a forest working plan. 39 1 



Summit Reserve. 



The summit reserve includes that portion of the hills and higher ridges which 

 are prominent in the landscape, and which, if lumbered, might present an 

 unsightly appearance. 



The summit reserve was treated as a forest type and under the name of 

 upper spruce slope has already been described for each township. The forest 

 on this portion of the tract is of inferior quality. Because of its exposed situa- 

 tion the timber growing at this elevation is, for the most part, short and some- 

 what limby, as well as being inaccessible. While it is perfectly possible to 

 remove the trees from these situations, the cost of lumbering such places very 

 nearly covers the value to be received, so that as a business proposition there is 

 no great objection to leaving them uncut, especially as by so doing another 

 point, important on a forest preserve tract, the preservation of the beauty of the 

 forest, is gained. For these reasons it is strongly advised that no lumbering 

 be done on this type. 



Fire. 



Taken as a whole, the four townships of the block have been remarkably free 

 from damage by fire. 



Township 5 has suffered most, there having been in this township several 

 fires covering considerable areas. The largest of these is in the Red River 

 valley, where almost seven hundred acres were burned over about twenty years 

 ago. This burn marks the eastern extension of a very large fire which occurred 

 on the lower portion of the Red River and the South Branch of the Moose 

 River. 



Next in importance is the burned area on the carry between Seventh and 

 Eighth Lakes, which is somewhat more recent than that on the Red River. 

 There are, also, a few acres of burned land on the hill at the other end of 

 Eighth Lake. 



The most recent fire of importance on Township 5 was that which denuded 

 the summit of Black Bear Mountain. This fire occurred during the autumn of 

 1899 and forms the subject of a part of the report of the Superintendent 

 of Forests for the following year.* 



Other burns on Township 5 are those on the shore of Seventh Lake adjoining 

 Township 3, a smaller area bordering the Township 40 line, which, with two 



* Preliminary Report to Fifth Annual Report of the Commissioners of the Fisheries, Game and 

 Forest. Albany, N. Y., 1900. Pages 61, 68 and 69. 



