Forestry Commission
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Stat� of New Hampshire BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE Forestry Commission FOR THE YEARS 1915 - 1916 Concord November, 1916 MANCHESTER, N. H. PBINTED BY JOHN D. CLARKE COMl'.l.NY 1916 1.'rint.ccl b.Y JouN n. CLARICE Co., Manchester Bound by G1w1mE G. NEAL, Do,·cr CONTENTS Page Introductory .................................. 5 Statement to the Governor and Council........... 5 Synopsis of growth and present status of state for- estry ................................... 6 Recommendations for improvement............ 10 The Forest Fire Se1·vice......................... 14 Forest fire damage and costs................... 14 Fire seasons of 1915 and 1916 ............... 14 Cost of fighting forest fires................... 15 Damage by forest fires..... .................. 16 Mountain lookout stations..................... 17 New stations constructed.................... 17 Operation of stations ........................ 18 Use of lookout watchmen for other work....... 19 Improvements in fire location maps............ 20 The panoramic relief alidade............... 21 The perfected lookout maps................ 22 Patrol service ............................... 23 New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association.. 23 Other patrol agencies-state road patrolmen, rm·al mail carriers, section foremen, town wardens .. 24 Prevention of railroad fires.................... 26 A change in policy......................... 26 Special prevention measures................. 28 Engine inspection .......................... 28 Patrolling right of way...................... 28 Fire, lines-the Mast Yard fire line........... 29 Disposal of lumber slash....................... 30 Present legal requirements................... 30 .. Shall general slash disposal be required........ 32 Relation of slash to fire damage............ 32 Practice in other states.................... 33 Cost of slash disposal-recommendations..... 34 Important points in town forest fire organization.. 36 Duties of district chiefs..................... 36 · Local warden conferences .................... 37 Fire fighting tools and apparatus............. 38 Portable steam sawmills..................... 39 Clearing bushes. and brush along roads........ 40 1 2 REPORT OF FORESTRY 00:M:MISBION. Page What should a good town forest fire force include .. 40 Fire :fighting; reporting; prevention; other for- estry work .............................. 41 The future forest :fl.re problem for New Hampshire.. 42 Causes, remedies ............. · ............. 42 Recommendations .......................... 44 The possibilities of timber insurance .............. 46 Reforestation ................................. 58 Non-productive land-A state problem........... 58 Use of waste land.... ...................... 68 Extent of forest planting adequate for state needs. 69 What has been done to solve the waste land prob- lem .................................... 60 Reforesting operations by the state............. 60 A new law to encourage forest planting ........ 60 Planting on state forests ..................... 62 Planting methods ............................. 64 Planning a reforesting job-small and large tracts 64 Methods of setting trees..................... 66 The State Forest Nursery...................... 66 New site purchased......................... 66 Plans for developing the state nursery and refor- . esting work ........................ .... 67 . Public forests ............... ................. 69 Summary of public forests in New Hampshire ...... 69 National forests ............................. 69 . Extent ...................... ....... , .... 69 Administration and improvements........ , .... 70 Leasing of cottage and camp sites ............. 71 Timber sales ............................... 72 State forests ................................ 73 Recent tracts acquired by gift ................. 73 State forests acquired by purchase ............. 74 Improvement work on state forests ............ 77 State Nursery and Experimental Forest ....... 78 General Miller Park...................... 78 Cathedral and White Horse Ledges......... 79 Monadnock Forest Reservation. ............. 7Q Haven Reservation ....................... 79· Harriman State Forest.... ................. 79 .... Huckins Forest Demonstration Tract.... 80 REl'OBT OF FORESTRY 00:MMISSION. Improvement work on state forests: Page Dunbarton State Forest ................... 80 Crawford Notch ..•.........•. , , •......... 80 Joseph B. Walker State Forest •...•••.•..... 81 Davisville State Forest .......•....•...•.... 82 Mast Yard State Forest ......•.....•....•... 82 Sentinel Mountain State Forest .........•.... 82 Livermore Falls State Forest ............... 82 Blue Job State Forest •..................... 83 Mascoma State Forest .................... 83 Other state forests ....................... 83 A change in public land policy ............... 84 Disposition of federal and state lands ....... 84 Acquisition of land by Eastern States ......... 86 Diminishing forest resources ..........•....•• 86 A period of readjustment .•................• 87 Objects sought by state forests ....•..........• 88 '.1-.i.::nber supply and use of waste land ........ 88 Education of woodlot owners ................ 89 Protection of stream flow.................•. 90 Recreation ...............•....•••.....•. 91 Public revenue ..........................• 92 Municipal forests ...................••...•.••• 95 Towns may acquire forests ..........•.....•••• 96 Hollis town forest .................•......• 96 Forestry on other municipal lands .............. 96 Future of town forestry ..................... 97 Educational and special projects.................. 98 Aid to woodland owners ....................... 98 Educational feature in department work ...... 98 Special aid to woodlot owners ............... 99 Examples of successful private forestry ........ 100 Forestry education at the New Hampshire College 103 Special projects .............................. 106 .•... The chestnut bark disease ............... 106 The white pine blister rust .................. 106 Habits of the disease--identiflcation......... 106 What has been done ....................... 107 .... Means of combating the disease .......... 108 Forest taxation ............................. 109 Paper by Mr. J. H. Foster .................. 110 Planting and care of roadside trees ............ 119 Shade tree laws ...................••••..•• 119 Co-operation with towns and cities ...• , ....• , 121 3 3 4 REPORT OF FORESTRY OOMMIBSION. Planting and care of roadside trees: Page Planting by the Highway Department......... 122 Encourage private owners. .. .. .. .. .. .. 12S APPENDIX Forest laws 127 Forest fire wardens and deputies ................... 150 Fire lookout watchmen .......................... 173 Financial statement 174 REPORT. Tn His Erccellency the Governor and the 'Honorable Oo1mcU: In making its report for the two years ending August 3 r, 1916, the Forestry Commission is mindful of the deep public interest in forestry which has long existed in New Hampshire, making possible the good work of former commissions and giving active, intelligent support to the present board in all parts of the state. The first Forestry Commission in New Hampshire was authorized by the General Court of 1881. This commission made an investigation of forest con ditions and published a report in 1885, written by the late Hon. Joseph B. Walker, which gives a careful record of forest conditions and recommends many public measures which have now been adopted. A second commission was appointed in 1889 and there has been one ever since, although not placed on its present basis until 1909. Much credit is due these early commissions for encouraging the public interest in for estry and for the excellent technical papers which were published. From 1903 to 19o8 three reports were made in cooperation with the U. S. Forest Service. The first was a detailed study of forests in Northern New Hamp shire by A. K. Chittenden with special reference to spruce. The second was a bulletin of forest conditions in Central and Southern New :f{ampshire made by C. A. Lyford, and Louis Margolin, with volume and yield tables for white pine. Good forest maps for the entire state were made with these reports. The third was made by ]. H. Foster, covering the subject of forest taxation. 5 6 REPORT OF FORESTRY COMMISSION. All of these reports recommended the establishment of a forestry department under the commission, with a state forester in charge. A law providing for this was enacted in 1909 and the scope of the department gradually extended until now it embraces fire protection, reforestation, acquisition and management of state forests, and many educational and special projects. During these years the commission has had valuable cooperation with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, the United States Forest Service, the United States Bureau of Plant Industry, the New Hampshire State College and Experiment Station, the States of Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and the Province of Quebec, and with many other public and private corporations and societies. This report sets forth the work that has been done in each branch of the service during the two years ending August 31, 1916. Important points are condensed under the following synopsis and summary of recommenda tions. SYNOPSIS. Fire Protection. Three new lookout stations have been built, making 27 in all now owned by the state. Of these 19 are now operated by the Federal