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Another economic reason for doing this work now is to prevent 

 loss by reason of waste in the woods. This applies to two classes of 

 lands, those on which there is no stock of any value or of very small 

 value, and those on which there is a great quantity of timber, the 

 removal of which is a help, both by benefitting the remainder and by 

 a financial return. 



Take those referred to first, which includes the open fields and the 

 barrens. In the open fields and barrens we have a dead investment, 

 i. e., one which calls for expense, protection and taxes, but which pro- 

 duces no return. This is wasteful, but it cannot be remedied at once. 

 In three counties, Adams, Franklin, and Huntingdon, we have taken 

 steps to put these lands into the paying class. White pine and other 

 seedlings have been planted on the open fields. 



And again in the open fields we have another source of waste. On 

 these places we encounter two great soil enemies, leaching and erosion. 

 Bains beat down on the soil and what goes into the ground takes 

 with it some of the soil fertility while that which runs off carries 

 away the soil bodily. Trees are natural soil fixers and hence they 

 are the things to use here. 



So for every year these lands, the open fields and barrens, are left 

 in their present state there is a loss through lack of return and pay- 

 ment of expenses, through loss of soil and soil fertility. 



On hundreds of acres of State land, the ground is occupied by a 

 mixture of valuable and valueless species. By the removal of the 

 latter so much greater area will be available for the use of the former. 

 On the Mont Alto Division on the top of the mountain, along the 

 public road to the Sanatorium, there was a stand in which oaks of 

 no value and aspen occupied much of the area. Under the direction 

 of the forester, during the fall of 1904, these were removed, and now 

 a good growth of oaks and chestnut is occupying the ground and fill- 

 ing the blanks. 



As for the second mentioned lands, where the logs and tops are 

 strewn around and dead and dying standing trees occupy the ground, 

 the question has three phases. First, unless this stuff is utilized im- 

 mediately it will be impossible to derive from it any revenue, for it 

 will become rotten and worm eaten. Second, this stuff is occupying 

 ground which should be supporting good young growth. Third, areas 

 like this are fire traps. Fire starts easily here and once started burns 

 fiercely, destroying everything in its path. 



So improving areas like this will do three things ; produce a definite 

 financial return, give the young growth a chance, and destroy fire 

 traps. On the Mont Alto division, Pondtown tract, there were 40 or 

 50 acres of dead poles. It had been a growth of oak and chestnut 

 of 4 to 10 inches in diameter, but fire killed it all. This stuff was 



