ee we ae. Ry lisa RAST SUE aS oe Nt U yi ie pe ie aot ie oe BEE a Wits ANN Nem York State College of Agriculture At Gornell University Sthaca, N.Y. Dibrary Cornell University Libra SD 387.W6R64 The farm woodlots of Tompkins County. THE FARM WOODLOTS OF TOMPKINS GQouwntT Ys. BY F.E ROBERTSON. 1909. Introduction. In making a study of the farm woodlots of Tompkins County, the object has been to treat the subject from the standpoint of farm management, in so far as the woodlot is related to the farm, rather than from the forestall or botanical point of view. For want of time and means, the ecological and adeptic factors that in- fPliuence forest growth, are not considered to any great extent, except as they are noticeably in evidence and have a bearing on the care of the woodlot or on the question of tree planting. At the present time Tompkins County has woodlots, not forests. The care of these woodlots should be closely related to farm management. Their future worth to the farm depends upon the care that they now receive. The following discussion has to do with early history of the forests, the present condition of the woodlots, and a few suggestions as to what may be done in order to improve their condition in the future. Aclmowledgment is due Professor G.F. Warren for helpful suggestions ; Mr. Walter Havens of Lansing, Introduction. In making a study of the farm woodlots of Tompkins domty, the object has been to treat the subject from the standpoint of farm management, in so far as the woodlot is related to the farm, rather than from the forestal or botanical point of view. For want of time and means, the ecological and adeptic factors that in- fluence forest growth, are not considered to any great extent, except as they are noticeably in evidence and have a bearing on the care of the woodlot or on the question of tree planting. At the present time Tompkins County has woodlots, not forests. The care of these woodlots should be closely related to farm management. Their future worth to the farm depends upon the care that they now receive. The following discussion has to do with early history of the forests, the present condition of the woodlots, and a few suggestions ss to what may be done in order to improve their condition in the future. Aclnowledgment is due Professor G.F. Warren for helpful suggestions ; Mr. Walter Havens of Lansing, Mr. Charles Bruce of Danby, Mr. Holmes Hollister of Ithaca, and others, for much historical information in regard to lumbering methods, early prices, etc. PART I. The History of the Early Conditions. In the year 1789, ten years after the memorable expedition of General Sullivan, history records the first permanent settlement made in Tompkins County, as being located near the present site of Ithaca. Other settlements were made soon after this, and within a period of fifteen years there were various settlements located in each of what are now townships. The greater pert of this territory was then a portion of Albany County. Since that time the bo.ndaries have been frequently changed until at the present time Tompkins County consists of nine townships : Caroline, Danby, Enfield, Dryden, Groton, Ithaca, Newfield, Ulysses and Lansing. Closely following the beginning of each of these settlements, sawmills were erected. The following table shows the recorded dates. Township First settlement First sawmill Caroline -----~--~- ay en 1800 Danby ------------- 1795) #---------- 1797 Dryden ---=---------= W797 0 ene enna 1800 Enfield ----------~ 1804 ----------- 1812 Groton -<---------- 1798) --~--------- 1811 Ithaca -\9--<-----<- 1789 ----~------- 1813 Newfield -------~-- 101 ---------- 1809 Ulysses ----------- W91l ----------- 1796 Lansing ----------~ weet eee cee nnn -e ---- 1. From the “History of the Lumber Industry of N.Y. State" At this time Tompkins County, as well as almost the whole of Western New York State, was covered with a dense growth of great forest trees, consisting of pines, oaks, hemlocks, hickories, maples, beeches, elms, basswood and many other species, both coniferous and deciduous. It is doubtful if anywhere in the United States was there a more varied and luxuriant growth of pines and hardwoods than originally grew in this section. In those early days it was the white pine (Pinus Strobus) that was considered most valuable, and even it, owing to the lack of markets and shipping facilities, was valuable to the settler only in proportion as it provided material for the building of the home. Its abundance, straightness, and the ease with which it could be worked up into timbers, boards, and shingles made it of prime importance to the settler even before the first sawmills were built. Not only was the pine of a fine quality, but the old oaks, so important for ship timbers, the hemlock, ash, hickory and maples - the so-called "first growth" = were of a quality far superior to any of the present day "second growth" timber. For a considerable period (1789-1822) the only markets for the forest products of the county were those in the local villages. The lack of markets naturally created a certain amount of wastefulness. Clearing the Land. "Harly and late about his farm he goes, A diligent worker with his own hard hands ; He plows the rolling upland, and he sows, And in waste places clears the wooded lands." The present condition of the woodlots in Tompkins County is but a natural result of the extravagant in- difference of the early settlers, and of a lack of just appreciation for the value of the forest. The clearing of the forest growth from the land was one of the first needs of the settler as soon as he had located and erected a home for his family. It was quite natural that the early settler should regard the forest as an obstacle to his progress, for he had no use for such a vast amount of timber, other than what would supply his daily needs. Doubtless this habit of extravagance and thoughtlessness concerning the value of the forests has been inherited by present generations, a& Pact which might explain our present indifference to forest protection. In the process of clearing the land for farming purposes, a certain amount of the timber was converted into charcoal and potash, both of which had a stablo market value. However, the practice of converting timber into charcoal and ashes does not appear to have been as common in Tompkins County as in other sections. As rapidly as the land could be cleared and burned over it was sown to wheat, planted to corn, or made into pastures. “after having cut away the smaller trees and underbrush, they trimmed some of the larger ones, girdled the pines, and rolled them into heaps to burn." In this way it is roughly estimated by men whose fathers settled in Tompkins County, that fully sixty per cent. of the forest growth was ruthlessly destroyed. In the thoughtless haste to get tillable land, and to obtain what little income they could from the forest, much rough, hilly land was denuded of its forest cover, and thus there were left, many steep, bare, unproductive hillsides that are by nature fitted to grow little else than forests. This condition of denuded hillsides is particularly evidenced in the townships of Caroline, Danby and Newfield. The other tionships are somewhat better fitted for agriculture, and yet, it is an evident fact that there is considerable rough waste land in any of the townships, from which the forest growth ought never to have been cut. Such areas are ordinarily of no great value for pastoral purposes as they are overrun with bushes or badly cut up by the elements of soil erosion and will never be fit for So cultivation. we ee 1. History of Dryden. Early Lumber Markets. Before there were any facilities for shipping the forest products to market, the local timber had but a nominal value. The settler looked upon the forest as & barrier to his progress rather than as a natural resource of value. Soon after the completion of the Erie Canal in 1822, there grew up a market for the pine, which was shipped to Albany by canal boats. At that time Albany was the chief lumber market in New York State. The shipping of pine, and of oak for ship and boat timbers caused to be built up a considerable lumber trade at Ithaca. The very finest grades of pine brought $6.00 per thousand feet delivered at the wharf at Ithaca ; and $10.00 per thousand feet delivered at Albany. In 1835 the business of building canal boats at Ithaca was in a prosperous condition. In the townships of Lansing and Groton, oak, ash and beech timber was hauled overland to Auburn during the winter months. It was not until after 1850 that other markets and means of transportation were obtained. The fol- lowing dates show when the various railroads were built and new markets were made available to the forest pro- ducts of Tompkins County. prince Owego), Cayuga and Susquehanna R.R. (Lackawanna ee woe --=- 1834 Lehigh Valley R.R. (Ithaca to Geneva) ------------= 1870 * (Auburn Division ) ------------- 1874 Midland R.R. --------------- -----+--+-------------- 1872 Ithaca and Cortland R.R. (E.C. & N.) -------------- 1871 Owing to the great abundance of timber, the meager shipping and marketing facilities, and the desire for cleared land, the forests were not valued as they should have been. The History of Local (log mm) Timber Prices. Statistics show that the prices for all classes of lumber are increasing rapidly. In this connection, it is interesting to note the advance in local "log run" timber prices for a series of decades (1843 - 1908) or since shipping facilities and new markets influenced the demand for forest products. The following Table I and its accompanying Ghart I show the prices for "log run" grade of timber for a series of years in Tompkins County. They are the averages obtained from a number of sets of figures taken from old books in possession of some of the oldest lumbermen in Tompkins County and are of value in that they are representative of local conditions. These figures are interesting not only as they show the gradual increase in the price of timber in a local section, but they also show, to some extent at least, the tendency to make use of lower grades of timber such as ; chestnut, hard maple, elm, birch and beech, as the better grades become scarce or are exhausted. Tompkins County, 76978-1708. Local (logr Dolla vs, 30 93S ¥0 of 5~ /S- 20 /0 a) * (840 1850 /8 60 /870 1880 (870 /700 1910 ecades, Leqena W. Prine Ww, Oak ————_ Ww. Ash Sa Ghestwutl os Hemlogk,------ Hickstecmen— Basswood —- 77 Beek === PART II. Present Condition of the Farm Woodlots. The present conditions of the farm woodlots in Tompkins County are, perhaps, quite representative of the conditions of the woodlots in many other counties in New York State. They might well be described as irregular, detached pieces of woodland, consisting of all sizes and second, a ae growths. (See Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4.) They occupy no definite position as regards soil or altitude. Steep hillsides and ravines are denuded of their forest covers, in certain sections, and in other sections more or less thrifty woodlots occupy good agricultural land. They have no definite relation to the general lay-out of the farms. Composed,as they are, of dead, diseased, young, mature and weed trees all thrown in together, the valuable left to struggle for supremacy with the invaluable but hardy species, and in addition, frequently required to withstand the ravages of fire and stock, these remnants of the old virgin forests are evidence of their natural strength in with- standing the adverse natural and artificial conditions that tend towards their elimination. e Could the detrimental influences of mankind, fire, and stock be removed from the woodlots, Nature, in a few Va “GAL RE a a ae = " Tl PN oe 12 generations, would make them as healthy and vigorous as they were before artificial conditions were brought to bear upon then. In default of this natural revitalization, it remains for man, for the farmers who own the woodlots, to remove or remedy these undesirable and detrimental conditions and to intelligently put into practice, practical methods of forestry that will tend to improve present conditions. “ It is a deplorable yet self evident fact that no= ae where in Tompkins County have the farmers or timber owmers done anything toward making a study of the means for improving their woodlots, or in putting into operation any intelligent and practical methods of caring for them as they exist today, although the average farmer or other owner of woodland is well aware that the prices of all kinds of forest products have pune tee rapidly within eae ee ese are planting locust and catalpa trees in certain parts of Tene county, as will be noted later, there still remains 'that element of selfish indifference regarding future “disposition of the woodlots. Ree A 3 FELIS 2S 1s, de Wf See fe has ee (To el SS = Ve Si i 7, Wee 7 ge Cas | ere C ik eee 13 Woodlot Acreage per Farm, Township and County. The following Table II and its accompanying Chart II show the number of farms, the average acreage of land per farm, the average acreage of woodland per farm, and the total acreage of woodland in the separate township and in the whole county. These figures are taken from the data secured by the Tompkins County Farm Survey recently completed. TABLE Il. No. Acreage farms Acreage No. AV&. woodlot report- woodlots Total farns farm per ing for acreage Township reported Acreage farm timber these woodlot Oaroline 173 147.71 25.57 4423 Danby 210 105.5 19.62 174 235.64 4122 Dryden 365 106.45 13.52 290 17. 4933 Enfield 194 103.7 10.9 156 13.5 2114 Groton 298 88.4 10.4 3099 Ithaca 135 103.32 11.48 103 15.05 1551 Newfield 114 111.55 13.54 95 16.25 1544 Ulysses 178 59.7 7.65 112 11.14 1361 Lansing 273 101.2 10.93 200 14.91 2983 Total No. 1940 26130 Avg. acreage for county 103.06 13.75 14 With reference to the above table, it should be understood that these averages are for the number of farms reported. In certain townships there were tracts of woodland, the owners and acreage of which could not be ascertained at the time. It is quite probable that the total woodlot acreage for the county is somewhat greater than the above table shows, however, the average size of the woodlots per farm, in each towne ship and in the whole county is the important point, and it will be from this figure (13.73 acres), that further deductions will be dram with reference to the question as to whether or not the woodlots of Tompkins Coumty are increasing faster than they are being used up. (See later Rate of Increase Growth of Woodlots of Tompkins County. ) Present Methods of Care. In making a study of the conditions of the farm woodlots in Tompkins County, perhaps the most striking factor is the sameness of the conditions in the several townships, especially as regards their care. With but few exceptions, the farm woodlots are valued only for what they will produce in fire-wood, or as a source from which a small bill of lumber or fence posts may be cut when needed. If the woodlot provides present gratifi-~ cations in this respect, it is given no further thought. 16. The fire-wood is ordinarily cut in a hap