THE WHITE PINE REGION 301 



usually not dense, but is of witchhobble, mountain, and striped 

 maple, and has much the same character as the hardwood type 

 of the northern hardwoods region, to which it bears some re- 

 semblance. 



The type is not an important one from the standpoint of area 

 covered, as this is relatively small. The timber produced is, 

 however, of good quality. A maximum yield of from 25,000 

 to 40,000 feet, board measure, is sometimes secured from well- 

 stocked stands. Such stands are at least eighty to one hundred 

 years of age. 



In stands which have not been opened up no reproduction 

 occurs, owing to the density, but in all openings a good reproduc- 

 tion of the various species represented in the stand springs up. 



2. Pitch Pine. — This is another type which covers only a 

 hmited area. It is restricted to the poorest and driest sandy 

 soils, and is most prevalent in the Saco River region of Maine, 

 in parts of New Hampshire, and in southeastern Massachusetts. 

 In these sections quite large areas of the type exist; elsewhere in 

 the region only an occasional small patch is found. 



Pure pitch pine stands are typical. Frequently scrub oak 

 {quercus pumila) accompanies the pitch pine. This is especially 

 noticeable on areas which are repeatedly burned over. Fires 

 on the sandy soils of the type are altogether too common, and 

 have made the present stands very open and poorly stocked. 



The pitch pine reproduces abundantly in all the openings, and 

 when spared from fires soon fills them with seedlings. 



The value of the type as a timber producer is small, owing 

 both to the slow growth which results from the poor, dry soil, 

 and to the poor quality of the lumber produced. 



3. White Cedar Swamp. — Lying in small isolated patches or 

 as narrow belts along streams and ponds are swamps in south- 

 eastern Massachusetts stocked with the southern white cedar 

 (chamaecyparis thyoides).^ The type is an intrusion from the 

 southern coastal region, and is of extremely limited area and, in 



^ The type extends in bodies of commercial size as far north as the outskirts of 

 Boston. 



