﻿184 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  marked 
  case 
  where 
  the 
  deforestation 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  has 
  mate- 
  

   rially 
  reduced 
  the 
  minimum 
  runoff, 
  but 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  over- 
  

   looked 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  2365 
  square 
  miles, 
  55 
  per 
  cent 
  

   was 
  still 
  in 
  dense, 
  primeval 
  forest, 
  consisting 
  over 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  pine 
  and 
  hemlock. 
  The 
  cleared 
  area, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  was 
  only 
  45 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  whole, 
  or 
  1060 
  square 
  miles. 
  

   Hence, 
  we 
  have 
  over 
  1300 
  square 
  miles 
  still 
  in 
  primeval 
  forest. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  has 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  deforestation 
  not 
  only 
  decreases 
  

   the 
  yield 
  of 
  streams, 
  but 
  may 
  increase 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  floods 
  some- 
  

   what. 
  At 
  present 
  the 
  data 
  are 
  not 
  complete 
  enough 
  to 
  justify 
  

   final 
  conclusions, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  that 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  deforesta- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  more 
  marked 
  in 
  decreasing 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  streams 
  than 
  in 
  

   increasing 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  floods. 
  1 
  

  

  Apparently 
  this 
  view 
  occurred 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  framers 
  of 
  the 
  

   Forest 
  law 
  of 
  1893, 
  because 
  they 
  provided 
  therein 
  for 
  a 
  Forest 
  pre- 
  

   serve 
  of 
  over 
  20,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  should 
  this 
  amount 
  of 
  ter- 
  

   ritory 
  be 
  reforested, 
  it 
  would 
  undoubtedly 
  materially 
  assist 
  the 
  

   low-water 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  issuing 
  from 
  the 
  reforested 
  area, 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  assistance 
  on 
  any 
  particular 
  stream 
  being 
  in 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  to 
  the 
  reforested 
  area 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  deforested. 
  

   But 
  even 
  with 
  these 
  20,000 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  territory 
  reforested, 
  

   there 
  would 
  still 
  remain 
  27,600 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  deforested, 
  and 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  exposed 
  to 
  low 
  

   water 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  destructive 
  high 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  

   winter 
  and 
  spring. 
  The 
  conclusion 
  seems, 
  therefore, 
  irresistible 
  

   that 
  if 
  reforestation 
  is 
  of 
  such 
  importance 
  for 
  5000 
  square 
  miles, 
  

   it 
  is 
  of 
  more 
  importance 
  for 
  20,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  of 
  still 
  

   greater 
  importance 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  47,600 
  

   square 
  miles. 
  But 
  this 
  conclusion 
  reduces 
  to 
  an 
  absurdity. 
  The 
  

   reforestation 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  State 
  would 
  mean 
  not 
  only 
  very 
  mate- 
  

   rial 
  reduction 
  of 
  its 
  productive 
  capacity, 
  but 
  would 
  mean 
  that 
  a 
  

   large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  must 
  move 
  to 
  other 
  states. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  productive 
  capacity, 
  if 
  the 
  entire 
  

   area 
  were 
  in 
  forests 
  it 
  would 
  produce 
  not 
  to 
  exceed 
  |2 
  per 
  acre 
  

  

  x 
  For 
  extended 
  discussions 
  see 
  3d 
  Genesee 
  Storage 
  Report 
  

  

  