lyoo. 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



165 



defeated a proposal to repeal in New 

 York State. 



The working plans for which the data 

 are being gathered will amount to a de- 

 tailed scheme for managing and harvest- 

 ing the forest crop of an important section 

 in the Preserve. They will show whether 

 or not a steady revenue can be drawn from 

 it without diminishing its timber vield in 

 the future ; and whether it is necessary or 

 not to prohibit all cutting whatsoever in 

 order to preserve the forest. Their prep- 

 paration will involve, first of all, an exam- 

 ination of the forest itself with a view to 

 finding out what timber there is now on 

 the ground, in quantity as well as in kind ; 

 and, secondly, a thorough study of the 

 possibilities of lumbering on a sound bus- 

 iness basis; or, in other words, an exam- 

 ination of the forest trees from the lum- 

 berman's point of view, and of the most 

 profitable methods of marketing the timber. 

 Thirdly, it will necessitate a thorough in- 

 vestigation of the fire problem, taking into 

 consideration not only the best means of 

 preventing fires in the future but also those 

 of dealing now with lands which have 

 been injured or devastated in the past; 

 fourth, the preparation of forest maps; 

 and lastly, an examination of the forests 

 in their relation to the water supply of the 

 region, and of the importance of preserv- 

 ing them as natural reservoirs, and for 

 other reasons than those involved in the 

 immediate production of revenue. This 

 part of the investigation, to be taken up in 

 collaboration with the hydrographer of 

 the U. S. Geological Survey, will dispose 

 effectually of any danger to the water 

 supply in the proposed cutting and will 

 fix all those areas which must be totallv 

 protected, or which will require par- 

 ticularly careful and conservative treat- 

 ment. 



In this investigation of the New York 

 Reserve the direct supervision of the field- 

 work and the preparation of the working 

 plans is to be in the hands of Mr. Henry 

 S. Graves, the Superintendent of Work- 

 ing Plans of the Division of Forestry, and 

 recently appointed Professor of Forestn 

 at Yale. The preliminary investigation 



will be made by Mr. Ralph F. Hosmer, 

 Field Assistant for the Division, and Mr. 

 Eugene S. Bruce, of Tupper Lake, a very 

 well-known Adirondack lumberman. 



The investigation of the forest from a 

 forester's point of view is to cover the 

 stand of timber, the reproduction of the 

 most important kinds of trees, and the ex- 

 tent and distribution of the forest types. 

 It will thus ascertain what there is now on 

 the ground, a matter of which there are 

 no records, except those on the tax-rolls, 

 for any part of the preserve. Further- 

 more, it will be the basis from which the 

 regulations under which lumbering is to 

 to be carried on will be formulated. These 

 regulations will insure against damage to 

 the forest as a whole by providing for the 

 perpetuation or increase of commercially 

 valuable trees, and for the production in 

 the shortest time of a second marketable 

 crop wherever lumbering takes place. 

 This can be accomplished without serious 

 loss to the immediate returns in money. 



The study of the possibilities of con- 

 servative and business-like lumbering will 

 require a complete familiarity with the 

 condition of transport by water and rail, 

 with the marketable stand- of timber in 

 amount, quality and distribution, and with 

 the state of the market; in short, a knowl- 

 edge of the entire situation from the lum- 

 berman's point of view, and of the most 

 economical and profitable methods of mar- 

 keting the timber. 



The work of Mr. F. H. Newell, the 

 Hydrographer of the U. S. Geological 

 Survey, on the water supply question will 

 be one of the most important parts of the 

 investigation. The supply of water from 

 the Adirondack region is of great impor- 

 tance not only because of the Hudson 

 River, but also because of the canals 

 which are largely dependent upon it. It 

 has long been known that lumbering in 

 the Adirondacks has affected the flow of 

 the streams, but to what extent has never 

 been determined. The result of Mr. 

 Xewell's investigation will give the first 

 accurate figures respecting the run-off of 

 streams and the importance of forest cover 

 on their watersheds. 



