TOWN FORESTS 137 



began to be called to it. The State Forestry Asso- 

 ciation points to the fact that at least ninety other 

 towns in Massachusetts own poor farms, each with 

 an average of eighty to ninety acres of forest land 

 which could be profitably operated by the com- 

 munity. 



Massachusetts, however, is not alone in promul- 

 gating the town forest idea, and New York State 

 now has a large number of cities and villages own- 

 ing forest land, often with several hundred acres of 

 young forest established by the planting of trees. 

 The beginning of these forests dates back to 1908 

 when the New York State Forestry Department 

 began to sell reforesting stock, but it is only within 

 the last few years that general interest has been 

 manifested in the work. Over seventy New York 

 cities and villages are now carrying on operations 

 of this kind. Among the more noteworthy may be 

 mentioned the city of Gloversville with about four 

 hundred acres of reforested land, Rochester with an 

 equal area. Glens Falls with six hundred acres, and 

 the City of New York with over two thousand 

 acres. While these forests have been established 

 primarily for the protection of the water supply of 

 the various municipalities, it is evident that the 

 future wood yield will place them on a similar basis 

 with the municipal and communal forests of 



