14 New York State Museum 



western and northern edge of the Allegheny valley and 

 into the branch valleys of the Allegheny, so that this mass 

 of debris was carried chiefly into the valley of the 

 Allegheny river, filling it to a great depth and even serv- 

 ing to dam up the outlets of the branch valleys on the 

 east and south sides of the Allegheny. This accounts 

 in large measure for the absence of any considerable 

 areas of fertile bottomland soil in the Allegheny valley. 

 Where the branch valleys were closed on the park side 

 of the river, temporary lakes were formed and the ac- 

 cumulation of sedimentary clays and alluvial material 

 therein has resulted in the formation of the only real 

 fertile soils to be found now within the park area. With 

 regard to the major portion of this region it is thus 

 evident that the country is better suited to recreational 

 and forestry purposes than for agriculture. 



EFFECT OF LUMBERING UPON THE PRESENT 

 VEGETATION 



At the present time the most visible effects of the past 

 lumbering and fires which everywhere followed such 

 operations, and in many places the fires were of frequent 

 recurrence, are the rather young and open second growth 

 character of the forest on the more fertile slopes and 

 the thicket formation of oak, chestnut and various shrubs 

 on the sterile soils. 



That a most marked change in the character of the 

 vegetation has resulted is not to be doubted. Fortunately 

 we find two or three areas of limited extent within the 

 park which serve to give an approximate idea of the 

 character of the primeval forest. These areas are located 

 about the headwaters of Stoddard brook and Red House 

 creek. They indicate that on the north and east facing 

 moister slopes, hemlock was the dominant tree with a 



