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Public Document

Wo. 108

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REPORT

THE Massachusetts state forest
Commission.

1914.

BOSTON:

WEIGHT & POTIEE FEINTING CO., STATE PEINTEES,

32 DEENE STEEET.

1915.

Approved by
The State Board of Publication.

REPORT OF THE STATE FOREST COMMISSION.

The conservation of forests has not interested the iVmerican
people until a comparatively recent period. The supply of lum-
ber in America has seemed inexhaustible, and it was not until
the realization of a possible shortage began to arouse the fears
of the more thoughtful that this was brought to anything like
a practical consideration. In foreign countries the need of
scientifically preserving forests in order that a continuous sup-
ply of timber should be secured as the trees were cut and used
has been felt and studied, so that as a necessary consequence
the wooded areas used for such purposes should supply new
lumber as the well-grown is consumed. This has in a large
measure been successfully adjusted in Switzerland, Germany
and France, and a practical succession of crops has been at-
tained without extending the forested areas. In order, however,
that this happy result should follow, the laws had first to be
made and carried out, trained forces developed, and the whole
reduced to a scientific system and put into operation. In the
countries above referred to the forests, whether owned by the
State or by private persons or corporations, are strictly oper-
ated under State regulations. A gradual development of pub-
lic sentiment that something would have to be done in New
England has taken place, as was inevitable. We have seen,
and now fully realize, that the vast areas of forests producing
valuable timber have been largely stripped of their productive
growth, and the lands so stripped have for the most part
grown up to scrub, which is less than valueless. In short, it
has by degrees been forced upon our minds that we were fast
getting into the condition of having to buy our supply from
outside our borders, and that the large territory formerly
covered with merchantable lumber and timber was growing up
to a worthless covering of scrub oaks, gray birch and other
unproductive trees, and that the area of land in this condi-
tion was gradually increasing, thereby lessening the amount of
arable territory each year. Such conditions appealed to the

4 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

minds and understanding of the more thoughtful, — those who
really considerexi the future welfare of the country. It was
more and more frequently called to the attention of the public,
so that the national government, as well as individual States,
has taken action, and appointed commissions and others au-
thorized and charged to recommend improved methods of
lumbering and conservation of woodlands both by law and by
advice. In various States laws have been enacted which tend,
in more or less effective ways, toward securing better results.
The Commission on the Taxation of Wild and Forest Lands,
created by the Legislature of 1913, made a very careful and
exhaustive study of conditions in every State in the Union
where anything had been done, and in foreign countries, and
examined the laws governing them. It also studied the re-
ports and dissertations of various individuals and bodies. It
deduced certain conclusions and recommended two legislative
acts as a result. It should be realized that deductions reached
after the most careful study with the advice of many recog-
nized authorities, and with the invaluable knowledge and ex-
perience of Professor Bullock of Harvard University and Mr.
Trefry, Commissioner of Corporations, both members of that
commission, must be accepted as embodying the wisdom and
experience of those who have preceded us. One of the acts of
tlie Massachusetts Legislature related entirely to the encourage-
ment of small woodlot owners toward the improvement of
such lots and the development of improved growths thereon.
The other authorized the appointment of the Massachusetts
State Forest Commission, the purpose of M^hich is to replace
in as large a measure as is practicable the wild, unproductive
areas which in round numbers comprise approximately 1,000,-
000 acres in this territorially small State, with forested areas
which would on their maturity have a commercial value. It
is the part of this commission to purchase or otherwise acquire
this wild land, and to gradually supplant the worthless by a
valuable growth under the immediate supervision of the State
Forester. Objection has been raised to the acquisition of large
areas for this purpose by the State as socialistic, and persons
have appeared who maintained that it is no part of the Com-
monwealth to do what private enterprise should undertake.
The answ^er to such argument manifestly is that no person or

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View from the new fire tower at Fall River. Burned-over section in foreground, city of_Fall
River in the distance.

North slopes of Mount Gre.\'l:)ck. Steep mountain slopes require tlR> piDtcrt ion ul ;i l(.ic-,i

cover.

1915.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 5

corporation will to any large extent assume to do what will
have so remote a return, and meantime large portions of the
State are unused, — producing nothing, — and, like bad asso-
ciates, are continually^ extending their evil influences. The
further and sufficing answer is that by such public methods we
are securing a commodity in our midst which otherwise we
must import, at least in a very large degree, and at the same
time are setting a practical example for others to follow. It
is believed that in adopting this policy of creating State forests
and maintaining them financially the State w^ill realize in the
end vastly more than the cost and the interest thereon.

It is not pertinent to review in this report the laws or regu-
lations of other States or countries, but it may be well to state
that the neighboring State of New York has acquired upwards
of 4,000,000 acres of its territory as State forest lands.

The purposes of forestry are to secure the succession of com-
mercial trees and to insure the protection of the soil and the
regulation of water flow. The adoption of a State forest policy
by Massachusetts may be deemed the first direct effort to
apply reasonable foresight in the handling of what is properly
termed one of our greatest natural resources.

During the last decade notable progress has been made by the
State Forester's department, working under the so-called re-
forestation act. The demonstration plots that have been planted
in many sections of the State have been instructive, and have
stimulated the interest of the public in the forestry movement
to a very appreciable extent.

A copy of the act establishing the State Forest Commission
is inserted : —

Acts of 1914, Chapter 720.

An Act to establish a state forest commission and to provide for
the purchase of lands for state forests.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

Section 1. There is hereby established a state forest commission, to
be composed of three persons, one of whom shall be the state forester and
two other members who shall be appointed by the governor, with the advice
and consent of the council, and who shall serve without compensation.
The term of office of the appointive members of the commission shall be six
years, except that when first appointed one of the members shall be ap-
pointed for six years and one for three years. Thereafter one member shall
be appointed every third year.

6 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

Section 2. The commission shall have power to acquire for the com-
monwealth by purchase or otherwise, and to hold, woodland or land smt-
able for timber cultivation within the commonwealth. The commission
may, after a pubhc hearing, sell or exchange any land thus acquired which
in the judgment of the commission can no longer be used advantageously
for the purposes of this act. The average cost of land purchased by the
commission shall not exceed five dollars an acre.

Section 3. Lands acquired under the provisions of this act shall be
known as state forests and shall be under the control and management of
the state forester. He shall proceed to re-forest and develop such lands and
shall have power to make all reasonable regulations which in his opinion
will tend to increase the pubUc enjoyment and benefit therefrom and to
protect and conserve the water supphes of the commonwealth. The state
forester shall keep and shall pubhsh in his annual report an account of all
money invested in each state forest and of the annual income and expense
thereof.

Section 4. In the reforestation, maintenance, and development of
lands purchased under this act, the state forester, so far as it is practicable,
shall obtain the labor necessary therefor under the provisions of chapter
six hundred and thirty-three of the acts of the year nineteen hundred and
tMrteen, and acts in amendment thereof and in addition thereto.

Section 5. Land acquired under the provisions of this act shall be
exempt from taxation; but the commonwealth shall reimburse cities and
towns in which such lands are situated for taxes lost by reason of their
acquisition, in the same manner and to the same extent as in the case of
lands acquired for public institutions under the provisions of chapter six
hundred and seven of the acts of the year nineteen hundred and ten.

Section 6. The sum of ten thousand dollars may be expended during
the present year and the sum of twenty thousand dollars may be expended
annually for the four succeeding years by the state forest commission in the
acquisition of lands under the provisions of tliis act: provided, that the
said commission may, at its discretion, authorize the state forester to ex-
pend a part of said sum in the maintenance of said lands. If any part of
said twenty thousand dollars remains unexpended at the close of any year,
the balance may be expended in the following year. The said commission
may also expend not more than five hundred dollars annually for its
necessary expenses incurred in carrying out the provisions of this act.

Section 7. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved
June 29, 19U.

In pursuance of the provisions of the above act, approved by
the Governor on June 29, 1914, Governor Walsh appointed as
members of the commission Harold Parker of Lancaster and
Harvey N. Shepard of Boston, the third member being Frank
W. Rane, the State Forester, as prescribed by the act.

Templeton town lot. This view was taken twelve years after wood was cut off, and shows
a valueless growth of gray birch. This kind of land should be replanted to pine.

View of Montague Plains. Extensive sand plains, capable of piudiuin,
proper forest management.

jiinu atands under

1915.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 7

On September 16 the commission met and organized, with
the choice of Harold Parker as chairman. Charles O. Bailey
was elected secretary of the commission. This meeting was
held at the office of the State Forester, 6 Beacon Street, at
which place all meetings of the commission have been held up
to the present time.

For the purpose of obtaining information relative to avail-
able lands, on October 7 a circular letter was sent by the com-
mission to the mayors of cities, chairmen of boards of select-
men of towns, and forest wardens throughout the State, which
read as follows: —

The State Forest Commission, created by chapter 720, Acts of 1914,
has recently organized, with headquarters at 6 Beacon Street, Boston.
The duty of this commission, as defined by the act, is the acquisition of
wild and waste lands situated within the Commonwealth for the purpose
of converting them into State forests. Believing that there is no question
of greater economic importance in its relation to the future development
and prosperity of the State than forestry, the commission earnestly so-
licits the co-operation of all citizens in its efforts to consummate this
commendable endeavor of Massachusetts along the lines of conserva-
tion.

It is without doubt a fact that a great majority of the towns in the
State contain many acres of land unsuited for agricultural purposes. It
is the acquisition of land cf this type with which the commission is charged,
and in order to obtain definite information with regard to the distribu-
tion and possibihty of acquiring land, the commission is causing copies
of this letter to be sent to the selectmen and forest wardens of towns
throughout the State. Confident that most of our town officials will
readily appreciate the advantages of having estabhshed near them a State
forest, both from an economic and an aesthetic standpoint, the commis-
sion hopes to find a ready response to this request for information.

In the discharge of its duty, the commission will endeavor to keep in
mind two objects: —

First. — As State forests are intended to serve as an object-lesson to
educate landowners to a realization of their opportunities, the geograph-
ical location of the forests will be carefully studied by the commission.
It is their purpose to establish them at such points in the State as will,
make them accessible to as large a number of our citizens as possible.

Second. — ■ The cost of land will of necessity be a determining factor in
locating the forests, as section 2 of the act restricts the average cost of
land purchased by the commission to a price not exceeding $5 per acre.
At the present time the commission has decided not to consider any propo-
sition that would involve the purchase of less than 1,000 acres in one tract.

8 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

If, in your opinion, such a tract may be acquired in your vicinity, even
though it maj^ be situated in one or more adjoining towns, the commis-
sion would appreciate the information.

The responses to the above letter were numerous, and while
a large majority reported that no land of the type asked for by
the commission was obtainable in their respective regions,
several reports indicated the possibility of acquiring just such
tracts as would meet the requirements of the commission.
Most of the latter reports came from the Cape Cod country
and the extreme western part of the State.

Between August and the end of the year the commission
made several extended tours of observation from Cape Cod to
the New York State line, with the result that tentative loca-
tions for the formation of State forests were determined on.
In the district south and southeast of Boston, particularly in
Plymouth and on the Cape proper, large areas exist where the
original growth has been removed and the unused lands have
been allowed to grow up to scrub oaks, etc., which have been
subsequently burned over once or more. These lands are to all
intents and purposes valueless. Many acres of them have been
permitted to revert to town ownership by neglect on the part of
the recorded owners to pay taxes on a merely nominal valuation.
Many still remain in the name of the original grantees. A large
portion of this territory can be acquired as State forests at a small
cost. It is the purpose of the commission to secure a consid-
erable part of this absolutely worthless land, and by degrees to
replace the present covering with merchantable lumber, and to
transform a non-productive part of the State into one which
will render a net revenue to the State. As has been said, there
are about 1,000,000 acres of practically waste lands in Massa-
chusetts. These lands are distributed over the State more or
less evenly. The largest percentage of unproductive territory,
taking the whole area in each locality, is on Cape Cod and ad-
joining regions. It is, however, entirely true that there is no
considerable part of the State which does not contain an undue
proportion of unproductive land. The commission has, there-
fore, examined lands bordering on the metropolitan water tracts
and adjacent thereto in Sudbury, West Boylston and Prince-
ton; also in Winchendon, Royalston and adjoining regions, —

Scrub growth on burned-over area, Cape Cod. This growth is of no value, but the land
could be made productive by replanting to pine and furnishing adequate protection
from fire.

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View of Pine Knob in town of Bourne, showing effect of fires and neglect. Typical Cape
Cod inland territory.

1915.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 9

an excellent white pine country; in various places in Norfolk
county; in the wild country bordering on the Millers River and
tributary streams; in the northern parts of Franklin and
Berkshire counties; and in the central portion of Hampshire
county.

Bristol and Essex counties, on account of lack of time, have
not been considered up to the issuance of this report. The
commission has examined the woodlands bordering on the
Mohawk trail as comprising two essential considerations, viz.:
the preservation of the beautiful trees growing along the new
road over Florida Mountain, recently built at the expense of
the State and intended as a part of the State highway system,
and also the surrounding region, because it is exactly the sort
of country that should be included in a State forest.

The plan of the commission, acting under the law and the
understood purposes that led to the formulation of the law, is to
acquire waste lands distributed over the entire State as rapidly
as is practicable, and to put them into condition for the devel-
opment of properly organized forests. A reference to the ac-
companying map will show where the first proposed areas are
located. Negotiations for the acquisition of several of these
areas are now under way. It is not considered that any lands
shall be taken at present unless at least 1,000 acres can be se-
cured together.

The experience of the commission so far has led it to the
conviction that certain additions or am.endments to the act
creating the commission should be authorized by the Legis-
lature. It has been manifest during the tours of the commission
that an interest on the part of landowners exists, and a desire
to co-operate with the commission in its efforts to acquire land
under the provisions of the law; but it has also been made
apparent that one or more small owners might block the loca-
tion of a State forest in a given locality by unwillingness to
sell. It is also certain that in certain places no good title
could be secured unless the commission had the right to ac-
quire land by the right of eminent domain. This right is
asked only in such manner as is given to the Metropolitan
Park Commission and to the Wachusett Mountain State
Reservation Commission.

10 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan. 1915.

Under the act this commission has no authority to secure
quarters for an office or place to hold its meetings, or to pay
for the services of a secretary or clerk. It therefore also asks
to be given the authority to use a portion of the appropria-
tion for such purposes.

Recommendations of the State Forest Commission.

First. — The enactment of legislation which would enable the
commission to acquire land by the right of eminent domain.

Second. — That the commission be allowed to expend out
of its annual appropriation the amount necessary to secure a
suitable office in which to hold its meetings and to pay for
the services of a secretary or clerk and for such other clerical
services as may be necessary.

Financial Statement.

Appropriation for expenses, 1914, $500 00

Expenditures : —

Travel, 1208 57

Office supplies, 7 65

Stationery and postage, 38 00

Map, 25 00

279 22

Balance returned to treasury Nov. 30, 1914, . . . $220 78

HAROLD PARKER,
HARVEY N. SHEPARD,
FRANK W. RANE,

State Forest Commission.

M Ass/vc H u s e: T X3

Lookins down Cold River from the Mohawk Trai

Public Document

Wo. 108

SECOND ANNUAL EEPORT

The Massachusehs State Forest

■ Commission.

1915.

BOSTON:

WEIGHT & POTTEE FEINTING CO., STATE PEINTEES,

32 DEENE STEEET.

1916.

Approved by

The State Board of Pitblicatiok.

SECOND ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATE FOREST COMMISSION.

This State is the first of the States to put into operation a
practical effort for the restoration of lumber-producing forests.
It is perhaps unnecessary to review the reason why the vast
tracts of valuable timber that once existed exist no more, why
their place is for the most taken up with a worthless scrub or
is converted by fire or other causes into a forlorn desert. That
this is so no one doubts, and it was in the hope that this eco-
nomic misfortune might be overcome by judicious, scientific
treatment, and at the public charge, that the purchase by the
State of such lands was authorized.

The commission has during the past year made a careful
study of the woodlands of the State, and has determined upon
a general method of acquisition and care of waste lands in va-
rious parts of the State, which if consistently continued will,
beyond peradventure, gradually restore a most valuable asset
and furnish work for many men and ultimately a regular net
revenue.

The United States Department of Agriculture issued some
years since a series of publications upon commercial woods.
Many interesting facts are recorded in these papers. Treating
of white pine, the Department says that the approximate area
in the United States territory upon which white pine originally
flourished is 350,000 square miles. Now this has been once or
more times cut over, or the crop harvested, leaving second
growth or waste land. It is also said by the experts of the
government that there has been more white pine lumber cut
and used than any other kind; that for two hundred and fifty
years it has been the leader in the market, but at the present
time its use has fallen to third place because the supply is not
equal to the demand.

The woodland and waste land in Massachusetts of to-day,
it is probable, was originally covered with white pine to a very

4 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

large extent; it is the characteristic tree of New England. It
is suited to all the natural conditions, it is very easily planted
and cared for, it has fewer insect enemies than most trees, and
reaches maturity in a comparatively short period. It can be
used in more ways than any wood known. Investigations made
by the experts of the State Forester indicate that a well cared
for pine forest will increase 1,000 feet B. M. per acre per year.
It can readily be calculated what would be the net gain to the
State or its citizens if all of the estimated 2,000,000 acres of
woodland and waste land within our borders were fully devel-
oped and cared for.

For these reasons and others the commission has reached the
conclusion that where the reforesting of the waste lands ac-
quired by the State is undertaken it should be mainly by the
planting of white pine.

Every State forest established by the Commission (or pro-
posed) is adapted to the growth of white pine above all other
trees.

The first State forest created under the act has been estab-
lished in "the towns of Winchendon, Royalston and Templeton;
it consists of about 1,800 acres of cut-over or waste lands in a
natural white pine country. This has been ofiicially named
the Otter River State Forest from the river which flows
through it. The price paid ranges between S4 and $5 per acre.
There is a very serviceable house and barn on the property, to
be used for administration purposes. This house and barn have
been put into good condition and are occupied by those in
charge of the forest operations. About 75,000 white pine seed-
lings have been planted during the year.

The second State forest determined on is in Plymouth
County, south and east of Plymouth town; it extends beyond
the limits of Plymouth into Carver. It will contain about 10,000
acres of typical Cape land, every acre of which is capable of
growing white, red and Scotch pine. This territory and many
thousand acres adjoining it and farther down the Cape are at
the present moment without value of any sort. It is as nearly
as possible waste land, and represents exactly the type of use-
less land contemplated by the framers of the law. It is uni-
formly covered with a scant growth of scrub oak and occasional

1916.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 5

clumps of jack pine and white pine. The work of reforesting
this land with white or other pines will of necessity be some-
what slow, and will cost some financial outlay. The result will,
however, not only be of material Value ultimately as a State
possession, but show to the owners of similar land what can be
done with small expense in redeeming once productive lands.

The Commission has personally inspected the vast wooded
territory along the Millers River and its tributary waters. All
this region was once a great forest of valuable trees. It was
cut over by the lumber men who had no thought of future
needs. Seed trees were destroyed with the others and the
second growth neglected. This has been burned over once or
more, so that now thousands of acres present the aspect of a
dreary desert. All this would support pine trees as well as
hardwoods, ash, maple, etc. All this territory is precisely what
is contemplated in the act, and can be bought by the State
within the legal limits of price.

The Commission has also personally examined various tracts
in Berkshire, Hampden and Hampshire counties, and has ten-
tatively decided on tracts to be made into State forests as
money is available. In southern Worcester County, in the
towns of Douglas and East Douglas and adjoining regions,
several thousand acres, once valuable timber, have been burned
over since the timber was taken off. This land is not produc-
ing any sprout growth of useful seedlings. The fire has de-
stroyed all seedlings and young sprouts, and the worthless seeds
of scrub oak, grey birch and wild cherry have seized the land,
and each year are becoming harder to eradicate and each year
extend their boundaries.

In Middlesex County, in the towns of North Andover and
Reading, the Commission has decided upon the establishment
of a State forest, and to that end has taken options on a tract
comprising approximately 800 acres or more. This country is
well adapted to the growth of white pine; it is, in short, a
typical pine country, the standing trees showing unusual size
and vigor.

The Commission has during the year visited every county in
the State several times, excepting the islands, and has in conse-
quence a comprehensive knowledge of the wooded regions of

6 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

the Commonwealth. Its observations confirm its previous
views, viz., that no more useful practical policy could have
been undertaken than the restoration of these waste lands, and
that the ultimate results will justify this State policy.

The Commission has experienced much difficulty in tracing
ownership to many of the lands included in the proposed State
forests, owing to the negligence of owners in recording deeds
and to other causes. On Cape Cod this difficulty is greatly in-
creased on account of the worthlessness of the land. In many
cases in Plymouth and Barnstable counties there is no recorded
title to hundreds of acres. For generations no taxes have been
paid and all rights have thus been lost to the original possessors.
It must be clear that under these circumstances the Common-
wealth can never get a good title to a large proportion of land
purchased, because of doubtful ownership or of no ownership at
all. The only way in which the State can be secured in its title
to such part of these waste lands is to give to the Commission
the right to take by the law of eminent domain. If it is argued
that to grant so radical a measure is unjustifiable, it is then
urged that the right should be given in specific cases. In the
case of the Winchendon forest, for instance, all the land has
been bought and paid for and is described in deeds; the deeds
are in some instances ambiguous and the boundaries indefinite.
The Commission should in that instance be authorized to
make a taking by outside boundaries, and so recommends.
The State would then have a substantial title and all doubt-
ful corners would be made certain.

In the case of the Plymouth and Carver forest the Commis-
sion has found that there is no ownership of hundreds of acres
within the boundaries of the territory it designs to make a
State forest. If in this case the Commission was granted the
right of taking, it could run its boundary lines in such a way
as to include the territory necessary to complete the forest.
In this way the State would get a title to desirable land which
is without owner now and for which it would pay nothing.

The Commission submits, as a part of this document, its
findings in the matter of the Mohawk Trail and Mount
Grace.

1916.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108.

Profosed Mohawk Trail Reseryation.

The resolve approved May last directed the State Forest
Commission to investigate the practicability and advisability
of establishing a State forest along the Mohawk Trail within
the counties of Franklin and Berkshire, and to submit to the
Legislature an estimate of the cost thereof.

The Mohawk Trail, as now understood, is the new highway
over the Hoosac Range, which separates the valleys of the
Housatonic and Deerfield rivers. The name is well chosen, for
the road follows closely the old Indian path between the rich
fields of the Mohawk valley in New York, famous in the earli-
est colonial days, and the fertile meadows of the Connecticut.
Before the white man came the Indian used this trail, still to
be traced along the ridges above the road. There is therefore
some historic interest attached to this region, but undoubtedly
the romantic scenery through which the road passes, and the
unsurpassed outlook from the Hoosac as the road winds
over the highlands, has inspired the wish to preserve this
beautiful region undefiled for all time.

The Forest Commission has prepared a map on which
the territory under consideration is divided into three parts,
viz.: —

A-B, containing that portion of the trail which can be
treated as a forest proper, which comprises the immediate
watershed of the Manning Brook and Cold River, and ex-
tending to the divide on either side. This land can be bought
for $10 per acre.

B-C, which is the rough plateau, extending from the village
of Drury to the highest land on the road between the two val-
leys, the drainage of which is into the Connecticut. This is up-
land farming country, similar in type to such land elsewhere,
the distinguishing feature being the delightful views over the
hills to the east and north, and of the Deerfield River once in
a while distinguishable between them. This land is valued by
such owners as could be induced to set a price at an average of
near S40 per acre. The charm of this portion of the Mohawk
Trail is the view of far distant hills and valleys. In other
words, trees, houses or other large objects, if within a mile or

8 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

less of the road, would to greater or less degree interfere with
the very object of its acquisition, viz., the preservation of the
unobstructed outlook. It would therefore be necessary to
purchase a tract of very considerable extent on the lower side
of the road in order to control the view. This is a very fit loca-
tion for a park, which should properly have uninterrupted slop-
ing fields with occasional groups of trees and picturesque build-
ings, and in the distance the background of blue mountains.
It is certainly a pleasing picture, but it is not believed that it
will be possible to secure sufficient land for this purpose within
reasonable cost to make it real.

The same general features are true of the section marked
C-D, except that having passed into the Housatonic watershed
the distant outlook is cut off in both directions, and it is not
until one comes to the brink of the sudden descent into the
valley that the distant view is obtained. In short, nothing
exists between that is different from hundreds of other wild up-
lands.

Nothing can destroy the beauty of the Housatonic valley as
seen from this point, or the charm of Greylock directly across,
the distant outlines of the Green Mountains, or the Adiron-
dacks on the farther shores of Lake Champlain.

The Forest Commission refers to the report of Mr. Haynes,
who was detailed by the Commission to make the investigation
as the basis for its conclusion, viz., that from the point of view
of a commission created to acquire wild or waste land for eco-
nomic considerations, there is but one portion of the proposed
territory that could be consistently purchased, — the portion in-
cluded in A-B, from the junctions of the Deerfield and Cold
rivers to the hamlet of Drury, containing about 4,000 acres.
This could be properly established under the act as a State for-
est and cared for by the State Forester. It could never be made
a profitable expenditure for the reasons given in Mr. Haynes'
report, but could be ultimately made nearly self-supporting. It
could not, however, be bought for the maximum price allowed
by law under the forestry act, the average price being about
$10 per acre.

The balance of the land along the Mohawk Trail which is
included in this report, it is believed by the Commission, should

1916.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 9

be considered, not as a prospective forest, but as a prospective
park or public reservation, maintained forever by the State. If
the Legislature is convinced that the purchase of these lands is
a wise expenditure of the public funds the Commission offers no
objection, and will willingly assume the responsibility of their
care.

Estimates of Cost.

Area A-B, 4,000 acres at $10 per acre, $40,000 00

Area B-C, 1,400 acres at $37 per acre, 51,800 00

Area C-D, 800 acres at $25 per acre, . . . . . 20,000 00

$111,800 00
Necessary expense of examining titles and surveying, . . 2,500 00

$114,300 00

The estimated cost, therefore, of acquiring the amount of
land outlined in the map presented would be about $115,000.
There should also be included in the necessary outlay, in order
to accomplish the real purpose of such an undertaking, the cost
of a much wider reservation. The cost of operation would have
to be considered in determining what action it is wise to take.
It is not believed by the Commission that the State could ac-
complish what is evidently sought by the framers of the resolve
for less than $130,000. It is, however, possible to consider sep-
arately that portion contained within A-B which could be
treated as a State forest, and the beauty of the precipitous
valley preserved forever at a cost not unreasonable, both by
reason of its location and character. Its cost, however, would
place it beyond the possibility of purchase by the Commission
without special appropriation by the General Court.

10 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

Financial Statement.
Special appropriation, . . $200 00

Expenditures: — •

Services of foresters and man, .

. . . $132 32

Travel,

. 16 34

Maps,

6 34

Supplies,

25 33

Sundries,

. . 53

180 86

Balance returned to treasury, $19 14

Proposed Acquisition of Mount Grace as a Forest
Reservation.

In the matter of the investigation relative to a forest reserva-
tion at Mount Grace, in the town of Warwick, as directed by
the General Court in the following resolve, "the state forest
commission is hereby directed to investigate the advisability of
establishing a state park or forestry reserve at Mount Grace in
the town of Warwick, and also to investigate such other matters
in connection therewith as it may deem important, and to re-
port to the next general court, on or before the second Tuesday
of January, the results of its investigation, with such recom-
mendations as the commission may deem expedient," we re-
spectfully report that Mount Grace, with an elevation of 1,620
feet, lies in the northwest portion of Warwick township, Frank-
lin County, the southern end of the mountain being contiguous
to Warwick village. The mountain constitutes the highest
point of land in its vicinity, is entirely surrounded by highways
suitable for teams or automobiles, and therefore is accessible
readily from all directions. The proposed reservation consists
of a block of land 3 miles long, from one-half to 13^ wide, com-
prising 1,728 acres.

With the exception of the west slopes of the southern end of
the mountain, where rocky conditions obtain, the soil covering
is sufficient in quantity and quality to support an excellent tree
growth. The predominating growth at present is of mixed hard-
woods, ranging from young sprouts to trees 30 inches in di-

1916.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 11

ameter. The white pines, on various parts of the area, are of
good quality, and range in size from seedlings up to trees of 27
inches in diameter. There also is a heavy white pine reproduc-
tion, 5 inches and under, of a thrifty nature, on various por-
tions of the mountain, covering a considerable area. Of the
whole 1,728 acres only 1,287 acres in 17 parcels are now open
for purchase, and the price asked or estimated is $60,200, an
approximate excess of the selling price over the assessed valua-
tion of $36,411. The area remaining, after deducting the area
open for purchase from the whole proposed reservation, is for
the most part open pasture, orchards and cultivated farm land,
and in use as such at the present time. The prices asked by the
owners appear excessive, but we are of the opinion that such is
not the fact. As often is the case, the assessed value of wood-
land property is not its real value. There are on the Mount
Grace lands several million feet board measure of good quality
lumber, besides a good amount of chestnut suitable for poles and
ties, easily accessible, mature and ready for cutting. It is becauses
of the fact that good present and future values obtain on the lands
that several of the owners do not care particularly about selling.

Our investigation also assures us that if the larger portion of
the hardwood growth should be removed and the area planted
to pines, the resulting forest will yield to the Commonwealth a
large revenue, as natural conditions are excellent for the produc-
tion of heavy stands of pine.

There are not many streams having feeders on the mountain,
and these are small, but their maintenance depends upon keep-
ing the mountain covered by a forest.

It appears from our investigation that, while much of the
proposed area can be obtained by purchase, certain parcels,
essential to a well-organized forest, can be acquired only by the
right of eminent domain; and if this area is to be obtained by the
Commonwealth this right should be given to the Commission.

We believe that the mountain, if acquired, will be of much
benefit to the people of the community in that part of the State,
and will be visited by large numbers because of its important
scenic position; and we believe also that a State forest can be
administered properly from a commercial standpoint and still
afford every opportunity for recreation and pleasure; and that

12 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

such a forest at the prices named will be profitable to the Com-
monwealth. Since the acquisition of this area is not within the
purpose of the act establishing this Commission, as the land is
not wild or unproductive, a special appropriation will be neces-
sary if the Commonwealth is to enter upon this project. In
case of a purchase by the Commonwealth for a forest reserva-
tion an appropriation of $10,000 also will be essential for the
operating expenses in the beginning.

Summary of Recommendations.

First. — In the case of the Winchendon forest, called the
Otter River State Forest, for instance, all the land has been
bought and paid for and is described in deeds; the deeds are in
some instances ambiguous and the boundaries indefinite. The
Commission should in that instance be authorized to make a tak-
ing by outside boundaries, and so recommends. This recommen-
dation has been embodied in a draft of the bill submitted.

Second. ■ — In many places in Plymouth and Barnstable coun-
ties there is no recorded title to hundreds of acres. For genera-
tions no taxes have been paid and all rights have thus been lost
to the original possessors. It must be clear that under these
circumstances the Commonwealth can never get a good title to
a large proportion of land purchased, because of doubtful owner-
ship or of no ownership at all. The only way in which the
State can be secured in its title to such part of these waste
lands is to give to the Commission the right to take by the law
of eminent domain. The recommendation for such right has
been embodied in a draft of bill submitted.

Financial Statements.

Expenses.
Appropriation for 1915, . . . . . . . . . $500 00

Expenditures : —
Traveling expenses of commissioners and secretary, . $339 22

Stationery and postage, 53 70

Printing, 90 15

Sundries, 5 25

488 32

Balance returned to treasury, November 30, 1915, . . $11 68

1916.1

PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108.

13

Purchase and Maintenance of Forests.

Appropriation from 1914, .

Appropriation for 1915,

Rebate from Houghton & Button Company,

$10,000 00

20,000 00

5 00

$30,005 00

Expenditures : —

Services,

Travel,

$3,321 05
1,234 50

Maps, etc., ....
Land, . . . . .
Stationery and postage,
Supplies and equipment,
Sundries, . . ...

65 72

7,838 12

7 18

427 43

53 21

12,947 21

Balance on hand November 30, 1915,

$17,057 79

HAPtOLD PARKER,
HARVEY N. SPIEPARD,
FRANK W. RANE,

State Forest Commission.

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State: Forest

PrOPOv5ED

Mohawk Trail Reservation

0 N T

M t: Ci fr /°^ c: e;

Ills

Public Document

No. 108

THIRD ANNUAL EEPORT

The Massachusetts State Forest
Commission.

1916.

BOSTON:

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS,

32 DERNE STREET.

1917.

Publication of this Document

approved bt the
Supervisor of Administration.

Hon, HAROLD PARKER.

IN MEMOEIAM.

Harold Parker, chairman of the State Forest Commission,
died after a brief illness on November 29, 1916. Mr. Parker
was born in Charlestown, June 17, 1854, the descendant of one
of our earliest New England settlers. He was educated in the
public schools, at Phillips Exeter Academy and at Harvard
College. By profession he was a civil engineer, and ranked
among the most eminent engineers in the country. In his pro-
fessional capacity he was connected with many large State and
national undertakings. For many years he was intimately
associated with State activities. He had rendered honorable
service in the General Court. For several years he was chair-
man of the Massachusetts Highway Commission, and as such
took a conspicuous part in the building of the State's mag-
nificent highways. As chairman of the Wachusett Mountain
Reservation Commission he carried out to the fullest extent
the purposes of the act which created it, and devoted much
energy to the development of that magnificent park reserva-
tion. No man was ever more faithful to duties imposed upon
him than was Harold Parker as chairman of the State Forest
Commission. He was conspicuous among the first in the State
to recognize the importance of conserving our natural resources,
and his views with regard to the great possibilities which lie
in the development of a State forest policy are clearly and
forcibly presented in this report, written by him during the
closing days of his useful life.

In all public positions he exhibited the same qualities that
had brought him success in private enterprises, — untiring
energy, industry, natural executive capacity which enabled
him to transact business with great ability and singular cor-
rectness, unusual care and caution in avoiding difficulties in
entering upon any undertaking, and uncompromising rectitude
and firmness of purpose united with a general spirit of kind-
ness toward those with whom he was associated.

4 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

Longfellow has said: —

So when a great man dies,

For years beyond our ken
The hght he leaves behind him

Lies on the paths of men.

As a tribute to his faithful service on the State Forest Com-
mission the new forest in Andover and North Reading has been
named the Harold Parker State Forest.

1917.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108.

THIRD AMUAL EEPOET OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATE FOREST €OMMISSION.

The State Forest Commission has now been in existence
nearly three years. During that time it has acquired by pur-
chase, 9,054.85 acres of waste land at a total cost of $31,913.69,
an average total cost of $3.52+ per acre. These lands comprise
three State forests, the Otter River, the Myles Standish and
Harold Parker, and are parts of that large territory in the
State totally neglected and unproductive which is estimated
to be about a million acres in extent, or nearly 20 per cent,
of the total area of the State.

The framers of the act which created the State Forest Com-
mission had in view that this large proportion of the lands of
the State producing no revenue to the owner, and only a
moiety of what it should produce based upon its possible
taxable valuation, should be made by reasonable care and
exploitation a source of revenue. It was believed, and investi-
gations show, that a large part of this land would never be
developed under private ownership; that no private owner
would be willing to reclaim to any appreciable extent these
waste areas which would require so long a period of time to
develop; and that only the State or the national government
could undertake to restore the growths of valuable timber
which originally covered them. It was with this in view that
the recommendation was made to the Legislature that a com-
mission should be created to purchase in the name of the
Commonwealth such portions of the whole area as could be
bought within the price of $5 per acre, and proceed to plant
these wild and waste lands with such trees as would most
economically serve the end in view. The special commission
which considered this matter, and made the recommendations
for the law, took into account as a part of the argument in
favor of such legislation the fact that the valuable timber or

6 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

lumber upon which this country has drawn since its beginning
was gradually becoming exhausted, and that it was necessary
as an economic measure to restore by proper forestation a
portion of the territory which was once covered with pine,
spruce or hemlock.

Almost every civilized country in Europe has for many
years realized this condition, which the people of the United
States have not yet fully absorbed, and have established scientific
forestry under the administration of the State governments.
It is entirely demonstrable, as a result of these works now in
operation in some countries for many hundred years, that a
properly controlled forest is like any other serial crop; that by
proper cutting, preservation and planting a forest can be made
perpetual and yet furnish every year or series of years a good
return for all labor or money spent upon its planting and care.

The intent, therefore, of the law, as has been intimated, is
for the State to gradually acquire by purchase or gift a large
portion of the wild and waste lands of the State, and, by
judicious and scientific reforestization, to reclaim the land so
purchased and transform it into productive forests. It was
believed and is believed that the successful operation of these
publicly owned lands would so affect the owners of smaller
isolated territories as to induce them to put into operation
similar methods. In this report the Commission desires to
state, not only what it has done in the past, but to set forth
its views as to what it is necessary for the State to do in order
to make this policy successful and operative.

It is perfectly plain that unless carried out fully and wisely
the experiment will be a failure, whereas if developed along
lines which are thoroughly well recognized and in use in many
countries for years, it is as certain of financial return as any other
business proposition. In the year 1908 the Legislature enacted
a law relating to the reforestization, and the acquisition by
the State, either by gift or purchase, of small wood lots, which
required the State Forester to develop these lands according
to scientific forestry methods, and provided therefor the sum
of $10,000 per year. This law still remains operative, and the
State Forester has acquired and planted up to the present
time 5,340 acres. If no further territory were acquired under

1917.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 7

this act, he still has under the law to care for and replant
what has been so far secured. It has been shown by the
experience of the last three years that practically the whole
of the amount of $10,000 is annually consumed in the care of
these plantations, so that, after the necessary charge of taking
care of these plantations is considered, no material amount
is left by which these large tracts purchased by the State
Forest Commission can be reforestized and made productive,
as was contemplated when the act was passed.

This Commission realizes that it has no authority to de-
termine the amount to be so spent on plantations already in exist-
ence, or any responsibility as to the reclamation of the waste
lands purchased under its direction. It does, however, con-
ceive it to be a part of its duty to present the facts to the
Legislature in order that wise legislation may be adopted
towards the reclamation of these tracts and the creation of
State forests which deserve the name of forests. Otherwise
there is no purpose in making purchase of these territories.
In fact, it is more of a detriment than a benefit to the public
for the State to start out upon a policy of economic reclamation
which cannot be carried out to completion.

By the most careful estimate of the cost of planting wild areas
with pine or other coniferous trees it would require at least $10
an acre to plant; and as all the land purchased is practically
waste land, or land which will have to be actually planted as
well as cleared, it would require, for the land already bought
by the Commission, between $75,000 and $100,000. This, of
course, should not be attempted all in one year; but at least
1,000 to 2,000 acres ought to be planted every year, and should
be cared for after they are planted in a way to protect them
against natural enemies and fires. There is no object in going
on with the purchase of these lands unless the proper author-
ity is supplied with means to convert them from waste lands
to productive forests. The Commission believes that this
State as well as others will soon have to take up the culti-
vation of lumber-producing forests for its own protection, just
as it took up the question of properly constructed highways.
One is as much a question of economics as the other, and the
need of forests will be realized by the public at large before

8 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. ■ [Jan.

many years pass as much as the need of highways. The Com-
mission is so well satisfied of the truth of this that it ventures
to urge upon the Legislature the wisdom of supplying the Com-
mission or the State Forester with sufficient additional sums
of money to take care of the lands already purchased or to be
purchased in the future. It desires to so place itself before
the Legislature that there will be no question as to the atti-
tude of the Commission and the necessity for some appropri-
ation which shall make the former action of the General Court
productive of some good.

During the year 1916 the activities of the Commission have
been devoted to certain minor developments of properties
acquired by the State during the previous year, and in the
purchase of the North Andover and Reading tract and the
Myles Standish Forest in Plymouth and Carver. It was found
that it was necessary to devote a certain amount of the funds
of the Commission to the necessary care of lands already se-
cured. It was necessary, for instance, to repair the house and
barn contained in the Otter River Forest Reserve in order
that it might be available for use by the employees of the
State Forester in the work to be done within the limits of that
forest. It was necessary, also, to complete unfi.nished surveys,
and to so mark the boundaries that there would never be any
question in the future as to the boundary lines. It was neces-
sary, also, in the North Andover and Reading forest to make
surveys to confirm titles to different lots contained therein.
For the same reason, in the spring of 1916, the boundary lines
of the Myles Standish Forest were not only fixed by transit
surveys, but the outside boundary lines were cleared to a
width of 15 to 17 f'cet. Fire apparatus was purchased and put
in place, and several hundred white pines planted. Many of
the roads were cleared of brush, for fire protection. Most of
these operations, with the exception of surveying, are con-
sidered by the Commission as part of the duty devolving upon
the State Forester as defined by the law, and not included in the
responsibilities of this Commission. On account, however, of the
lack of funds in that department this Commission deemed it
necessary to do the work outlined as protection against fire
dangers and to confirm the possession of these tracts in the

1917.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 9

name of the Commonwealth. The expenditure of the money
necessary to perform these requisite acts depleted, to just that
extent, the available funds for the purchase of land by the Com-
mission; but from the point of view of the Commission as
guardians of the interests of the State, such steps were neces-
sary and could not be evaded. In the Myles Standish Res-
ervation there are from 80,000 to 100,000 white pines which
were set by private persons previous to the purchase by the
State.

In answer to the adverse criticism that has reached the ears
of the Commission j viz., that the Plymouth and Carver lands
are unsuited to the growth of white pine, it is stated now that
at least 95 per cent, of these trees are in full growth, and are
equal in their development to trees of the same kind planted
in other parts of the Commonwealth. There is no doubt in
the minds of the Commission that practically every acre of this
forest is susceptible to white pine growth. It is quite possible
that in most of the newly created State forests camping sites
can be let each year, without injury to the forest lands, in a
manner similar to that adopted by the National Forest Com-
mission, and from which an appreciable revenue may be de-
rived. Within the limits of the Myles Standish Reservation
there are thirteen ponds and lakes with an aggregate area of
316 acres, the borders of which offer excellent camping sites.
The Fish and Game Commission have already examined Myles
Standish Forest as a place for the propagation of fish and
game, and have approved certain low and swampy places as
suitable to the breeding of wild ducks and other game birds,
and the ponds for the conservation of valuable fish.

The Commission have already entered into negotiations for
the purchase of two areas of waste land in southern Worcester
County and in Berkshire. These areas comprise lands once
densely covered with a profitable forest growth, either of pine
or spruce, but which, having been cut off by lumbermen and
subsequently burned over, are now becoming covered, as is
commonly the case, with worthless and unprofitable trees.
These lands are absolutely unproductive, returning nothing to
the owner in the shape of lumber or cordwood, or to the State
as taxes. They therefore are well within the classification of

10 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

waste lands contemplated, and are also well adapted to the
purpose outlined in the law. It has already been urged that
about one-quarter of the total area of the State is composed of
nonproductive lands, neither woodland, pasture nor tillage, and
that such lands might be transformed by the contemplated
action of the State into productive forests. Careful study of
conditions and examination by the Commission and its engi-
neer in the field have, however, made it plain that a large
proportion of this undeveloped territory is in detached lots
not capable of being turned into a continuous forest under the
direction of the State; but further, it has been demonstrated
that notwithstanding the absolute unproductivity of these
lands, the owners have been unwilling in a large measure to
dispose of such tracts at a maximum figure of $5 an acre. In
other words, it can only be hoped that the improvement of
these detacjied lands will by degrees be made by private inter-
ests, as the owners observe the effects of intelligent treatment
of the larger areas by the trained foresters of the State.

The Commission is well satisfied that the policy adopted by
the Commonwealth of reclaiming these waste lands is a wise
one if not an absolutely necessary one; but it wishes to make
it clear, after three years of careful observation, that it is
quite as necessary to plant and care for these lands as it is to
purchase them, and that acquiring them in the name of the
Commonwealth and doing nothing to reclaim them is the
height of inconsistency. It is also incontestable that the State
Forester will have very little money which can be applied to
the care and planting of State forests under conditions at
present existing, and it must be realized that even if the whole
of the reforestation fund could be so used, it would be entirely
inadequate for the purpose.

In view of the conditions set forth in this report, the Com-
mission recommends and urges the passage of an act author-
izing it to expend the further sum of $20,000 in planting,
clearing and maintaining the State forests already acquired
and to be acquired, under the direction of the State Forester.

1917.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 11

Summary of Recommendations.

By the most careful estimate of the cost of planting wild
areas with pine or other coniferous trees it would require at
least $10 an acre to plant; and as all the land purchased is
practically waste land, or land which will have to be actually
planted as well as cleared, it would require for the land already
bought by the Commission between $75,000 and $100,000.
This, of course, should not be attempted all in one year;
but at least 1,000 to 2,000 acres ought to be planted every
year, and should be cared for after they are planted in a way
to protect them against natural enemies and fires.

This recommendation has been embodied in a draft of bill sub-
mitted.

Proposed Purgatory Chasm Reservation.

The Commission submits, as a part of this document, its
findings in the matter of Purgatory Chasm, as directed by the
resolve of the Legislature, approved May last, calling for an
investigation as to the practicability and advisability, and an
estimate of the cost, if any, of establishing a State reservation
at Purgatory Chasm in the town of Sutton.

The Chasm is situated in the town of Sutton, between
Sutton Center and Whitinsville in the town of Northbridge.
It is reached by an old road running between Whitinsville and
Sutton which passes near the Chasm entrance. The road at the
present time is in a poor condition, and should be repaired to
make the Chasm more easily accessible.

The Chasm constitutes what is no doubt one of the most
unusual natural formations to be found within the Common-
wealth. It has been for many years attractive to large num-
bers of people both inside and outside the State, although the
difficulty of access has made it possible for only a few, of the
many who under other conditions would have visited the
Chasm, to see the wonders of the place.

The tract has for many years been owned by the Whitin
Machine Works, a manufacturing corporation located in Whi-
tinsville, and the ri^ht of the people to visit the place has never
been restricted in any way. During the past few years, how-

12 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

ever, much of the forest land adjoining the tract has been cut
off; and although the Commission does not feel that the
lumber on the Chasm property is of sufficient value to render
it a great temptation to lumbermen, or an inducement to the
owners to part with the property for private interests, such
is within the realm of possibility. The Chasm tract comprises
an area of 102^ acres, and consists of six small parcels of land
all adjoining each other. It is stated by Mr. Haynes, engineer
for the Commission, who had the investigation in charge, that
the acquisition of three of these lots, comprising an area of 59|
acres, would be sufficient to preserve the natural beauties of the
Chasm and the area immediately surrounding it. The owners
of the property have agreed to sell these 59^ acres to the
Commonwealth for $3,202.50, which figure was estimated by
Mr. Haynes to be a fair valuation of the property. The owners
assert their unwillingness to part with the property to any one
else for the same price. While the 59| acres, if thus acquired,
could not in any sense be treated as a part of a State forest,
and do not come within the meaning of the law creating the
State Forest Commission, it is quite possible that should the
State purchase this property the Commission would seriously
consider the advisability of acquiring a few hundred acres of
land now stripped of its timber and adjoining the Chasm tract,
and thereby make the same into a State forest.

This Commission was authorized and directed to investigate
the practicability and advisability of acquiring this tract and
to estimate the cost thereof. The acquisition is practicable,
and if the Commonwealth desires to continue providing attrac-
tive resorts for the people at a moderate cost, this place
presents unusual advantages. Whether these advantages are
equal to the cost of the same the Legislature alone should
decide. If once acquired, there ought to be no considerable
expense attached to maintenance, for the beauty of the Chasm
is provided by nature and cannot be improved upon to any
material extent.

The Commission would recommend that some legislative
committee make a visit to Purgatory Chasm, as it is only fair
to state that oral or written descriptions are inadequate to
convey a true conception of the wonders of the place.

1917.1

PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108.

13

Financial Statement.

Expenses.

Appropriation for 1916,

Expenditures : —
Traveling expenses of commissioners and secretary, . $286 24

Stationery and postage, 31 47

Printing, '. ... 149 24

Sundries, 32 84

Balance returned to treasury November 30, 1915,

$500 00

499 79

21

Purchase and Maintenance of Forests.

Balance on hand November 30, 1915, . . $17,057 79

Appropriation for 1916, 20,000 00

Received for tools lost, ...... 97

Expenditures : —

Services, . . . • $5,706 87

Travel, 753 02

Maps, etc., 502 23

Land, 22,002 06

Stationery and postage, 4 73

Equipment and supplies, 602 15

Freight and teaming, . . . . . . 224 65

Sundries, 127 48

Balance on hand November 30, 1916, ....

Special Investigation of Purgatory Chasm.

Appropriation for 1916,

Expenditures : —

Services, . $41 54

Travel, 45' 86

Maps and photographs, etc., 11 50

$37,058 76

Balance on hand November 30, 1916,

Respectfully submitted,

29,923 19
$7,135 57

$100 00

98 90

$1 10

HARVEY N. SHEPARD.
F. W. RANE.

Public Document

No. 108

FOUETH ANNUAL EEPOET

Massachusehs State Forest
Commission.

1917.

BOSTON:

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS,

32 DERNE STREET.

1918.

Publication of this Document
appeoved by the

SUPEEVISOE OF AdMINISTEATION.

FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATE FOREST COMMISSION.

The State Forest Commission was appointed in the year 1914
under an act of the General Court of that year providing that
"ten thousand dollars may be expended in 1914 and twenty
thousand dollars annually for the four succeeding years in the
acquisition of lands." The purpose of the act is the reclama-
tion of as much as possible of the wild and waste land in the
Commonwealth, — estimated to be a million acres in extent,
which has been stripped of its productive growth and has grown
up to birch, cherry, poplar and scrub oak, and often has been
burned over once or more, — and gradually to supplant this
worthless growth by suitable forests. Such forests, when once
established and properly maintained, will furnish merchantable
timber, spruce for pulp wood in the manufacture of paper,
railway ties, telegraph poles and posts, as well as the material
for numerous manufacturing and chemical industries, — a great
source of wealth to be conserved and developed, so that from
it, by proper cutting and replanting, the community may obtain
an annual return as from any other serial crop.

The Commission began with a careful study of the woodlands
of the State, and sent letters of inquiry to the mayors of cities,
chairmen of boards of selectmen, and forest wardens. A great
many offerings were made, and the Commission examined most
of them; but generally the areas were too small for economical
development. The first forest established by the Commission,
named the Otter River State Forest from the river which flows
through it, is in the towns of Winchendon, Royalston and
Templeton, and contains 1,700 acres in a natural white pine
country. The second forest, named the Myles Standish State
Forest, is in the towns of Plymouth and Carver, and contains
7,000 acres of typical Cape land, suitable for white, red and
Scotch pines. Eighty thousand white pines were planted here

4 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

previous to its purchase by the Commonwealth. Within the
limits of this forest there are 13 ponds and lakes, with an aggre-
gate area of 300 acres, the borders of which offer excellent
camping sites. Such sites can be let each year without injury
to the forest in a manner similar to that adopted by the United
States Forest Service, and from these sites an appreciable reve-
nue may be derived. These ponds are important, also, as a
valuable fire protection. A small cranberry bog yielded its
first crop of berries in 1916, 102 boxes of which were sold for
$63. We had arranged for the sale of these berries also this
year, but unfortunately an early frost killed .them before they
could be gathered. The grass cut in the forest was sold for
$10. About 3 acres of open land were planted to potatoes by
some of the people of Carver this year at no charge. We have
requested the Fish and Game Commission to patrol this forest
against hunting during the autumn months, and this, and all
the forests, can be used as game reserves. The third forest,
named the Harold Parker State Forest, is in the towns of
Andover, North Andover and Reading, and contains 1,100
acres. The fourth forest, named the Savoy State Forest, is in
the town of Savoy, and also contains 1,100 acres. The Com-
mission is making type surveys of these forests.

Since the deeds of the Myles Standish State Forest in many
instances are ambiguous, and the boundaries indefinite, the
Commission has proceeded to make a taking by outside boun-
daries marked by monuments and pipes, in order to establish
a substantial title and make all doubtful corners certain. It
probably will take similar action with one or more of the other
forests.

The four forests are rather widely located with reference to
one another, in order that several sections of the Common-
wealth may have the advantage and benefit of these object-
lessons in forestry. They differ materially in topography, soil
and growth, and therefore they offer the possibility of produc-
ing forest trees of several different species. The Myles Standish
State Forest, for instance, is in general of a flat nature, the
highest elevations on it not being over 200 feet, and the soil
being of light texture, suitable mainly for the production of
pines of such species as Scotch, red and white. The Savoy

1918.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 5

State Forest, in comparison, is 2,000 feet or more above sea
level, and is better suited for the production of heavy stands
of spruce and fir rather than pine. Ash and birch also are
adapted to this region, the former in particular being a tree of
material commercial value.

Since the purpose of the act, under which these lands have
been acquired, is their reclamation, and it is less expensive to
plant them at once after clearing rather than to allow a scrub
growth to get possession of the ground, as it is sure to do in a
few years' time, it has been necessary, on account of the in-
ability of the State Forester, from lack of money, to do the work
to devote a considerable portion of the appropriation for the
Commission to this purpose and for fire protection, although
the expenditure of this money has depleted to just that extent
the available funds for the purchase of land. But it is quite as
necessary to plant and care for these lands as it is to purchase
them, and there is no object in going on with the purchase
unless the lands are to be converted from waste lands into
productive forests; in fact, it is more of a detriment than a
benefit to the public for the Commonwealth to start upon a
policy of economic reclamation which will not be carried to
completion.

There have been expended in the Otter River State Forest
from the Commission appropriation $2,200 for fire lines to a
width of from 4 to 6 feet, brush cutting, ploughing, thinning,
surveys and planting, 400 acres in all; and in the Myles Stan-
dish State Forest, $6,000 for similar work, including the pur-
chase of tools and pumps and the brushing out of boundary
lines to a width of 12 to 15 feet, and the clearing of roads so
that fire equipment can be transported in teams. The planting
400 acres in all was done in alternate rows of Scotch, Austrian
and white pines, and as many red pines as the State Forester's
nurseries could furnish, — 160,000 in all, — besides 40,000 Nor-
way poplars; and in addition 100,000 seedling pines have been
set in the nursery. On the Harold Parker State Forest 6,500
red and white pines have been planted, and we have expended
this year in this planting — 10 acres in all — and for line
clearing, $262.35. On the Savoy State Forest 16,000 white
pines and 6,000 Norway spruces have been planted, 22 acres

6 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

in all, at a cost of $98.24. Except the poplars all the trees
have been furnished by the State Forester.

To complete the boundary lines of the Otter River State
Forest, and add certain waste lands possible of acquisition,
300 acres should be added, making the forest 2,000 acres.
The Commission has agreed to purchase six small parcels of
land, comprising 250 acres, to add to the Harold Parker State
Forest, and desires to make the forest 2,000 acres. The Com-
mission will add 500 acres to the Savoy State Forest. In order
to extend boundary lines to desired points 300 more acres
should be secured, making this forest 1,500 acres. Other lands
which have been considered for purchase are situated in the
southern portions of Worcester and Berkshire counties and on
the Cape, and there are other portions of the State where there
are large waste areas.

Unless the General Court shall see fit to make some change
in the act of 1914, the Commission this year may proceed first
to acquire as much land as possible and allow it to remain un-
protected and unimproved, in which case the land will remain
in the same condition as under its former owners, title only
having changed hands; or second, it may stop buying land
other than so much as it has agreed to purchase, and spend
its appropriation on reclamation and improvement; or third,
it may expend a portion of its appropriation in acquiring more
land, and a portion in reclamation and improvement. The
third is the best line of procedure, with the expectation, how-
ever, that future appropriations will be made for continuance
of the work, since it would be unwise to plant and protect
unless such work is to be continued. Fire lines and roads, for
instance, are of little use unless kept up, and the forests need
this yearly protection as an insurance against fire.

The policy of acquiring waste lands, and the reclamation of
them, is a sane one. This year the fact is brought home that
the Commonwealth should produce more timber, and that
waste land should be utilized for the benefit of the Common-
wealth rather than continue being an encumbrance. While
timber production is the main object of the establishment of
State forests, they have value also as recreation reserves; also
these forests offer the possibility of work for many men over

1918.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 7

a period of years, such as clearing, slash disposal, planting,
thinning, fire lines and road building, and there is no season
of the year, except when snow is very deep, that some kind of
forest work cannot be done. Prison labor can be used in much
of this work, or in dull years, such as 1913, unemployed men
can be used. The State forests also serve as object-lessons to
private landowners, and thereby act as a stimulus towards
reclamation work on their part.

Financial Statement.
Purchase and Maintenance of Forests.

Balance from 1916, $7,135 57

Appropriation for 1917, 20,000 00

■ $27,135 57

Expenditures : ■ —

Services, $5,765 77

Travel, 1,129 40

Land, 5,978 29

Supplies and equipment, 1,457 58

Express, freight, etc., 120 57

Trees, . 170 00

Maps, photographs, etc., 91 69

Postage, 3 79

Sundries, -. 188 28

14,905 37

Balance Nov. 30, 1917, $12,230 20

Expenses of Commission.

Appropriation for 1917, $500 00

Expenditures : —

Travel, $118 98

Stationery and postage, 32 79

Printing, 41 21

Sundries, . 1 50

194 48

Balance returned to treasury Nov. 30, 1917, . . . $305 52

HARVEY N. SHEPARD.

F. W. RANE.

ELISHA M. WHITNEY.

Public Document

No. 108

FIFTH ANNUAL EEPOET

The Massachusetts State Forest
Commission.

1918.

BOSTON:

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS,

32 DERNE STREET.

1919.

Publication of this Document

approved by the
Supervisor of Administration.

FIFTH ANNUAL EEPORT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATE FOREST COMMISSION.

At the end of the period of four years and a half, for which
the General Court, by chapter 720 of the Acts of the year 1914,
made its appropriation to purchase waste lands to be planted
as forests, it is our duty and privilege to report a summary of
what we have done.

The Commonwealth has acquired by purchase four areas, —
one in Plymouth County, one in Essex County, one in Worces-
ter County, and one in Berkshire County, and this year has
acquired by gift another area in the southern portion of Berk-
shire County. The first contains 7,000 acres, and is in the
towns of Plymouth and Carver, and has been named the Myles
Standish State Forest for historical reasons; the second con-
tains 1,200 acres, and is in the towns of North Reading,
Andover and North Andover, and has been named the Harold
Parker State Forest, in memory of the first chairman of the
Commission; the third contains 1,700 acres, and is in the towns
of Winchendon, Templeton and Royalston, and has been named
the Otter River State Forest from the river which flows through
it; the fourth contains 1,200 acres, and is in the town of Savoy,
and has been named the Savoy Mountain State Forest; and
the fifth contains 1,000 acres, and is in the town of Monterey,
and has been named the Arthur Wharton Swann State Forest,
in memory of the late husband of the generous donor, Mrs.
Susan Ridley Sedgwick Swann of the city of New York. Upon
all these areas, except the second, are one or more buildings,
which came with the land without cost to the Commonwealth,
and which are used for administration purposes. The average
cost of the purchased areas is between $3 and $4 an acre.

These areas differ materially in topography, soil and growth.
The Myles Standish State Forest is light and sandy, mostly

4 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

covered with scrub oaks, and has been burned over many
times. The few old trees now remaining show that Scotch,
red and white pines will attain good size. The Harold Parker
State Forest is rolling and rocky land, adapted to both soft
and hard woods. There are no ponds nor brooks in this area.
The Otter River State Forest also is rolling in character, but
is not rocky, and is adapted also to soft and hard woods. It is
abundantly watered by the Otter and Miller rivers. The
Savoy Mountain State Forest is on high land, 2,000 feet above
sea level, where ashes, birches, spruces and firs will flourish.
It has no ponds nor brooks. The Arthur Wharton Swann
State Forest, unlike the four already mentioned, which are
forests as yet only in prospect, is an actual forest, with fine,
large chestnuts, oaks, spruces and pines. A mountain brook
flows through it. For economical management these forests
should be enlarged by gradual additions. With the consent
of the Governor and Council takings have been had of the
Myles Standish and Otter River State forests, so as to make
certain the title of the Commonwealth within the lines of the
outside boundaries.

These areas have not been developed as we had expected.
The act provides for the purchase of the lands by the Com-
mission and for their development by the State Forester.
Unfortunately he has had no money for this purpose. Never-
theless considerable work has been done, though at the cost
of the appropriation for the Commission. The buildings have
been kept in repair; roads have been cleared of brush; and
fire lines established and brush burned; and there has been
a good deal of planting; but we felt that we ought not to
spend in planting very much of the appropriations, which were
intended primarily for the purchase of land. An inspection of
the planting shows that 98 per cent, of the pines of all kinds
are alive and doing well.

The Commonwealth is pursuing a wise policy in the purchase
and development of these areas, in order that a continuous
supply of timber may be secured. The fuel shortage has
demonstrated our dependence upon our own forests, especially
reinforced by the lessons of the war, which has made such in-
roads into the world supply of timber as imagination could

1919.] PUBLIC' DOCUMENT — No. 108. 5

not have pictured. The forests of Europe have been almost
destroyed, and the forests of the United States and of the
Dominion of Canada have been cut to a very large extent.
The demand for timber for pulp wood, railway ties, telegraph
and telephone poles, manufacturing and chemical industries,
will far exceed the supply for a long time to come. It is of
pressing necessity, then, that preparation be made now, and
this must be done by the Commonwealth itself. The burdens
upon private capital will be so many that it will not be avail-
able for this purpose, even if it could afford to wait thirty to
fifty years for a return. No man plants for himself but for
posterity, and few are able to lock up their capital in an en-
terprise which will not yield its full return until it is inherited
by the children or grandchildren of the present owners. There-
fore the State must take the matter in hand, or probably it
never will be done. The Commonwealth can do this, and
meanwhile will furnish employment to its people. We can
grow our lumber here for less than it costs to transport it
from the south and west and from Canada.

Another consideration presses upon us at this time. Our
soldiers and sailors will be returning in the near future from
their service across the ocean. Some of them will fill their
old places, but many of them must look for new employment,
and some of them will not be able physically for many occupa-
pations. Our allies, notably Great Britain and its colonies,
are making extensive plans for the public reclamation of waste
lands. Here is the opportunity for the Commonwealth to be
just and generous, and also to reap a profit. The manhood of
our Commonwealth is its most precious asset. Death will
claim a large proportion of our young men who in days of
peace would have become the fathers of our race. It will be
wise statesmanship, then, and no more than common gratitude,
to take care of those who escape. Many can find permanent
employment in road building, in fire-guard patrolling, in
cutting of timber, and in planting, and those not equal physi-
cally to any of these occupations can be employed as forest
rangers. It is possible, also, to establish upon areas of con-
siderable size a woodworking shop where returned soldiers and
sailors unfitted for outdoor labor can be employed. It is
probable a still larger area can be acquired in southern Berk-

6 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

shire, near the Arthur Wharton Swann State Forest, and
possibly adjoining it, where such a community can be estab-
Hshed. There also is an area of some 3,000 acres in the
southern portion of Mashpee, upon the east side of Waquoit
Bay, with the State road of the south arm of Cape Cod passing
through it, which is admirably adapted for forest purposes;
but the prices asked put it beyond the possibility of acquisition
under the law. There is quite an area upon Martha's Vineyard,
a solid block of 1,500 acres in the town of West Tisbury and
about in the center of the island adjoining other property of
the Commonwealth, known as Heath Hen Farm, and now
under the charge of the Fish and Game Commission, which
probably can be obtained. These areas can be handled so as
to insure a continuous yield of timber and continuous employ-
ment in the sawmill, the shop and the woods. As the em-
ployment will be continuous, both the shop and the forest
workers can live in their own homes with their families. Such
a community will impart at once new life to several little
villages, and would meet with the favor of their inhabitants.

We have arranged with the Fish and Game Commission so
that bird and animal life is protected in these forests, and there
is no reason why they shall not be used for the recreation of
the people of the Commonwealth. They have been visited
much more frequently this year than in all the four preceding
years. The Massachusetts Forestry Association held its annual
field meeting in the Myles Standish State Forest in June, and
early in July several members of the Appalachian Mountain Club
tramped through the Otter River State Forest, and another party
of this club later in the month went to the Savoy Mountain
State Forest. Camp privileges can be given, especially upon the
shores of the beautiful ponds in the Myles Standish State Forest,
under permits like those given by the United States Forest
Service in the White Mountains. Proper signs will be posted
this winter in all these forests, and upon the highways leading
to them, so that the people may know of them and visit them.
The State Forester intends to erect upon the Myles Standish
State Forest, for observation purposes, a steel tower formerly
used in Chelmsford and now replaced by a larger tower. This
smaller tower will be a useful acquisition to the forest.

We have given our engineer, Frank L. Haynes, a year's

1919.J PUBLIC DOCUIVIENT — No. 108. 7

leave of absence, so that he may go overseas as a Y. M. C. A.
secretary, his position to be open to him upon his return.

Only a beginning has been made in the reclamation of the
waste lands of the Commonwealth. A million acres still re-
main, — land now producing nothing of value and paying little
in taxes, but which covered with forests would have a large
commercial value. For these reasons we recommend to the
General Court an appropriation of the sum of .130,000 a year
be made for five years, with the provision that if any part of
the S30,000 remains unexpended at the end of any year it may
be expended in the following years, that the average cost be
increased to $10 an acre, and that the sum allowed for the
expenses of the Commission be increased to $1,000 a year.

Financial Statement.

Purchase and Maintenance of Forests.

Balance from 1917, $12,230 20

Appropriation for 1918, . . . • . . 20,000 00

^ ,., $32,230 20

Expenditures : —

Services, 13,939 81

Travel, 763 14

Land, . 1,978 69

Supplies, 304 06

Equipment, 158 11

Maps, photos, etc., 65 20

Express, freight and teams, 62 90

Printing cloth signs, 49 00

Sundries, 25 65

7,346 56

Balance Nov. 30, 1918, $24,883 64

Expenses of Commission.

Appropriation for 1918, . . $500 00

Expenditures : —

Travel, $271 53

Stationery and postage, 18 42 -

Sundries, . 50 30

340 25

Balance returned to treasury Nov. 30, 1918, . . . $159 75

HARVEY N. SHEPARD.
ELISHA M. WHITNEY.
FRANK W. RANE.

Public Docuraent

No. 108

SIXTH ANNUAL EEPOET

The Massachusetts State Forest
Commission

1919

BOSTON

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS

32 DERNE STREET

1920

Publication of this Document

approved by the
Supervisor of Administration.

SIXTH ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATE FOREST COMMISSION.

In our report for the year 1918 we gave a full description
of the five areas, — containing in all 11,574 acres, ■ — -which had
been acquired by the Commonwealth under the provisions of
chapter 720 of the Acts of the year 1914, to be developed as
forests. This year two lots of 48 acres in all have been pur-
chased and added to the Harold Parker State Forest; one lot
of 5 acres has been purchased and added to the Otter River
State Forest; 308 acres have been purchased and added to the
Savoy Mountain State Forest; and 450 acres have been pur-
chased and added to the Myles Standish State Forest. The
Myles Standish land cost $450; the Harold Parker land cost
$242; the Savoy land, $1,540; and the Otter River land, $40.

Most of the appropriation which remained at the close of
last year for the purchase of lands by the Commonwealth has
been used for the development of these forests, as follows:
upon the Harold Parker State Forest 45,000 pine trees have
been planted at a cost of $523.71; several old cart roads have
been opened; boundary lines have been bushed out; and a
survey has been made for a taking by the Commonwealth.
The expenditures, including the cost of the additional land and
of planting, have been $1,830.08.

Upon the Myles Standish State Forest 480,000 white and
Scotch pine trees have been planted at a cost of $3,975.23 by a
crew of thirty to forty men, mostly returned soldiers; and a
new nursery was picked out in a central location, a water
system put in, and 250,000 two-year pine seedlings were trans-
planted into it. An experimental area of 2 acres in a heavy
stand of scrub oak has been cleared at a cost of $60, proving
that this method of preparing heavy scrub oak lands for re-
forestation is too expensive for practical use. About 10 acres

4 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

also, near the buildings, were cleared of brush. The boundary
lines, 22 miles in length, which were bushed out a rod in
width three years ago, have been mowed over, and the fire
guards on each side of College Pond and Fearings Pond roads
and of the entrance road from South Carver, amounting to
8 miles, have been mowed over. There are 8 miles more of
open roads to be mowed and 15 miles of closed roads to be
bushed out and put into condition for use as roads and fire
protection. There has been a great demand for camp sites;
and, therefore, surveys were made of College, Fearings, Widgeon,
Clew and Rocky ponds, and on these ponds, two hundred and
fifty camp sites, with 100 feet shore frontage and 200 feet in
depth, have been laid off. Charge Pond has been reserved for
the Boy Scouts, and Barretts Pond for the Girl Scouts. Fifty-
six allotments have been made on College Pond, seven on
Fearings Pond, and seven on Widgeon Pond. The amount
received therefor is $623. A garage has been built near the
superintendent's house, and some minor repairs made in the
cottage and barn. The telephone line has been rebuilt and
extended to the bungalow, so as to place a telephone instrument
near the steel fire tower which the fire warden has built there.
The expenditures, including the planting, nursery and survey-
ing, have been $8,034.25. The taking of this forest by the
Commonwealth is now complete, all claims having been settled.
Upon the Otter River State Forest 175,000 pine trees, all
from the local nursery in the forest, have been planted at a
cost of $1,642.16; and 300,000 seedlings were transplanted into
the local nursery, now in its fourth season. Since June — the
month of this transplanting — was very dry and there is no
water system, the seedlings suffered severely from drought.
The fire lines along the railroad and electric lines have been
meowed over, and the ditches plowed and harrowed. An old
town road, closed for many years, which runs through the
south part of the forest, has been bushed out and made passable
for teams. The drawback to its use is an old bridge over Otter
River, which is unsafe and has to be bolstered up even for
temporary use. A new lot of 50 acres acquired last year has
been surveyed and is incorporated in the forest. Two camp
sites have been allotted in the forest, one of them to the Brook-

1920.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 5

line Friendly Society, with forty boys camping there this past
summer. The amount received therefor is S35.75. The expend-
itures, including the planting, have been S3,426.53.

Upon the Savoy Mountain State Forest 145,000 trees were set
out, principally spruce, since this tree is native to the region,
at a cost of SI, 010. 10. This land in this forest is so clear of
underbrush and free from rocks that the planting cost was only
$5.60 per thousand trees against an average of $8 for like work
upon all the forests. A nursery was started by transplanting
150,000 pine and spruce seedlings, and, although it is situated
on newly cultivated ground and receives little care, it is doing
well. No road work has been done and fire lines are un-
necessary. There is an abandoned town road, which runs
through the center of this forest, which should be put in shape
for team passage at least, as at present it is impossible to go from
the south to the north end of this forest by team, except by a
long detour and that over town roads scarcely better than the
abandoned road. The buildings are old farmhouses, both in
need of extensive repairs. A survey has been made of the entire
forest for the purpose of preparing a plan for a taking. The
expenditures, including the additional land and the planting,
have been $3,740.43.

Upon the Arthur Wharton Swann State Forest no planting
has been done, but a small nursery has been started with
50,000 pine seedlings. There are on this property a bungalow,
a farmhouse, three barns, and several small outbuildings, and
the forester in charge of the work in western Massachusetts is
living in the farmhouse. The chief problem in connection with
this forest is the utilization of 300 acres of chestnut trees which
are dead or dying. The State Forester received from the
General Court an appropriation of $10,000 for the operation
of this lot, which already has commenced, and a portable mill
will be installed in another month. The expenditures are
1365.25 for the nursery and $803.07 for farm work and repairs
of the buildings, — in all, $1,168.32.

The expenditures upon all the forests for the year have
been as follows: —

6 STATE FOREST COMMISSION. [Jan.

Planting, $7,151 20

Nurseries, 2,505 46

Roads and fire lines, 912 94

Brush cutting, 1,906 52

Surveys, 1,110 00

Land, 2,272 00

Repairs and supplies, etc., 2,341 59

Administration, , 4,610 77

Financial Statement.
Purchase and Maintenance of Forests.

Balance on hand, Dec. 1, 1918, $24,883 64

Expenditures : —

Services, $15,104 32

Travel, 1,286 42

Land, . 2,922 00

Equipment, . 1,012 90

Supplies, 1,590 67

Freight and teaming, 483 59

Maps, etc., 14 45

Sundries, 386 03

22,810 38

Balance Nov. 30, 1919, $2,073 26

Expenses of Commission.

Appropriation for 1919^ $300 00

Credit from 1918, 32 08

$332 08

Expenditures : —
Travel of Commission, . . . . . . $193 25

Annual reports 1917, 1918, 32 08

225 33

Balance Nov. 30, 1919, . . . . . . . . $106 75

These forests have been visited more frequently this year
than in all the preceding years. The camp privileges, es-
pecially upon the shores of the beautiful ponds in the Myles
Standish State Forest, are most attractive, as also is the steel
fire tower, and they will increase the use of this forest by the
people of the Commonwealth for healthful recreation. Our
engineer, Frank L. Haynes, to whom we gave a year's leave
of absence so that he might go overseas as a Y. M. C. A.
secretary, has returned and resumed his former position.

1920.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 108. 7

A million acres of waste land still remain for reclamation by
the Commonwealth for forest purposes, — land now producing
nothing of value and paying little in taxes, but w^hich covered
with forests would have a large commercial value. For these
reasons we recommend to the General Court that an appropria-
tion be made for five years of the sum of $30,000 a year with
the provision that if any part of the $30,000 remain unexpended
at the end of any year, it may be expended in the following
years, and that the average cost be increased to $10 an acre,
and also that the sum allowed for the expenses of the Commis-
sion be increased to $1,000 a year.

HARVEY N. SHEPARD, Chairman.

V. W. RANE.

ELISHA M. WHITNEY.

u

i ■/

in(\CAM8f^lOG:P^ STREET