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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



marked case where the deforestation of a large area has mate- 

 rially reduced the minimum runoff, but it should not be over- 

 looked that of the total area of 2365 square miles, 55 per cent 

 was still in dense, primeval forest, consisting over a considerable 

 portion of the area of pine and hemlock. The cleared area, there- 

 fore, was only 45 per cent of the whole, or 1060 square' miles. 

 Hence, we have over 1300 square miles still in primeval forest. 



The writer has no doubt that deforestation not only decreases 

 the yield of streams, but may increase the hight of floods some- 

 what. At present the data are not complete enough to justify 

 final conclusions, but it is considered that the effect of deforesta- 

 tion is more marked in decreasing the yield of streams than in 

 increasing the hight of floods. 1 



Apparently this view occurred to the original framers of the 

 Forest law of 1893. because they provided therein for a Forest pre- 

 serve of over 20,000 square miles, and should this amount of ter- 

 ritory be reforested, it would undoubtedly materially assist the 

 low-water flow of the streams issuing from the reforested area, 

 the amount of assistance on any particular stream being in pro- 

 portion to the reforested area in comparison with the deforested. 

 But even with these 20,000 square miles of territory reforested, 

 there would still remain 27,600 square miles of the State prac- 

 tically deforested, and in which the streams are exposed to low 

 water in the summer and destructive high water in the late 

 winter and spring. The conclusion seems, therefore, irresistible 

 that if reforestation is of such importance for 5000 square miles, 

 it is of more importance for 20,000 square miles, and of still 

 greater importance for the entire area of the State of 17,600 

 square miles. But this conclusion reduces to an absurdity. The 

 reforestation of the whole State would mean not only very mate- 

 rial reduction of its productive capacity, but would mean that a 

 large proportion of the population must move to other states. 



In regard to the decrease in productive capacity, if the entire 

 area were in forests it would produce not to exceed |2 per acre 



'For extended discussions see 3d Genesee Storage Report 



