FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION, 207 



NatQrat (Advantages of Townst)ip 4o for I^ctmbering. 



Township 40 is a partiralarly desirable tract upon which to begin con- 

 servative lumbering by the State. Its timber is mature, and under proper 

 restrictions may be removed with entire safety to the forest, transportation 

 will be cheap and easy, large markets are easily accessible, and the work 

 and its results will be fully open to public inspection. The streams tribu- 

 tary to Raquette Lake, which, as will be seen by a glance at the map, come 

 in from all sides and run in most cases completely across the township, make 

 easy and natt:ral outlets for all the timber to the lake, with the exception 

 hereafter noted. Raquette Lake has two outlets, the Raquette River to 

 the north, which leads to the markets and mills below, and the Raquette 

 Lake Railway, which connects with the Xew York Central Railroad at 

 Clearwater Junction. The timber on the northeast quarter is tributary to 

 Forked Lake or Brandreth Lake Outlet. The latter runs from the north 

 line of the township southeasterly into Forked Lake, and is fed by several 

 small streams on each side. These afford a natural outlet for all 

 the timber on that portion of the tract designated as Compartment Xo. i, 

 by way of Forked Lake into the Raquette River, and down the latter, which 

 leads to the markets of Tupper Lake and Piercefield, where are some of 

 the largest lumbering plants, sawmills, pulpmills, and manufactories in the 

 Adirondacks. 



The larger part of the timber upon Townships 6, 5. and 41. which is 

 owned almost entirely by the State, is also tributary to Raquette Lake. 

 If these townships were to be Limbered together with Township 40, it 

 would pay to make permanent improvements, such as roads and dams, in 

 addition to those advised in this working plan. These additional improve- 

 ments would be hardl}' justified, however, on Township 40 alone, on 

 account of the comparatively small amount of timber remaining after the 

 deduction of the summit reserves and the reserved strips along the lake 

 front, together with the water acreage. 



The topography of Township 40 is very favorable for lumbering. The 

 small streams which reach across the township have, with few exceptions, 

 a gradual descent to the lake, and empty into it in some sheltered bay 

 where logs may lie safely boomed after the ice breaks up in the spring, 

 protected by the trees about the shores from being driven about and 

 scattered by heavy storms. Here they could rest safely until it should be 

 deemed advisable to tow them by steamer or otherwise to some point 



