Lake Umbagog
1907.
August 12
  Practically all the old growth white pines
remaining about the lake stand on or very near its shores
where they have been left either through accident or
because they are unsound. They seldom occur near together
(except at Pine Point) and I doubt if there are more
than one hundred in all. Towering well above the other
trees and often to heights of more than one hundred
feet they are singularly picturesque and pleasing objects
especially when seen against a background of sky or water.
Their lateral branches are usually very short and in trees growing
on exposed points they are often green quite to the ground.
Few trees have a much wider spread of branches near their
bases than at their tops and not infrequently the top is
the broadest part. This tendency to columnar-shaped or
flattened heads is very characteristic of old forest-grown white pines,
wherever found. We rarely observe it in eastern Massachusetts
where the trees usually have sufficient room to spread out
broadly near the ground - and take advantage of it: nor
is it shown by the few scattering sapling pines which have
sprung up within recent years about the shores of Lake
Umbagog and which give no promise of ever closely
resembling their interesting ancestors. It is a pity that
means cannot be taken to preserve the few remaining
specimens of the latter but it is to be feared that
this will not be done and that ere long the last
of them will have ceased to wave their green branches
over the water of the lake.