Herb Winer, History of the Great Mountain Forest

Figure 7. An extreme example of hemlock'• ability to sand down rooteover e lcmg expan3e or ttimq covered rook (Bigelov POlld atobd). Thietree eatablished itaelt SO to 80 ;veara beton l'm, betOft mioh datethe J'inga are obeoured by rot. It \.'88 releaead 1n lsct,, \lhen it weacmly about 3 inohes 4.1.b. In 1950 it was 20 inchea d.b.h. (Photow-10, by J . o. Wendel. )Figure s. The eame tree abown 1n tiguN 7, artw it wa pert1al.17uprooted by the ato.rm ot NOV91lber 25, 1950· At the lett 11 the uppe1'port1Cll of the crown or anotiber hanlook, blown down by the . . storm.(Photo 29-1· )



U6which c<q;rteee alllio8t 80 f*\"oen't of the canopy (be1611t eloao 8) and t110Nthan 90 percent of the vwy high stand basal. area.1 262 squaro f oot per aere.Only beech, the most tol«ant bard'aood of the Fcrest ~on, bao boen ableto~ an iqxrtant position aloneaide bemlook in tho oirorntar;r,om i t is cbi~ r ostnotod to tho atrata bot:nen 6 and 50 root abcne tbegrouna, Here it ooaure as spindly lntermediate and 09W't;oppod individnals. The .table rGf leots the weakly dovoloped nature or t ho uildorstory,ptlrt:!.oularq 1n heiatit olaooos 3 and b. In addition to tho troo spec1e1ahcmi ·1n table 12, tbo at.rate fi'-O!l 1to15 !'eet ab090 the erouoo areop.a;roely ocoupled by sbrttbs cbaraoterioUo of tM he!:ilook-nartl1orn hardwoodGS3oe:l.atioo-etrtped maple, mple-l.eaved vi~ and hobbl obu:ih, itoun-tain 1.aurel 1a oampl.eto1\" absent from the Bigelow Pond sta.nr?J a &w snallinct. i~dua1a occur at Long Swra.q)• !he herba~ous flora 1a very sparae, \"CJ08t ot tho ~ound beingo0901\"9d by a w.n, bare bW:llS h7er. Among the principal npociotJ of tholos~ -aetation are Wild ~f-the-nlloy, prinoo•c-pino,, ·~ shining03.ub-czloss. Toget her 1dth occasional olumps of Mdgos and tnr£:'1..JUl ahield-torn, tbeae plant.a occupy lc3a than S percent of t.b0 crau.'1.d mrri'.a.oo. 'Oeton:d.ning precise age rolations 1n ~a.7th :rt:ux1s of tb.i.s ond height of ooro or OGCti.an were reoorded. The cores and ooetions were lat.or prepared and staimd,. U' noceoeary, t or reodine mldor a dissecting ratcvoecope (HOQ8h, 1935.) Additional intormtion recerded at each plot bel.udod O:Jt1I:nte:9 of cr0tm density in height cl.asses 5-8, elope, aapeot, sail deptl11 soil texture, ~s, and otllQr tactQlrs affecting mat..~turo reJ.ations. '!ot.os were alao il8de of 8%\1 other ov1dence of di.aturbance .<r proviot.\s ta-oatment; eudl as ar1.g1n and branch habit of th et.and, stm:t>sJ char~ hearths, nnd other arU.racts. In addition t o this Hrl.es ot rogulo.r plots; 16 epeo1Gl. otc.t1ons ftre estllbliehed in and near the ii\"CJre8't,1 at wbich part1.al data 1fl3ro collected.

Tw.E ]2. cmPOSl'rI ON MlD ST.Ru:l'l'URB OI (JJ)..G P ercen t Abundance Species --1 -2 3 -4 -slicclock 63.7 81.S 100.0 ss.o 34Beoch 9.6 100.0 44.3 ss 4.1 2.1r-.e<t mapleSugar maple 2.0 2.7 .7 6Yellow birch 8. 2 ).4 3Blnek cherry .1White ash - -2.0 - - - 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100TotalNumber of t reesper acn 39Z> S840 360 40 262* Baais: S O.l-acre plots (50-1N, -lS, -2£, ..ar, Sl-**' Less t han 0. 05 aq. A . and pwcent.

GltMB S'f.AifDS Ill BIGILOW PCllD di> LmG SlWSP•• b 1' Heigh\ Cla•a Bual Area ?otal Tot.al per Acft- - - -6 7 8 5-8 1-4 Sq. ft.. P.rcmt,4.5 15.0 79.4 ss.6 1'1-4 261..0 92. Ss.2 60.0 6.3 37.0 10.3 9.S 3.4 2.6 1.s 2.86.9 .s.o 9.S 4.1 2.s3.4 15.0 4.8 2.9 5.0 J.9 1.3 .4 -TH -T**- -s.o - - .4 -•• 282.2 100.0 0.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0SS 126 486 10.646-10)..

118kind ie difficult, because 0£ the Jr<llonged period& of cuppreesim thathave affected existing trees ('J.iirben1lle and Hough, 1939). FaJ.se rings,txf.setne r1np , rot, and the fact that bcrlnga could sel dom be t:nde lcnrthM about 1 foot from t.he ground all introduced uncortainti eo into ageosttmo.tes. Honwr, it wae possibl e t o obtatn three ooctions of largebetilocka in these stands (plates vt, VII, VIII) and 19 seotionD of treesless than 1 inch d. b. h. These, together with rmmer~ inarOtOOnt borings,pravide datee that, while et&.ll approximate, give a el oa.r picture ol theQB.in toaturea ot stand hi story. The domlnant 6\"' C:Odomlnant hemlock of theao ol.d-f;root.h standsariginated during tile seventeenth and eighteenth oenturios. T'ae beechand other hardwoods of the overstory are younger, wt no tree taller thanSO feet eh•• a date of origin later than 1893 and most are •D'\"Q than 90)193I'S old. 34 there wa.s no relation between aiae and ago '\"'-th henloek andbeech, except, or course, that d>m.tnants and codaad.nrults T10r0 usual.l yavor 120 years old. Intermediate and overto-.d troes aho-r.tnc 245 annualri.11{1,8 were not uncommon. three hemlocks with a dtanotor ootside bark ofabou.t o.8 in.ob at a height of 3 inches showed 23, 39, and 64 rines. Plates VT, vtt, and IDI illustrate growth pat torna typical ofhonlock 1n the se at.ands, as indicated by increment coros . r l uotuati(ll]Si n p awth rates and the dat co of rel ease appear to be mrelatod amongthe aaq>led treca, euggosting that the stands bavo chan.~d ~all3with tho creation of emall openings at irregular i nt erv3lo t.hrougb thelb Dates are those at the care ar aeotion height (UBWll.]3 12 to 18 inche• from the eround) . I haw not attempted to add a \"corroetion\" f ar the t!.m requtrod to reach this hei ght booause of tho speeulat:lve nnture of this practice.

Plate VI. Section of a codaninant old-growth hemlock, illustratinga growth pattern typical of the species tmder conditions of highstand density followed by moderate release. This tne eata1>11aheditself mder an existing stand, as show by the slow grovth duringthe earliest period an the section; tran 1675 to 1731 radial grovthaveraged 0.31 inches per decade. The next SO years -were a poe.0io8i8odof extreme competition, with radial gl'owth reduced to ~inches per decade, an instance ot the remarkable ability ot hemlockto persist mder prolonged suppression. At the start ot the grov1ngseason ot 1812, the tree was partially releaeed; subsequent growthvas quite even, averaging 0.46 inches per decade.The tree tram which the section was cut was pd.abr.tho. £mthene Bigelow PCll'ldstand. It was 93 feet tall and 20.4 inches it was blovndoun (but only part1ally uprooted) by the storm ot November 25, 1950·The section vas cut at a height of 3 feet during the summer ot 1951·It ab01.led 277 ammal rings (including a partial ring formed in 1951)and had a mean radius inside bark ot s.90 inches. When besh, thiasection (like those of plates VII and VIII) shoved considerableslwldness and a tev closed radial checks, one or \lhich opened widelyduring drying. There vas no evidence of any injury by fire .





nate VII. Seot1oo or a daubs.ant old..r.rovth hdoak, more than 335yon.rs old UlOl'l blown d0\11 by the et.orm ot November 25, 1950. Thesrovth pattern i s one ~ &q.ll\"e8eion tar more than a eentUZ7, followedby a gradual roleoae and, attar l!laturity, a moderate decline· Averagerad1ol growth 1n :Snohos pw d8oado t or theee perioda w es1617-1700 0.171751-1900 .7119Clt-19Sl ·S4The tree frcm \"1ich thia sectioo wa cut • • elao 1n the Bigol.ow Paidet.and. It use U O teet tall and 34.2 mchee d.b.b . The ..ction ._.tek.aD at a height ot 2 .2 toet, and it bad a me8l1 nidiua wide baricof 16-75 inohea. 'fho acavat.iou in the heartvooci wre tho vo:rk otblack carpenter ants.



/Jr:J~lo-w #I {/!:>- s-

Plate VI II. Section of an ol d-grwtl1 hemlock , illustrsting pral.angcdsuppressian follO\IOd by spoctcculv.r release F.raa 1638 to 1678 theavorago radiol gr«rtb tlt\S c.29 incheo per decade. Slight evitkmoo ofrelasoe appears in the r i ng$ for.ood 1n 1678 and 1679; by l6SO the tl\"Oohad clearly boen treed ban the c crapetit!o.n of its associates . Fl-an1680 to 1715 awrs{{C radial growtli t.'aG 1.40 incheo por decade. a ft~charaoteri sti o of the species wen gro\m under open cond1t1ona. A1't&r1715 the stand again began to clooo, and radial grovtti el.owed conoi&-tent 17 f'rua 0.40 inches per deeedo (1716-1725) to 0.05 inohoo (1926-193S}, S'Veraging o.27 inches for the entire period.\"fhe U'Ge trcn \lbich this sootion wss cut wee in tho old-growth standeaa-t of \"Lang Swmp. ff It \188 a anae \ltlen cut 1n 1940· The date Ofdeath ws eat:tmated a t 1935, so that all the datea giY&n above may besubject to somo m on tt.iis account. Because of the decayed etmeli-Um ot the saJM)Od m the butt log, the section wa taken at a heidltof about 18 feet.. Hence, the actual date ~ oatabliahmlnt ~ eFAawl8!Jo'ditct.dCabt.ilodot -t)heprecedes the aeoticn by at leaat lcJ) 1UN• (Beati<mtumiahed by

' I '\"'\"IIll I I I 11111111111111111111 'l\"\"llllfflll~lllljilllllflll'\"'' q11111 ''\"'\"1'11111111--- ---R I H 6 . JO 11 12 I S 14 16 )6 ~---



119death m- windt~ of 91ngle trees or nall grO\lp8 at t rees . Figuft 9ehon lftlCh an opening. Evidence o~ aimll&r occurreDce8 1n the p&n 1•provided bJ' acattezred pita and mounds, created by tho roots at 1f1nd..throe V..1, and by the tncee o! tall.en tree• on wM.oh bomlock andp l.low biroh b&\"f9 be®- ~lllibed (t1gure 10). Under conditiom ot a clotied canow and onl1' minal\" di~,the amount ot advance repr<:ldwlt1an of healook and beech baa been mm\"ethan enough to aawre theb' continuing domtnatlon of the statld. Al.malltau tbl twnlock and beech now :ln tba oventcry pera:tsted throueb lcngptriod• ot npirealon befere belng rele&Md. Occaaionall;r, in tbe ab-a.nce ·ot au.ah adYanoe ~loo of tol.arsnt speciee., the open1Dphaw pend.tted the developant of 1.ntolJnnt apeciee l1k8 White 8*and mountain laurel (tiguN 9). The old-sroirth stand at Dolphin Pond (table lJ) dU'fera .traathoee at ~low Pond and tong Swap in tt1 m iq>crtant bardWoodc~cmnt, chieflT red Olk, 79llow birch, black birch, am beech. Thecr<Jlm 01.ftOP7 1• only abont 60 percent ccmplete, and thia re~i~ opencoMttien ot the etaDS 1a reflected 1n it. lower bua!t.--., 2l$ lflU8l\"9feet per &GN. The lesser vegetation, though .Btill lfJ&l\"Se, is betterdeve1oped than in the other tso .tama, including mountain laurel,t1riped maple, maple- leawd ~ partridge-berry, Indian,lpe,narg1ra1 lbield-tem, Cbrtl.st-. fern, and .n.OWJ grUSea and $edge••Lile the otbel- old-growth rel.Sets~ the etaDd ~t Dolphin P~ 18 ~~ -1.J.~ . The older baml.OCllD origlnated ear~ in the at.gbteenthc•ntUl'TJ the hartmoode are ge~ )\"OUD89l', with 8ge8 ~ q> to160 year..

TA.JU 13. CCJllPaSMCll AID STBDCmBE f e Z\" 0 e D t Abun4anoeSpnltt 1 i l ll 1Rmloek S9· 4 U.5 so.o 42.9 79.4 53BMcll 3. 1 21..3 20.0 57.1 u.o 20Reel . .JlN mp1.e 6.J 3. 0 4Sligar mple 6.J 3-0 3.7Bl.ac;t b1roh 2.5 1(Yellov lllNb n.a 21.2 .4 12White Mb - -3-1 3.0 -,... ...Total 100.0 100.0 100..() 100.0 100.0 100...._r of t.1\"M8 1600 l'se> 250 350 61.J..6 12* 1e.s81 4 O.l-aae plot.a (Sl-1?, -18, -19, -20).~ Leea tba 0. 05 peroent.

E <6 OLD-OaQftH Still> AT J>CUHD Pam.*b7 H•ig h t Olaae Buel AIW~I Tot.al Total n-per Acre I i:! l.::! Sq. Pfl'99dr3.4 6S.s 70-4 74-l SS.3 lSS.7 ...73.10.1 1S·9 10.9 :U..6 16.4 i u. 3 ,6...o. .,2.6 · OS 12.94-1 .6 3.3 .1s.2 2.9 3.7 .3 .1().0 5.2 10.9 4-6 .9 18.6 e.62.4 s.2 s.2 2. 9 ls.2S U.6 6.8-- - - -2.10.0 100.0 100.0 ioo.o 100.0 21.S.S 100.0f·l 49.7 100.9 ~.s 4771. 5 ...... I\) 0

111curc 9. l!ountain laurel in an opening in the old-grOf'tbh fl'tand atnolphin Pond. Th.is small patch of decadent laurel oriainatod no laterthan 1870 in an openinr.; probably created by the windthroo- of an old-grroth hemlock, like that at tho l eft (22 inches d. b. h.1 norG than 210yoars old) . This area is about 60 feet northeast of that shc:mi infif\"Ul'e 10. {i'boto 31- 1. )Fir:ure 10. Yellow birch and hemlock established on a faUon troo. Thecnlipered yellow birch (d. b. h. 11.6 inches) shows t he typical stilt rootsof tho species when 1t develops on a down treo or lo~. · IJ.119 hemlocksoric;inated about 1865 on the same tree. Unfortunately, th.a o~ of theor1gina.l U'ee waa so near the shorel im of Dolphin .Pond thAt it isiopossible to determtne l'rhether it was br oken oft, uprooted, or cut.( l?hoto 31-2. )



121In ite etru-ct'Ul'e and composition tho Dolphin POJld et.and t sClOl'l9 varied than the c>tbor reliot&1 and its htatory a~ to havetncluded mere frequent di&turbanoo, probably as a result of its mere~d topographic position. In none of tbe th.Ne rolicts iG theJ'e an;rev.ldenee of f ire , a circumstance in barmon;r with the abundur..co of hemlockin all age claas•••The• remnants of tbe pre-colonial f orest are obvie>usly climazstands. The ao~ordanee between overstory and reproduction ie close.B4tT1.ng a major di&turbanoe~ the stands \"111 mintM.n tho!nselves as~ood usoo1at1.ons d.ond.nated by hemlock and beech, 'f4loae~ce and longevity exceed those of their assooia~,1'M 1114ted extent. of the modern ol~Ot'ltb rGliets provents adetailed c~•on of tables 12 and 13 with data .from the lloJ'folk pJ'o-Jll'~toN'' eu\"8y'I ( table 8). Thie is particularly true t ar the hardwooJeother than beach, llbicb play a relative~ m:lnw role in the nodarn stands .~eless, it my be tnstruet-ive to compare the abundance values (in•coat) f r:1 helW>ok and beech 11'1 t he Nor f olk pitoh diVi$1.ona (\"\"'8} ld. tbda~ tar hemlock and beech more than l !> f'ee t tall (height cl.nsses 6-6) in·the old-gl'Olftb rellcta oHemlock i ari'olk Btgelc. Pond -Dolphin Pitch P<m4 and runm.~ 1fea S?Uf 29, 6 $6.3 l2. 7 31.4The .dUfeFttnce 1.n the abmlda.nee of heml_ook in the propriet.ors\" surveystlnd in t he modern rellcte le too gN&t to be ignored,. but t t cannot beo~t..i:, uplatned an tho bans ot' aftllable ertde_:noo, 0£ tbe nu.roue

122fact~s that may be involved, tbe follOft'i.ng deserve con:r.xmt: (1) Bi ea against hetaloek and i n favOI\" o! booeh in thoproprieton • IUl\"9'8ye1 a point dioeuesod earlier. SUeh a bi.nS ttoul d reducetho differences in the procediJlcr table, but it i s doubtful that it wouldeHmSnate them. (2) Sampling variat ion in the modern stands. With such l imitedareas and so few plots, this tactor can h r dly be a~aisod- ( 3) Survival of tho modern r c.liots because of t hatr unmruallyhigh proportion or hemlock. Thi s argumant gains s trenu\"'1Ah !'ro::J the faetsthat healock was not usod t or charcoal making 1n tbe \"\"'crest reaioo and~ nnch or t he hemlock 1n these old-grOll'tb stands contains aha!re orother def'ecte. H0\"9..r, henl.oek waa extonst vely used f or it.D bark, asoell Gs ror lumbers in the case or the strutd at Dolpbin Pond (as Will beehorm lOlt') it 1s clear that hemlock bark and lumber were both 1n demnd. .(4) Site conditi ons that are especially favorable t o hemlock•I n a few parts or .t he ol~owth stands t here are the \"cool, IOO'.i.st ra'1.nes\"that haw often been considered optirmm hemlock sites. Those aites areexcep~tonal, hCllW'9ftr, and over meet ot the areas an:,r particulnrly moistarid cool cenditiona appear to be the product of t he dfmOO llO:Dlook overstoryrathcl' than ita oause. BelDlock uy hue been f avorod by its ~bility t odevelop on hullue-cO\"IU'ed rooks and on t hin soils . I t m :l also hawpJ'Oi'ited b'OtD the partial.17 abelt~d topO(Jl\"Aphio posit i on Of tho Old-grorrt.h atands and trom their locations adjoininti natural firebrotlks •.l~ appoan to be of no impol\"tance. At present it •~ tbnt som o >!nation of oito factare account s

123reU.cts than in the llortol.k pitches a.a a whol e. It is al ao posaiblo1 ofcour~ that tha difference 1e only apparent. ~ U we aasuno a realQ!.ffenmcet it still somis reasonable to conaider tho relict stands 33examples-perhaps ~iograpbic variants-of the bemlool:~oodasooclLation tbat the propr!etaira &Urft18d• \'fby haw these stands survived? h noted ~lie1~, each of themU eurround.ed b7 areas that. wre intensively exploited~ l='rom t~1e m1d<il.eol tbe nineteenth century until ea;-ly in the :twentieth• tho stands atBigol s and Dolpltin Ponds ~ readUy acoeseible to lo\"',gers• The standat tc::ng swamp was l e&a acoeaaib1-eJ yet the entire South Dloek of tho~crest waa cut. seveital tiws. The explanation llos prl o..1r'iq in the~uahness of the te.na1n, uhieb would a•ke l.og&ina dif'f'icult and lead t oeenstderable breakage in felling. In addition, the land rooaros of thestanda at Bigelow .nd Dolphin Pond• indicate 4l desire by sev~ cmnersto reserve those stands. The evidence on the stand at Bigelow Poo.d ! s lareely ciroum-ftanti\"6l. It ns probably acquired i n 182) by \"\" dmund DrCQ1l (m.R l la 270)1a prominent lumberman and entrepreneur (Crlsse,-, 19001 2491 62.4). In all1'ca., the stand wae BrGim•s no later than 18SO (IfLR l6r 40h and it becamethe pr~rty of hie eoo BeJ'l3ami,.n between 1866 Gnd 1896 ( fl'IA 22t 109, !)60,S'lt 2Ji 66M70J 24• L.80), In 190$ Benjamin Br~n sold tbe atar-iA, as~ of t he \"Brawn tarra,\" to Ieabella Bi iielcm (m..R 25t 6J6..6.l?), who wasObl8 Of the early blqers of country eatatee in Norfolk. At this timecutting operati&ns wertl under way in the area just south of t.ha olrl-growtheta.nd (NIR 25t SSO-SS3) J etnce· these operatione were direotod ~1marilyagainot hemlock, lt is probable that only Mrs. ltigelw'n dc~ire to

124pt'OServe tho stand wu responsible f or ittt eurviT&l. The atand at Dolphin Pond bas a much cleuor record, shOltlnga plain intent to leavo 1t as part of a larger J\"Gserved a.roa around thepcmcl. Tb& stand is at the rurthom end of the \"Cowles lot, 0 eold byJar.ion Cowles in 18S9 to George Dudley, a leading tanmr in :'rinstedand Weat Norfolk (Nlll 18• 24). Dudley also bought t.he other 1:ots sur-i-ounding Dolphin Pond, and during hie ea:rly loutng and tAnbal!'k apera-t.10ns be left a strip untouched around the pond. He was ouccaoded byb1s son, George E..J bis two da.ughtet\"s oleo 1.nherltod an interest. 1n hiel.antls. On April lt, 19041 Oeorge £. Dudley and his eisto-rs sold all thelots to t:w1.ght B. Tiffany; a l'I1n~stAr laberman, With p.rov1Gions tortho mmtng of hem.lock lUber and the delivery of hemlock bark to theDudloy ta.nneri&a (lfIB 25t· 5~S.3). The deed also provtdG<1 tbat Said grantars agree to auney the [reeel\"rod) ~tiw (25) acres ar()Und th.e [ T'olphin] pond on or before Ju)5 1st 1904, and 1.f 11atd grantOl'G rau to survey said tract and tni\"k 1t so said Ti ffany can find tbe bounds, aaid Tif'fai\Y is not holden U' he cuts t imber on said land.Tb& subst&noe or this roeet'Vat1on waa confirmed when Tiff azw rescl.d thel.antl in 1910. 3S The remnant of aurvi'V'!ng old gro:ttb is vr.ttbin tho tteserved~, bounded on tM east and southeast by ~ar--old blazes. By co-1.nddenoe, t his ~ion of the strip ia the eteeJ:Jest Qnd loost .favorablelog~ cbane•• The remainder Gt the strip (excepting a fen Old hemlockswttbin SO feet 0£ the pond) uas cut, thus demonstratin{t t!\$ diffioul.ty otDD.l\"ldJlS a reserved area on o good chance so that a l.u.mbonnn a~ f ind the bounds.3S Tbla deGd (MI.a 28t 69..72) reserved \"a at.rip ot land vcmnd tho Dolphin Pond •. ,. or um.torm width, and of such width as to ocnta.tn exae~ ~ty-ftve acres. • The tti.dtb of such a strip •O'Jld be about .;;o feet,· Cl calculation confirmed by tho f '1ff remaining blues,

125 At Long Slramp there ia no evidence of any intent to reservethe md.sting old.growth stand; on the contrary1 the re-e(¢\"d :ilidicates twocutti ngs. . The stand oocupi-es a amall part o£ the $~ere \"Alaon Hmel~\" ltbose early Msta17 i s obsmirG. It was sold in 1853, \'t;l.th tber es-a\"'Vatian from the conveyance of \"all the •ood and ~ %l(l'1 out andlyinU upon said land•11 (HlB 161 28$). At the l eaet. ooma partial cutting Hunt bought the lotf er 0500, and ill 1861 1t bee&1;1e part of the holdings of tho Hunts cymanIron Company (NLR l.7• S71 cm 191 ~). During this ~O\"J_, Hunt .Wld the Compaf'1 o r e aetlw in l ogging, l umber nanutacture, and t.he saleof hemlock bark, as well as tn the production of cbareOtll f or use l ntheir rwna.ces and forges. Stands adjoining the old-r,ro\"atl1 i•emnant showevidence that hardWoo4s 'fA)ro o~ ahout 18651 hemlock \"\'J'tlS ~ cut onmo!t 6i' tM lot at the same time. Thie eridOnce is eorrobarated by thefeat t bat when Hunts Lyman s old the lot in 1869, S.te vnloo had drGPPGdto $109 (NLR 20• 36))• In this ease, only tecllnieal .fact.are can aecoonttar the 8UM1.val of the relict stand. The land records or these tracts th.ua indieate t.hut eaell oftheQ oould have been cut. on~ or mare occasions, .Tho surv-lval of the81talJ, 1!el1c t standa has reelll1:od in part from the om100rVati'1'0 attit udeof OfJt'tain. O#nerti but la:-&ely f rom the dif fioultias tbnt '1ould b:lveattended lo~the Role ~ Ft re 19. .!!!!. ~onial Forest Region Tho infl uence O·f f'lre on forest vegetation in tho !TOrtbeast basreeoiWd tncreaeed attentllon in NQGnt yearn. T}l1a eoctioo t s an attemptto ~ee the role o£ ft.re in tM Foreet region during the pre-colonial

126pet':l.od. Fires QaUsed by Ughtn.1.ng or by ! ndian:s doubtless occurred 1nthe Forest reg.ions tho <J\>9St1on is whether tbair freq11cney, ooverity, ande:&ten't ?'le%'9 suf t l eient• to ~ity the pre-colonial roroots- iii mJS important S1nce l ightning in the Forest r enion is alaoot ~ acoom-panioo by rain, lightning tires &ff raro. 'nte western ~ of theOanaan Moontain plnteau l s eubj•ct to fre4uent o:Pegraphie t.hnndot'storoBJit 18 likely that old traes W'ltb rotton centers have oeca.sio:aa:t:cy beenset a.!11\"9 by l.igh.t ning1 even wan the l ightning was a.ssoeiated Withheavy pain• That S\lch i'11.'ie$ have boen extensive, h«mvor,. i s qaGS'tion-able1 because or the genera~ moist condition of the fuel f er oeveralcia.ya after a ~a'VY r~1nr~11. Aeoounts of tarettt f ires started by Indians in ?!cm fl'.n(!lnnd date.practically fr()1ll the firat oottl,,ment (Wood, l6J4t 13) ~ . SOiOO ot thesefires were probably accidental, but most appear t o h.a'tm been aet &1l i ber-ateq1 f ar various reaaono: to drive game, to reduee tho underbrush so ast o h prove Yistbillt,' and f'aoilitat.e trawl through the woods, to inct'e&sethe g.rowt.h of grass and borries, t o kill snakes and insoets, m'ld f or m:l.1-t tar;r purposes. !Jost of t..lte early aeeounte naturnl ly eoneorn the coastal.l'Ogicmt Where t he Indian population was e oncentr:J.ted and wbCto woods burn-ing y;as theref ore 11K>St Ca?lc:Jn• Evidence concendne the Indian population and acti vities in the1:'orast regicm, discussed in chapter In , indicates ttmt soall !ndia.n36 Irlportant papers d1aaus&11\'J tbe extensi.e literature oo this subject are tbose of Ra-.:q> (1937) and D,en (1946) . i'or t b€ most rooont and authoro- i~tive N'ri.91f, eee Day (19$)) •

127·V11lagea i:robablY existed ! er at l.eaat eewral decades bofol.\"O 1720 in theil<Nsatonic Valley and 1n tho Qdjotning l owr el evations· of Saliobury andOWJaan. There are no co.nte.-nporary accounts 0£ Indian f il'es in this a~.To thtt north, at Stockbridge, Jlaesaoh:usetts, the Iruitnns uero ropertAd tohaw used tire as a mGthocl of clearing land f or agrl.QUlture (Jo00&• 18Slu13-46), a tl'\"adition that nn7 men]¥ reneot tho same practioo used b.y someof the early l'fbite ecttla-rs. Brief references to underbrush destroyed byI~ f ires alao occur ·in hi-stories of Colebrook end ~'O'OttO?l• eaot andaootn of Norfolk on the plateau (Uimchoster, 193St 6,c Po:roi•s, 18)91 h}.'Iba earllost and most im;pQl'tant bit °'£ t r aditioaal ev!danoo• h~, ist h-0 tollowt.ng paesage f rom an early historical diacwrse on SalitlburtJ• The face of the town then [when lf1lite eott~ began] did not wsf.U' a very p1eas&\"lt and invitine aspect . In ev-.rr1 f all of the year 1t was burnt OV'l7 [by the resi dent ! ndi.ana ]> tio dostroy the old gra.so and other vegetation,. and that there :tlgbt be a i'l\"esb and tender cwop the etl19U1ng year. ·:. Thi$. ~. With the ponds, ~ountains, and cl efts of rocks , !lO.OO th.a !'nee ot nature ap'pear f Gl!'bidd!.og to t hose Who were not ~sad of the excellence of the :Joi i . .. • By this fttGq\WUt blll\"lti.nz of the place, the [under? ] Wood was destroyed, and~ except 1.11 l~ marshy land, Whore the fire was checked in its rovages, there was not more (and 1t !.G sa.1.d by sane, much leea) wood than t here is at this day. (Crossman, 1803t 10-11. ) * [Crossman•s notes ] Firea also we~ often Qioo t-o ring deer, The f ires wre lltlde in a circular f ormJ and n:l tho dear in- cluded 11'$1'0 driven \)y the f ire to ono place., t~.re tho llunts- men could eaeUy kill the:l1. A ring f or th!e pur!X)oo vros made in the nort.heaat Il'lrt ot the town, and the f ire r an vrith sucll r apidity that on Indian lad was shut within the rint;;1 overtaken by tbe fire, -.nd buJ\"nt t o d$atbt Accounts or this kind are tantalisingly arabi{JUOUSJ 1.t 1~difficult to be sure Whether tboa ot\"igine are loettl Ot\" 11tera.ry. !ndi,ocuanng evidence or a similar natnre, Raup (1937) ~ that earlyr()baervers tended to ~.:ite ~ extent and influomo or t!teoo Iod1an

128f.U-1 becauae ti.y oould D.4t 1-gine hos Ol*l 1'00drf1 A'e8 Of lUJderbruab1cauld deftlop wt:thout eom term ot huan illtervant!.an. 'fhua. was bom,ace~ to Raup, the tradition of arumal coni'lagretions fJV1t was per-~ and ftlbe1liahed by acm eighteenth-century Wi~. Act-.117, the reporte froa thoee man who ...,, Idan fiNe at.f!ftft. band do not nppcll't tho idea that conflagrations buztmd ~ auaouthern New England every JMZ\"• Day (19SJ) concluded that althoughburni.ng wae eoaaon, it R8 t&l\" tran un1wnal, being limited to populatedueaa. ~ was not neoea~ ammal. Where tires were f.rgquent,thq were ge~ reetrioted to the littel' and small.er pl&nts. The lack of erldence or Indian act1Tities in Colebrook 4*.nd Goshenia not eoncluaiw. Oll•tic ccmd1t1ona in these ta.ms are not as f&Yor&bleto tin M those of canun, Wt the plateau 1s not S~ to tire. It1t'Culd ~have been possible for hunting parties to burn tbe woodsartar period• or dr¥' weather in the spring er fall. c~l.Glrook am Goehlntbu8 ~eeent an ub1guqus e~tuat.1on. In the C~bur;r ana, on the other band,, ~·•trad1'\10niil account appMl\"8 to ba'ft a nuonab~ 10QDd oC4\"&, tar climaticInd ~hio reuou, ewn tbougb be my haw ~ted both the~ and extent ot tJie Indian tirea. Far <Ni\" pur\"pOM1 it is important to reoogrd.m tbat awn llgbts:r:tace tire• at inh'equ.ent ~ can eart a strong influence an the~Ciea conipoeiticn ot a stand. 'lbie la eapeoia~ true \"Iii.th respect tobelD.'toek, wboee eh&llos rooting bab1.t mlm• it ~ vulmrable to i'1reat AU ages. llicbole {1913b) doeorlbed a 20-.Cn portion ot tbe ? belpeet.a at. Colebrook on 1'hicb hemlock was pract1call¥ absent~ 'lbe exiating