Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-06-09
FORESTRY WORK IN VERMONT.
Windsor county's Big Recory- 1874, 900
Trees Set out--What the Private Own
ers Are Doing.

WINDSOR Countys o'S HeSV'J -ooT,VOV
Trees Set out--What the Private own
ers Are Doing.
During my frequent visits in Vermont
| have become deeply interested in the
work being done there in practical for
estry, the very important branch of con-
servation of her resources, writes b.
Walker McKeen In The New York Trib-
une Farmer, and now, through the cour-
tesy of A. f. Halves, her efficient state
forester, am able to give a brief sketch
of the work, together with pictures of
reforested areas and the nursery plan
tations under his care. Mr.. Halves de-
fines forestry as the business of obtain
ing permanent profits from the forests
and the reforesting of areas once pro-
ductive, but no longer so by reason of a
change of commercial centres or the
neglect of their owners. Therefore,
neither he who lumbers carelessly nor
he who simply holds a forest and allows
the trees to mature and rot Is practicing
forestry.
OF those who are doing something in
forestry, most are planting waste lands.
The state nursery sold last year 376, 700
trees. Including the trees secured from
other sources, there have been planted In
the last two years $4,000 trees in Wind
sor county alone, and $1,000 in Benning-
ton and Rutland counties. Nine differ
state have planted more than 10000 trees
each, and 10 different parties in the
southern part have done the same.
These large plantations will soon be
conspicuous features in their COMMUNE
ties, and will serve to interest others in
forestry. Besides these, there are now
more than 100 smaller plantations scat
tered widely over the state. The trees
planted are mostly white pine and Nor
way spruce. The Billings estate Of
Woodstock, long under the able manage
ment of the late George Aitkin, whom
the writer counted as a true friend and
from whom he received many courtesies,
including the privilege of inspecting all
of his most valuable work, has the most
interesting example of forestry to be seen
| in the state. Here vast areas, covering
| nearly an entire township, have been
converted into profit-paying forests by
| trimming and thinning as well as re-
planting, and Mr. Aitkin lived to cut
| timber trees of good size from forests of
his own planting. There are several
older plantations of Norway spruce, Eu-
ropean larch and white ash, and some
| recent paintings of pine and beautiful
natural hard woods which have been
properly thinned.
The International Paper company Is
| undertaking forestry on a large scale,
| following the direction of Forester
Halves. The company has established a
| nursery of its own at Randolph to raise
| its own stock for planting, and hereafter
! will cut only according to forestry prin-
| ciples Dr. William l.. Stevens was the
| first private owner to undertake the sys-
| tematic management of his land under
| a working plan" Under this plan he
cut the first year q, 422 feet of lumber
and 1856 cords of wood. The proceeds
were used towards planting 10000 trees
on the waste places.
7. N Vail now has similar working
plan, made by the state forest service
| This tract covers 600 acres. All the
woodland will be thinned out, and a.
600 trees are to be planted. This will
include white and Scotch pine, Norway
| spruce black locust, red oak, European
| larch, white birch and hemlock. The
| Vermont marble company has established
a nursery and will at once plant out COZ
| acres.
Many individuals of means are becom.
| ing interested, and the work Is rapidly
spreading. NJ. j. Hapgood, a large land
| owner, has bound himself and his heirs
never to cut any trees except under the
direction and with the consent of the
state forester. The work of transplant
| ing has been very successful from the
| first. Only a small percentage of the
young things die. and crew consisting
of three men will go so rapidly over
piece of land as to surprise anyone no
accustomed to the business. The tree
are usually planted about six feet apar
each way, and are thinned they 81 =
| large, but most of the thinning and al
| the trimming is done by nature. Tn,
state forester estimates that in 80 year,
Vermont may have 20O 900 acres of state
! forests from which she will derive al
| income of 81 900 900 a wear