, Mass., claims 

 the distinction of having been the first in the United States to estab- 

 lish a town forest under a State law. This forest was created on 

 December 29, 1914, with an area of 109 acres. 



The town forest movement has received its greatest impetus in 

 the last 10 years. During the period from 1922 to 1930, the Mas- 

 sachusetts Forestry Association was very active in the State in urging 

 town boards of selectmen year after year to consider the desirability 

 and possibility of a town forest, offering to plant 5,000 trees free of 

 charge for any city or town which would legally establish a town 

 forest of 100 acres or more. The New England Box Co. for several 

 successive years duplicated this offer to the towns of Franklin County. 

 Similar offers were made for more limited periods by the Middlesex 

 Forestry Committee to towns in Middlesex County, and by the 

 Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Hampden County Im- 

 provement League jointly to towns in Hampden County. The 

 Berkshire Forestry Association offered $150 to each town in Berkshire 

 County that would set up such a town forest. The result of these 

 efforts in Massachusetts was to increase the movement of munici- 

 palities that had definitely entered land under the Town Forest Act 

 from 4, at the beginning of 1923, to 90 aggregating 25,535 acres at 

 the end of 1930. Some of these lands were already in town ownership. 

 Some were acquired by purchase, by gift, and through tax reversion. 

 In fulfilling its part of the contract, the Massachusetts Forestry 

 Association planted 225,000 trees for 45 towns. 



The State forestry departments of New Hampshire and Vermont 

 have also urged such forests upon the town authorities. There was 

 interest in this project in the highest circles. As late as 1 930, previous 



