MUNICIPAL FORESTRY IN NEW YORK 



BY JOHN BENTLEY, JR. 



PROFESSOR OF FOREST ENGINEERING, CORNELL UNfVERSITY 



THE practice of forestry by municipalities abroad is 

 not uncommon, and no doubt many travelers are 

 familiar with the "town forests" of Europe. One 

 of the best known of these is the communal forest 

 belonging to the city of Zurich, in Switzerland, which has 

 an area of 2,840 acres, yielding on the average an annual 

 income of nearly $20,000, or 

 about $7.00 per acre; and 

 this is the more remarkable 

 because most of this income 

 is derived from the sale of 

 firewood, which is perhaps, 

 the cheapest product of a 

 forest. This tract of forest 

 land has been under man- 

 agement since the year 1309, 

 and it has been steadily in- 

 creasing in value during 

 these six centuries. In this 

 country the number of towns 

 and cities that are practicing 

 forestry is still small, and 

 their efforts have been con- 

 fined chiefly to the protec- 

 tion of watersheds from 

 which the city's water sup- 

 ply is drawn. The state of 

 New York passed a law in 

 1 91 2 making it possible for 

 counties, towns and villages 

 to acquire, by purchase, 

 lease, gift, or condemnation, 

 lands having treegrowth or 

 forests thereon, or lands 

 which are suitable for the 

 growth of trees ; and while 

 this law may have encourag- 

 ed the practice of forestry 

 to some extent, it is a mat- 

 ter of regret that more of 

 the non-agricultural land in 

 the state is not put to use in 

 this way. The advantages 

 to be obtained are numerous, 

 besides the income to be de- 

 rived from the sale of for- 

 est products there are the benefits of regulation of 

 stream-flow, protection of the watershed, shelter from 

 winds and storms, protection to birds and game, and 

 a healthful resort for the people of the town and 

 community. 



Sherburne, a village in Chenango County, New York, 

 has been planting trees systematically since 1912, and 



IM 



A FINE INDIVIDUAL SPECIMEN 



Scotch Pine planted 10 years ago, and now 15 feet high 

 years this tree has grown 40 inches. 



the work was begun without the knowledge that state 

 laws were being enacted which might make tree-planting 

 something of an inducement. It therefore deserves all 

 the more credit for its interest in forestry. To Dr. 

 Homer G. Newton, for many years a resident of that 

 village, is due the honor of having initiated the policy of 



tree-planting and watershed 

 protection, for he it was who 

 gave the village a tract of 

 land surrounding its reser- 

 voirs and bordering the 

 stream for some distance 

 above them, and he it was 

 who foresaw the necessity 

 of having these lands for- 

 ested, if the water supply of 

 the village was to be con- 

 served and protected to the 

 best advantage. Accordingly, 

 the terms under which the 

 village came into possession 

 of this watershed provide for 

 the removal of all buildings, 

 and the planting of ten thou- 

 sand trees each year for five 

 years (or until 1917), and 

 four thousand trees annually, 

 thereafter, until the entire 

 area of ninety-five acres is 

 forested. If openings occur 

 where the planted trees fail 

 to establish a stand, such 

 spots are to be replanted, 

 and the work is to be con- 

 tinued until the whole tract 

 is covered with a thrifty 

 growth of forest trees. In 

 its conception and in its exe- 

 cution the plan is an admir- 

 able one ; and the wisdom of 

 it bears testimony to the 

 thoughtful generosity of the 

 man who is responsible for 

 it. Moreover, as time goes 

 by and the trees grow into 

 a dense forest, the Reservoir Park, as the tract is to be 

 known, will stand as a perpetual memorial to its donor, 

 a memorial of practical value and natural beauty which 

 can be appreciated and enjoyed by every resident of the 

 town. It is earnestly hoped that this example will be 

 followed, and that many other towns in New York and 

 other states will establish and maintain municipal forests. 



In the last two 



