Establishment of Town Forests
in Massachusetts (1914-1960's)Establishment of Town Forests
in Massachusetts (1914-1960's)The proven benefits of town forests--as highlighted by the Campaign of
Enlightenment--would seem to justify the expectation that the movement would
spread spontaneously. This was not the case. Starting a town forest involved
a lot of hard work on the part of some person or group of people who had
enough community spirit to make them willing to devote their time to it.
The committees in charge of the town forests, for the most part, were composed
of laymen and laywomen, who were anxious to make the best possible showing
in the development of the forests under their care. These men and women,
who gave freely of their time and thought, deserve 99.9% of the credit for
the town forest movement.
Competitions of various sorts no doubt had considerable
influence in motivating people to create town forests. For example, in October
1915 the Massachusetts Forestry Association (MFA) announced the "Town
Forest Competition of 1916", in which town forests would be judged
in five categories, including advantages for lumbering, water, and soil
protection and possibilities for recreation and esthetic development. The
winner received fifty acres planted to white pine seedlings. One of the
most successful promotional efforts was an offer by the MFA to plant free
of charge 5,000 trees (about five acres) for any city or town that would
create a town forest of 100 acres or more. The offer was temporarily discontinued
when the depression hit in 1929, but was eventually renewed in 1937 as the
economy recovered.
In addition to the MFA, many commercial and civic organizations also sponsored
this movement. The New England Box Company for example planted 5,000 trees
for each of town in Franklin county that established forests of 100 acres
or more. The Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Hampden County Improvement
League offered to do the same for the towns of Hampden County.
The MFA inventoried yearly, tabulating the number of town forests, acres, trees planted, and various other tidbits of information. The following graph summarizes the progress of the town forest movement over the course of 47 years, from the establishment of the first town forest in 1914 to publication of the last town forest inventory in 1961.
The greatest increase in the number of town forests
in Massachusetts occurred in the 20 year period between 1920-1940, when
the number of town forests grew from 3 in 1920, to over 100 in 1940. Despite
a nationwide depression that started in 1929, the number of forests increased
by an average of 6 per year during the five year period from 1929 through
1934. The year 1940 saw a record number of 9 town forests established, and
credit was given to the "splendid cooperation received from the Massachusetts
Federation of Women's Clubs and many individual garden clubs."
The rate of increase in the number of town forests declined after 1940,
perhaps because of a shift in emphasis from acquisition to management. The
MFA, which had directed a great deal of energy towards land acquisition
and transplanting of seedlings, decided to focus instead on improving local
administration and procuring management plans. In 1944, the MFPA established
the New England Forestry Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing
management assistance to woodland owners. The New England Forestry Foundation
was the brainchild of Harris Reynolds, who served as secretary for the new
organization.
The last inventory to record numbers of trees planted (for which records
could be found) was conducted in 1949. At that time, in 127 town forests
on 39,839 acres of land, a grand total of 8,517,978 trees planted. How many
of these 8,517,978 were planted as a result of the MFA "5000 trees"
offer is unknown.
A map similar to the one below appeared in an MFA
Bulletin published in 1927, titled "Town Forests In Massachusetts:
How the Local Community May Do Its Part In the Forest Conservation Movement".
At that time, 68 towns and cities in the state had established a town forest.
Over the course of 47 years (from the establishment of the first town forest
in 1914 to publication of the last town forest inventory in 1961), 137 cities
and towns in the state (indicated in green on the map below) had officially
set aside 44,723 acres under the Town Forest Act. Many watershed forests
and forest parks, not organized under the Town Forest Act, were also created
during this period.
Here is the result of a half century of education and promotional efforts
carried on by state foresters, forestry associations, and various forward
looking and public spirited citizens and groups interested in the forest
conservation movement. Click on one of the towns in green to find out more about its town forest.
ConNE Home Page | Terrestrial Group
Much Ado About Forestry | A Campaign of Enlightenment | Put Your Town on the Map