10 N. H. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 318 



tings could be made. This group contains most of the good quality 

 lumber. 



The hardwoods of marketable size are mostly of poor quality, suitable 

 only for cordwood. This condition has resulted largely from repeated 

 cuttings wliich have removed the better trees and opened up stands mak- 

 ing for large-topped, short-boled residuals. Because beech has often 

 been discriminated against, occasional good stands occur. 



The quality and quantity of merchantable timber standing in the area 

 are indicated in Table 1.^ 



Table 1. — Acreage, quantity, and quality of timber merchantable as saw- 

 logs in the area, by types, 1939 



For the uica as a whole merchantable stands of pine approximate 7,000 

 board feet per acre, and of hardwood 2,000 board feet per acre. Because 

 much of the spruce is mixed with hardwood, no estimates of average stand 

 per acre of this species can be made. 



No attempt was made to type mixed stands as such, but if over 50 per 

 cent of the total volume was softwood it was so classified ; otherwise it ap- 

 pears as hardwood acreage. Most of the pine is in the valleys, while the 

 hardwood is scattered throughout the entire area except on the high ridges. 



Most of the stands are readily accessible for logging and repeated cut- 

 tings have materially reduced the growing stock. An exception to this 

 statement must be made in the case of "good" softwood (of which approx- 

 imately 80 percent is spruce) . These stands are back in the mountains 

 in less accessible locations and have largely escaped the repeated cuttings 

 suffered by the rest of the area. 



In addition to the figures given in Table 1, some eight million Ijoard 

 feet of definitely poor quality pine covering about 2,250 acres should be 

 included in the total quantity figiu'C. Though probably not merchantable 

 at the present time, a marked increase in demand might alter the situation 

 making this quantity of more importance as the length of period under 

 consiflcrntion increases. 



A further division of the estimates of merchantable timber to show tlie 

 amount available for special uses is presented in Table 2. Because of the 

 character of the market, only high quality material has been included. 



As stated previously, no attempt at a complete estimate of rordwood 

 find pulpwood was made. Tncomplet<^ estimates suggest, however, that 

 there are very large quantities of cordwood and sizable amounts of soft- 

 wood and hardwood suitable for pulp. 



'While most of the field work w.ts completed before the hurricane of September, 1938, .idjust- 

 mcnts for blowdown h.ivc been m.ide and cstim.itcs presented in this report apply to tiin- 

 iier standing in the summer of 19.W. Fortunately, the hurricane caused much less damage 

 in the area covered by this study than in other sections of the state. 



