FOREST DESCRIPTION 



By B. H. Paul 



The area covered by the estimate comprises lots 1, 2, 3 and 4 

 of division III and a parcel of lot 3 of division II, of the Liv- 

 ingston tract, in the township of Shandaken, Ulster county, N. Y., 

 all in the southeastern portion of the Catskill mountains. The 

 area is bounded as follows : On the north by lots 1, 2, 3 and 4 of 

 Division II of the Livingston tract; on the east by lot 5 of 

 Division III belonging to the Winnisook Lodge ; on the south by 

 the town of Denning; and on the west by the town of Harden- 

 burgh. The total area, exclusive of alienations, is 3,429.04 acres. 



The topography is generally rugged with comparatively little 

 level land and many steep slopes. The height of the hills ranges 

 from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the streams in the valleys. The 

 area is drained by the following streams : the Elk Bushkill, Cas- 

 cade, and Hanging-birdsnest creeks, tributaries of the Esopus; 

 Biscuit, Pine Shanty, Peck Shanty, and Kock creeks, tributaries 

 of the west branch of the ISTeversink; and the headwaters of the 

 east branch of Dry Brook. Neversink and Dry Brook are Dela- 

 ware drainage. The Esopus drains into the Hudson, but is im- 

 pounded at the Ashokan dam and constitutes the main source of 

 water supply for New York city. 



The slope ranges from medium to precipitous; the aspect on 

 the north side of the ridge is mainly northeast and on the south 

 side southwest. 



The structure of the Catskill * mountains is simple. The strata 

 lie almost flat, with slight dips to the west, northwest and south- 

 west in various places. Shale commonly outcrops on the lower 

 slopes of the valleys, but sandstones occur higher in the section, 

 and on the summits of the principal peaks the rock is generally a 

 conglomerate, very durable and thick. The flatness of the strata 

 is expressed in the flat summits of the mountains, a characteristic 

 feature and one that often interferes with the view. While the 

 valleys among the mountains are broad and open, their sides are 

 often clifTed to a notable extent for some distance. This is due 

 to the system of almost vertical joints, which are the principal 



* See Bowman. " Forest Physiography," pp. 691-692. John Wiley & Sons, New York city. 



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