MUNICIPAL FORESTRY 



781 



rates of interest. Forestry is not a busi- 

 ness of quick returns. 



Consistent with its progressive atti- 

 tude on many municipal problems, the 

 city of Syracuse has recently taken 

 up the practice of forestry on a 

 tract of timber land on the watershed of 

 Skaneateles Lake, the source of the 

 city's water supply. The forest was 

 purchased primarily to avoid the possi- 

 bility of contamination. With this ob- 

 ject accomplished, it has sought to 

 develop the timber along commercial 

 lines, while still maintaining a contin- 

 uous forest cover to protect the water- 

 shed. A good forest growth is con- 

 ducive to clear pure water, whereas a 

 denuded or barren watershed is often 

 responsible for floods and the washing 

 down of silt with a consequent muddy 

 water supply. With this in view, the 

 city has placed the management of the 

 tract in the hands of the New York 

 State College of Forestry at Syracuse 

 University, to serve not only as a 

 demonstration of the possibilities of 

 practical forestry, but also as a business 

 proposition for the city. 



f-- 



The tract consists of approximately 

 150 acres along the shores of Skaneat- 

 eles Lake, one of the chain of the so- 

 called "finger lakes," including Cayuga, 

 Seneca, etc., in Central New York. The 

 timber is middle-aged, second growth, 

 mixed hardwoods of practically every 

 known species of the region, with some 

 hemlock. The principal trees repre- 

 sented in order are the basswood, hem- 

 lock, chestnut, oak, hard maple, and 

 some scattering beech, hickory, ash, yel- 

 low birch, cherry, elm and yellow pop- 

 lar. Many of the trees are still in the 

 young "pole" stage of development. An 

 estimate of the tract shows that there 

 are approximately 6,000 feet, board 

 measure, per acre. In terms of cord- 

 wood there c.re about 35 cords per acre. 

 This is an excellent yield of timber con- 

 sidering the age and the past neglected 

 condition of the tract. 



The object in forest management will 

 be to favor the chestnut, provided it 

 continues to be free from the blight at- 

 tack, which has spread with such dis- 

 astrous effects over Long Island, Con- 

 necticut, and eastern Pennsylvania. 



A VIRGIN STAND OF HEMLOCK BEKU I ND BIRCH FJRKS HAX : N 



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