The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-08-06
State Gets Big
Profit in 153,82O
Acres of Woodland

Z
MIA of 16,44o acres of forest land in
this vicinity, Potter county now con-
tains oneeeighth of the state forest
lands and sees the beginning of a re-
vival of the lumber industry which
years ago made this one of the most
important subdivisions Of the com
monwealth.
The state now Gyms 153,s20 acres
of forest land, in the country. The
recent purchase, at s1.75 an acre,
amounted to $27F70, and makes the
total expended in the development of
the industry in this section close to
100000 for the land alone.
Ten years ago Potter county was
denuded of it's trees. Huge mon
arehs of the forest, pine and hem
lock, were leveled by the woods
mans AK and with no replanting, the
ground had been burned over time
and again by forest fires.
With the adoption of modern re-
forestration methods, the state has
begun to renew the trees and now
there is almost a ten-year second
growth of hardwoods, maple and
beech principally. These trees are
used by chemical concerns, of which
there are four in the county, and at
the rate of cutting, 5000 acres a
year, there will be an unending sup
ply of raw material, inasmueh as the
forests replace themselves and pro-
duce twenty-five cords of chemical
wood to the acre every generation.
The forestry department returns to
the county each year s6,S69 for
school, road and county purposes. The
state treasurer has received S.
1850 for the sale or wood.
Modern forest trails, to the extent
Of 1856 miles, have been opened
through the forests, and with mod
ern flre-detection and fre-fghting
| methods it is believed that the state
service has finally overcome the fire
| menace. Hardly a tree along the
| road lacks a sign warning against
! fire. A significant sign says:
| Everybody Loses in Timber Fires"
Under the direction of R. Lynn
| limerick, of Coudersport, and his as
| sociate, H, F. Port, of Cross Fork,
! sixty-two miles of telephone lines
have been installed Telephones con-
| neeted number eightesn. Four wooden
! fire towers and four steel fire look
! outs have been built and during the
spring, the dangerous season, a pa
troll of fifteen men is constantly on
| the alert for fire,
| The residents of the county, too,
| are drilled in fire prevention and
| protection, and at the alarm business
! men leave their desks, the schools are
! dismissed and every available person
hurries to the scene of the fire to
: curb this waste of the county S
wealth.
More than forty miles of road have
! been improved and constructed. I'm
| der the direction of Forester Elmer
| lex 27S miles of boundary lines have
| been surveyed. More than 40 springs
| have been opened and cleaned. Forty
| Eve camp sites have been leased and
| 1875, 600 fish planted.
Potter county boasts of Kettle
creek, one of the finest trout streams
| in the country, and the fact that
| trout may be caught any day right
| in the center of town here, in the in
| eipient Allegheny river, is an indi-
| cation of the abundance of game fish
in this region.
The work of the state forester
shows more foreib1y, however, in the
actual rep1anting that has been &C
com plished. A few thousand short
of 100000 young trees have been
set out to provide for future genera
TONS More than $500 acres have
| thus been reforested. The depart
1nent, in addition, has contributed
$685. SIS seedlings to private indi-
viduals.
Potter county, as a playground OF
the state, and a hunters paradise, Ii
rapidly taking first place. An avefage
of $500 campers, hunters and fisher
men use the state land every year
They are welcome, but they nus
observe the regulations regarding fire
as well as the game laws.
State Forestry Commissioner Pin
ehot, at the Ole Bull pilgrimage or
Friday, outlined the department pro
gram and explained the dropping o.
foresters from the roll.
st want more money for forestfi
because We need it to prevent anf
put out more fires, and to buy more
devastated forest land for the state
to protect and restore" he said. Blu
want 1t also because it will enable
the department to return to aetivs
service the fefesters who have beer
placed in reserve because of lack o
funds.
ct wonder if you understand jus
what was done. When took omic'
!, b I called together at once larg
and representative committee of tn
faresters themselves and asked then
: to tell me what the service needed
r most. Their answer was; First of all
living salaries for the men.