Hail New York

January 11, 1936, the U.S. Army and the New York State Conservation Department officially abandoned a project in Cayuga County’s Town of Sempronius to a caretaker, Kermit R. Rhoads, who presently resides nearby. A local correspondent to the Moravia-Republican Register for March 25, 1938 had this to say about the final event:

“The buildings at the CCC Camp are nearly demolished, most of the lumber being moved by truck. Only the outlines of the flower beds and trees are left to show where so much time and money was expended for a project which lasted a short time.”

Since then the grounds have served various owners as cropland or pasture and does so even today for Jack Lavoie, the current owner-resident. Across the road is a triangular acre formed by the junction of three roads and Jack has agreed to a commemorative use for this wooded parcel.

Accordingly, then, Arbor Day 1990 the Flatiron, as the parcel is familiarly dubbed, was the site for a memorial tree planting to honor the deceased Howard Becker, longtime Forest Practice Board member and conservation practitioner. The tree was a descendant of the historical Washington Sycamore and donated by the Region 7 FPB, Chairman, Don Steger.

Shortly thereafter, with the help of the town highway departments of Locke and Sempronius, Wendell Hatfield trucked a large boulder from the farm of CCC Alumnus  “Alfie” Signor to the Flatiron parcel. Attached to the boulder is a bronze plaque which commemorates the US CCC Reforestation Camp No. S96 and the 200 corpsmen who aided in the corrective work of the 1935 Flood, planted 2000 acres with trees, and performed other conservation work for a year and a half.

Beginning with Arbor Day, 1991 the Cayuga Chapter of the New York Forest Owners Association intends to focus attention on the Stewardship Mission: People and Trees — Partners in Time, on private and public property. An historic mission proudly pursued by New Yorkers and perhaps especially by the past and present residents of Southeastern Cayuga County and of the Town of Scott in Cortland County.

It was just over the county line in the Town of Scott, the state’s designated Area No. 1 in Cortland County, the first 500 acre minimum plot size of private property was purchased. The authority originated under Chapter 195 of the Laws of 1929 (so called Hewitt Laws including Chapter 194 of 1929 which allowed 50% matched funding for municipal purchases of private property). This particular area (now 949 acres and known as the Hewitt Forest) was the former Harmon Farm, Proposal A-of 529.18 acres and the first four trees were ceremoniously planted October 3, 1929.

The first tree was planted by Dean Nelson C. Brown of the State College of Forestry on behalf of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt (1928-1932); the second tree by N.Y. Senator Charles J. Hewitt (1909-1938 from Locke, Cayuga County), Chairman of the Reforestation Commission (Chapter 241-1928); the third tree was planted by NYS Conservation Commissioner Alexander McDonald; and the fourth tree was planted by the Honorable George D. Pratt, President of the American Forestry Association and former NYS Conservation Commissioner. Further research to that incident is being pursued.

Before the year ended nearly 400 acres were hand planted with 448,000 3 year-old Red Pine trees on 6 x 6 spacing (except for 25,000 Norway Spruce) by employees of the NYS Conservation Department with funding from the New York State Temporary Emergency Relief Act (T.E.R.A.), which totaled $2,809.13.

Thus began a New York State People and Trees, Private and Public Partnership in Time, that became the most revered of national programs, the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps. In New York State in 1991 realization is 80% of Hewitt’s (January 1927, while Chairman of the NYS Senate Finance Committee) Enlarged Reforestation Program, the purchase and reforestation of 1,000,000 acres of ‘abandoned’ and unproductive farmland. In the area around the Flatiron there are 9321 acres in 4 forests at 1800 feet elevation now designated the New York State Hewitt-Cayuga Highlands Management Unit, a protected source of much of the waters for the three Finger Lakes.

This tale is too much for one issue of THE NY FOREST OWNER; the roots to New York’s pioneering in People and Trees runs deeper than Hewitt and FDR in soils all over the state. The birthplace of the CCC’s also requires more space and scholarship; but this history will be continued in future issues and should be added to by other chapters for the enlightenment of us all.

— R. FOX

References:

(1) NYS Conservation Department Annual Reports;

(2) National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni (NACCCA) Journals;

(3) Preliminary Review of 60 years of Reforestation in NYS by John Fedkiw (1959); planting records of NYS DEC Region 7 at Cortland (courtesy of R. Demeree, Asst. Regional Forester).

Reprinted from The NY Forest Owner May/June 1991

Article provided to None Such Folks by the author