Paul Smith Experimental Forest historical photo archive

This data publication contains a collection of photos from the archives of the former Paul Smith Experimental Forest (PSEF) in Paul Smiths, New York. This collection contains all photos on file with the USDA Forest Service from the opening of the experimental forest in 1948 until its close in 1960. The Paul Smith Experimental Forest covered about 2300 acres and was the site of long-term stand-level silvicultural experiments in northern conifer (e.g., spruce, balsam fir, eastern white pine, and eastern hemlock) and mixedwood (softwood-hardwood mixtures, e.g. spruce, eastern white pine, sugar maple, and yellow birch) forests. These experiments included a Compartment Management Study (CMS) and Cutting Practice Level (CPL) Study. The CPL Study included "high-order," "good," "fair," and "poor" cutting practices. Silvicultural treatments and systems studied in the CMS included uneven-aged management such as selection and other types of partial harvesting with 10-, 20- and 30-year cutting cycles, even-aged management such as shelterwood and commercial clearcutting, and a control. Timber stand improvement methods, including thinning and crop tree release, were also investigated. Much research was conducted on control of competing hardwoods through cultural treatment, including with chemicals. Some residual old-growth forest was present on the experimental forest in both managed and control stands. In addition to the photos, this package also includes a 1954 map showing the compartment layout in relation to the Paul Smith Experimental Forest boundary, roads, water bodies, and built infrastructure.Photos were taken by USDA Forest Service employees in the former Adirondack Research Center to document forest condition before, during, and after silvicultural treatment as well as a variety of research and other activities on the forest. Activities range from harvests and operations to field tours and meetings.