BIRCH. 51 
Most of the White Pine is very old, but occasional young trees are 
found on the edges of lakes and streams, and in clearings after wind- 
fall and fire. On Forked Lake there is a large amount of compara- 
tively young Pine in excellent condition. Another similar tract was 
seen between Salmon and Little Salmon lakes where there had evi- 
dently been a severe windfall, or possibly a fire, and the Pine had come 
up plentifully. These trees have an estimated age of 150 years and 
are tall, clear boled, sound, and thrifty. 
White Pine is not fastidious regarding soil and situation, for it is 
found on thin, stony soil, on the brows of steep slopes, on the moist, 
meager soil of many Spruce flats, and on the sandy shores of lakes. . 
(Pl. VII, fig. 1.) The controlling factors governing its local distribu- 
tion are a fair degree of light and a favorable seed bed. Compared 
to most other trees in the Adirondacks, White Pine is intolerant of 
shade. For this reason it is usually found where openings have been 
made by wind or fire. The seed germinates best in moss, in thin duff 
composed of needles, or in bare mineral soil. Where there is a heavy 
matting of hardwood leaves it reproduces itself poorly. The seed is 
able to germinate in fairly dense shade, but the young plant requires a 
considerable amount of light for further development. As a@ rule, 
plants which have sprung up in the shade live only about 10 to 15 years, 
developing a spindling, crooked stem. Where old Pines occur it is com- 
mon to find these young plants 3 to 5 feet high, dead or dying from 
lack of light. 
White Pine comes up most abundantly after fire or windfall. The 
history of burned tracts near swamps or lakes is usually as follows: 
Immediately after the fire White Birch, Poplar, and Bird Cherry occupy 
the ground. The Spruce and Pine begin to return within a few years, 
and are able to live under the other trees, whose shade is not heavy.. 
White Birch, Poplar, and Bird Cherry are all short-lived trees, and 
eventually die, leaving the Pine and Spruce in possession of the ground. 
White Pine grows more rapidly than Spruce and forms an upper story 
over it.. It does not cast a heavy shade, when not growing pure in 
dense masses, and the growth of the Spruce is little hindered. 
It is a general law that wherever Pine occurs the reproduction of 
Spruce is good. Even where there are single Pines numbers of young 
Spruce can usually be found. This fact is of practical value, for where 
old Pines are cut a considerable opening is inevitably made in the 
forest. The presence of the small Spruce, however, is a saving factor, 
for there are usually enough trees to insure good reproduction. 
BIRCH. 
Yellow Birch is the characteristic hardwood tree in Nehasane Park 
and the Whitney Preserve. With an average diameter of 15 inches 
when mature, in some cases it reaches a diameter of 4 feet and a height 
of 90 to 100 feet. When growing at its best in dense forest it forms a 
