- January, 1929 – Article from Journal of Forestry Magazine1, Page 25.
An Example of Industrial Forestry in the Adirondacks by Howard L. Churchill. Forester, Finch, Pruyn and Co., Inc.
To date we have spent somewhat over $10,000 on this work, together with some weeding out of small hardwoods that are hindering small spruce, and have covered somewhat over 5000 acres. Perhaps 40,000 acres should be treated in this way and will be in the next few years.
Part of the girdling is being done in lands logged during the past fifteen years and part on lands having a merchantable stand at the present time which will be cut over in, say, 8 to 12 years, but where there is a considerable amount of hardwood which left will occupy the ground after the logging of the softwoods, but if killed out now will give the larger spruce a chance to expand their crowns and the smaller ones to occupy the ground so that the hardwood can not get in enough to crowd them out after the lumbering.
These girdled trees have been carefully inspected this fall, and besides out own study, Prof. S. N. Spring is making measurements annually, starting this season, on carefully laid out plots to determine amounts to and where it will be most profitable to girdle in the future. These measurements are made in connection with the annual field work given Cornell seniors on Finch, Pruyn and Co. lands. A very gratifying increase in growth, both in height and diameter, occurred last summer on the areas girdled in 1925.
This work of girdling and thinning is of greater importance than might at first appear. Over a period of years we can get a materially greater amount of merchantable softwood or we can get a certain amount in a less number of years, that is, cut on a shorter rotation. Looking at it another way, we can get a continuous supply for the mills from a less area and thus save capital investment in land and interest, as well an annual taxes and protection costs.