192 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



main reason that Congress has thus far neglected to provide a few million 

 dollars for national forests in the east, while the government has been reserv- 

 ing hundi-eds of millions of dollars worth of land in the west for that pur- 

 pose. \\'hile it is probable that this winter provision will be made for such 

 national foi-ests in the east, it is doubtful whether these will ever be on a 

 scale of great importance to our states. Probably national forests in the east 

 will always be intimately connected with the question of interstate commerce 

 and the protection of the headwaters of navigable streams. 



Fortunately, with the movement for the reservation of lands in the west 

 by the government has grown up the idea of state ownership of forest lands 

 through purchase. New York and Pennsylvania have now acquired immense 

 areas partly for the purpose of water protection, partly for the preservation 

 of the beautiful wild scenery and partly for the production of timber. Other 

 states have started in a less ambitious way the same policy and it is already 

 evident that the most striking feature of forestry development of the present 

 century in the east, is to be the acquisition of large tracts by the various 

 states, as reservation by the government has already been in the west. It 

 seems to me that these state forests will fall into several different classes ac- 

 cording to the reasons for founding them and the method of management 

 which the purpose of their existence would dictate. 



EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION FORESTS 



The first of these classes in importance for us in New England is the edu- 

 cational or demonstration forest. With the exception of northern Maine and 

 certain mountainous regions of New Hampshire and Vermont, our forests 

 are more or less cut up by agricultural lands and roads. We have easy trans- 

 portation, either by water or rail, to the best markets of the country, which 

 gives our stumpage a value exceeding that in any other region. We have valu- 

 able and rapid growing trees, such as the white pine, spruce, chestnut, etc. In 

 fact, our natural forest conditions resemble more closely those of Europe than 

 any other part of the country, and private forestry development can, therefore, 

 be counted on if demonstrations of forestry operations are available such as 

 state forests would furnish. 



These demonstration forests need not be large but should represent one or 

 two important types of land of the vicinity. Every such tract should contain 

 some waste land suitable for planting as private owners can more easily be 

 interested in planting than in any other branch of forestry. The experimental 

 element may well be combined with the demonstration. Different species can 

 be planted on different classes of soil. Mixtures and pure planting and vari- 

 ous distances apart may be tried and thus a great deal of valuable data 

 secured in a few years. 



A local demand for forest seedlings can often be built up by the main- 

 tainance of a small nursery on the tract. But planting should by no means 

 be the only line of work carried on. The demonstration forest should have a 

 few hundred acres of woodland in which thinnings and improved methods of 

 cuttings can be practiced so that land owners will see the various phases of 

 forestry. Thinnings of different degrees can be practiced; the various silvical 

 methods, such as the selection system, stand method, group and strip systems, 

 can be develoi)ed so that in a few years the relative results will be apparent. 

 Of course accurate accounts must be kept which can be published in bulletin 

 form from time to time. In all these ways a tract of five hundred acres may 

 serve as well as a larger one. It does not matter particularly whether it is 

 iuinu'diately self supporting or not as it is primarily an educational estab- 

 lishment and not a money making scheme, but the sooner it becomes self sup- 

 porting the sooner will it win the respect of the New England farmer and 



