THE WOODLAXD OF SOUTHERN XEW E^^GLAXD. 7 



Burned ]aud is frequently occupied bv Quaking Aspen and Large- 

 tootli Poplar. The latter is also common in mixture with the oaks 

 and Chestnut, usually occurring in small groups. 



There are other species of interest to the botanist, but of less value 

 to the forester because of their rarity or small size. These are Red 

 Ash. River Birch, Cottonwood, Sycamore. Black Willow, and Silver 

 Maple near some streams: Persimmon and Sweet Gum in isolated 

 spots in Connecticut: Hackberry, Mulberry, and Juneberry: Dog- 

 wood, occurring very generally over the hardwood belt: Pin Cherry, 

 common on burns: and the small Mountain and Striped Maple and 

 Mountain Ash of the high Berkshires. 



COXDITIOX OF THE FOREST. 



Practically the whole forest in southern New England is second 

 growth, which means that the area has been entirely cut over at least 

 once. The woods are mostly under 60 years of age. This is due to 

 the fact that owners generally cut their trees as soon as the}' are large 

 enough for the market. Stands older than 60 years are either in rather 

 inaccessible places or belong to well-to-do persons, who preserve them 

 for their beauty or to produce timber of special size. 



The common custom has been either to cut the woods clear, or, 

 in handling small woodlots. to remove from time to time trees for 

 special uses without regard to the effect on those remaining. One 

 result of such cutting has been to reduce the proportion of valuable 

 species in many localities. It is well known that when AVhite Pine is 

 cut. hardwood frequently forms the next growth. This happens 

 when neighboring hardwoods have seeded up the ground under the 

 old pines where pine seedlings could not start on account of the shade. 

 If the hardwoods have not seeded up the ground, a new growth of 

 pine follows the old pine, provided thei3 are trees near at hand to 

 furnish the seed. Another common result of careless cutting is that 

 Black Oak crowds in in place of more valuable trees, such as White 

 Oak and Hickory: Ironwood and Dogwood come in on open places to 

 the exclusion of better trees: Chestnut Oak often replaces Chestnut; 

 Gray Birch and Soft Maple follow Ash; and Hemlock not uncommonly 

 crowds out Red Oak and Chestnut. 



Second-growth hardwood forests are composed principally of sprouts 

 which spring from the stumps after cutting. These sprouts are infe- 

 rior to seedling trees. They are usually short-lived, because the old 

 stumps, from which they have sprung, decay, and finally infect them. 

 This explains why so many sprouts are rotten at the butt when 40 to 

 60 years old, and also why old sprout forests are filled with dead and 

 dying trees. The rate of annual decay is often so rapid in old sprout 

 woods that the amount of wood added each year by growth is more 



