THE IMPORTANCE OF SURVEYS. 



JOHN E. AVERY, Forester. 



Surveying is the art of making such measurements as will determine 

 the positions of points on the surface of the earth, so that a map of 

 any portion of that surface may be drawn and its contents calculated. 

 A survey of all forest lands or reserves of this Commonwealth is ex- 

 ceedingly important. Most of the State's reserve lines have not been 

 run or retraced for years. Often the blazed trees have been cut, or 

 have been destroyed by fire, or blown down. It takes a good surveyor 

 with an instrument to follow them. Therefore, the lines should be run 

 or retraced, plainly blazed, and blazes painted. Corners should be 

 distinctly marked. The lines could be made more visible by cutting 

 an open path and by posting notices at frequent intervals. This would 

 show conclusively the lands of the State to all persons. The neighbor 

 who intentionally or unintentionally gets over the line a little, and 

 very often quite a distance, taking timber that does not belong to 

 him, will not take the chance of crossing a well marked or well estab- 

 lished line. Therefore, stealing of timber ceases almost immediately. 

 There are but few cases of timber stealing on the reserves where 

 lines have been retraced and visibly marked. 



What can the wardens do, not knowing the lines? Absolutely 

 nothing. They cannot properly patrol the land, and they are not sure 

 of alleged trespassers being on State lands. One of the wardens re- 

 ported to me several weeks ago that a party was chopping wood either 

 on the reserve or very close to the line, but he was not sure and did 

 not know what to do. He had asked this person where the line is 

 and he could not show him, but said he was on his own land. In such 

 a case, what are we to do? Finally we got a man living in the same 

 communit3 r , one who claimed to know almost every line in the woods, 

 to go with us. He put us on a line which had been run years ago 

 and which he said was the State land line. Are we to rely upon the 

 judgment of such persons, and will not work of this kind leave a 

 loop-hole for timber thieves to plunder from the State lands? In a 

 community like the one I have just cited every person seems to be 

 related to every other or else they are bosom friends. What one 

 knows all know. If they once find out that we do not know or are 

 not sure where our lines are, they will cut without the least hesitancy 

 and think all the while they are taking what belongs to them ; for in 

 o wooded country, and I think especially in Pike county, there are 

 many men who do not think it a crime to go on his neighbor's tract 



(9) 



