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northern coniferous forest belt which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and which is dominated by only eight hardy conifers. Nevertheless, it is upon the comparatively limited area of New Hampshire that the greatest relative demand for timber has been made. It is a demonstrable fact that the larger portion of the timber supply for the New England market has thus far been drawn from the relatively small area of our own state. This disproportionate drain upon the forest resources of New Hampshire has been due to its accessibility to a good market, the comparative ease with which its forest cover may be removed, and the superior quality of its forest product. If, therefore, the present demand for this product is sustained, and the existing methods of removing it are not further modified, the early exhaustion of our forest resources is inevitable. How early, may be judged from the statement of Mr. George T. Crawford, the well-known forest expert, who has given his opinion that at the present rate of consumption the last of our original spruce forests will have been cut over in fifteen years.

To the emphasis with which Mr. Crawford has expressed this opinion is due the adoption of a restrictive method of cutting by some of the large operators to whom we have referred, viz., The Russell Paper company, the Fall Mountain Paper company, and the Winnipiseogee Paper company, which in the aggregate consume thirty million feet of spruce timber per year, or about fifteen per cent. of the total cut of the state, and which require the annual product of four thousand acres of forest.

The ultimate profit of this restriction of the cutting will not be denied, and the operators whom we have named also have demonstrated its present profit.

THE PROPER LIMIT FOR CUTTING.

The twelve-inch limit, however, is not all that is to be desired. The scientific study of individual tree growth, referred to in our last annual report, is likely to prove that still further restricting the cutting will largely increase the ultimate gain. Investigations recently made upon typical spruce forests tend to show that fourteen inches rather than twelve inches is the proper

limit for securing a continuous and reasonably profitable annual return from that desirable species.

These investigations were conducted by Mr. Austin Carey, agent of the Forestry Bureau at Washington, who, by measurements upon sample acres of forest in New England, has been able to ascertain the annual wood increment in a spruce forest under varying conditions of lumbering. His conclusion is, that if the cut be restricted to fourteen inches, the spruce forests of New England may be lumbered over at intervals of twenty years so as to yield the owners at each operation the equivalent of four and one-tenth per cent. compound interest annually in wood material. The return in money, estimating the value of stumpage for logs of this size at four dollars per thousand, will amount to five and six-tenths per cent. compound interest annually.

Despite this conclusion, the commission at present would be content to have twelve inches the general limit for future lumber operations in New Hampshire. This is the limit already set for themselves by the most enlightened operators, and its general adoption would therefore be secured with less difficulty. Moreover, uniform adherence to such a rule would equalize the conditions of production, and would go far to relieve the situation of its most threatening aspects.

FOREST FIRE LAWS.

During the past two years the forests of New Hampshire have not suffered seriously from fire. The statutes now provide with apparent adequacy for the protection of all portions of the forests of the state against fire. The selectmen of towns are forest fire wardens, ex officio, charged to "watch the forest, and whenever a fire is observed therein to immediately go to the scene of it, and if possible extinguish it." The greater and more valuable area of forest which lies in the unincorporated townships of the northern part of the state, is protected by amendments to the forest fire law passed by the last legislature at the suggestion of this commission. These amendments provide that the Forestry Commission shall, upon application by the owner or owners of any tract of forest land situated in a ocality where no town organization exists, appoint a suitable

number of special fire wardens for such tract, define their duties, limit their term of employment, and fix their compensation. The expense attending the employment of such special fire wardens shall be borne, one half by the party or parties making the application for their appointment, and one half by the county in which such tract of forest land is located.

The responsibility for future extensive ravages by forest fires rests, therefore, under the law, with the selectmen of towns and the owners of the endangered property. It is desirable that both these officers and proprietors clearly recognize their powers, duties, and privileges under the present law.

PROTECTION OF SHADE-TREES.

The legislature of 1895, in order to protect the shade-trees which adorn the highways of the state, sought to bring them under public care by enacting that the selectmen of towns be authorized to designate trees of this character at prescribed intervals along the roadside. The trees thus designated were

to be marked with a brass tag bearing the state seal, and were to become public property, never to be removed except by consent or order of the selectmen. The duty of providing tags for marking the trees was laid upon the secretary of the Forestry Commission, and the demand for them aggregated several thousand. No appropriation having been made by the legislature for providing such tags, the secretary of the commission was unable to supply this demand. Within the past few months, however, a generous summer resident of Tamworth, Dr. William Rollins, of Boston, moved by his sense of the propriety of the law and the desirability of early action under it, offered to have a suitable die engraved and the requisite number of tags for use in Tamworth struck from it. This generous offer was so clearly for the public good that the commission was constrained to accept it, but with the proviso that the die should become the property of the state and should be lodged with the secretary of this board. It has thus become possible, by Dr. Rollins's compliance with this provision, to meet the present demands for tree markers at slight expense, the cost of the die having been the greatest charge. But if this law is to be made effective, the governor and council should be authorized to draw

warrants on the treasury for the purpose of carrying out its provisions to an amount not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars annually.

PUBLIC FOREST PARKS.

The most gratifying part of our labors during the past two years has been an attempt to render operative that portion of the forestry law of 1893 which provides for the establishment of state forest preserves. There is now a reasonable prospect of the early acquisition for the state of two areas of forest property, which will be set apart as public parks under the provisions of the law.

The first and larger and more important of these areas naturally will be located in the White Mountain forest, and the site has been chosen with reference to all the future conditions which now appear to this board most likely to arise in the extension of its work. The tract sought is located in the heart of the White Mountain region, and is readily accessible to the general public.

It is triangular in shape, and lies along the northeast boundary of the town of Bethlehem, its apex resting at a point a few rods southeast of the Mount Pleasant House and its base, about four miles distant, lying upon the slopes of Mount Willard. It has both original and secondary forests, and contains among other scenic advantages, Beecher's cascade, one of the most notable and lovely of the White Mountain falls. The present title to this land is now in dispute between two persons who have been unable to agree upon a transfer of the property to the state, and proceedings have therefore been instituted through the attorney-general for its condemnation under the provisions of the Forestry Law.

This location, aside from the forestry and scenic advantages which the tract offers, is on many accounts the most desirable in the state for the beginnings of a public forest preserve, inasmuch as it is situated in a portion of the mountains where the proposed park will be most likely to attract public attention. Moreover, the area of a park in this location, in case of additional contributions for such a purpose, can easily be extended, with the largest possible advantage to the whole state, so as to

protect the forest standing at the head watershed of the Saco, Connecticut, and Merrimack river basins. This tract also adjoins forest preserves owned by the Mount Pleasant Hotel company and the Boston & Maine Railroad company, so that when the title to the proposed state park shall have been acquired, a forest reservation of considerable area will have been established in the very heart of the Presidential Range.

The acquisition of this tract, without expense to the state, in conformity with the provisions of the forestry law of 1893, has been made possible by the generous contributions of Mr. Henry C. Warren of Cambridge, Mass., and Hon. George Byron Chandler of Manchester, president of the board.

It is expected, also, that another forest preserve will be established during the coming year upon Mount Monadnock in Dublin, where, by the contributions of Mr. George B. Leighton and other summer residents of that town, the commission has secured funds with which to institute proceedings for condemnation of a considerable area of forest land.

In addition to these two parks, another, in the vicinity of the Pinkham Notch or the Carter Notch, has been made possible by the formal offer of a contribution from Gen. M. C. Wentworth of Jackson, toward the establishment of such a reservation in that locality whenever it shall be deemed by this commission feasible to do so. But further contributions to the same end will be necessary before any practical efforts can be made in that direction.

MAP OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RANGE.

Accompanying this report will be found a map of the Presidential Range, White Mountains, printed from plates which have recently been completed by the United States Geological Survey, and from which the first imprints have been made for this report. This map is so accurate that we have felt it incumbent upon us to secure its early publication in this manner, inasmuch as a prerequisite for successful scientific study of forestry is an accurate map of the locality under consideration. This map, as first prepared, showed the location of the hotels and other buildings, the highways and paths and the contours of the country at intervals of fifty feet. The commission has caused to be added

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