Brasher State Forest, The Nexus between Forest Research and Partnerships for Success

During the early 1800s, settlement began in small communities such as Brasher Falls, Brasher Center, Brasher Iron Works, and Helena. Most of the early settlers were farmers; however, an iron foundry was begun in 1835 in the hamlet of Brasher Iron Works. The local wetlands contained slowly forming "bog ore" which was unlike the typical iron ore found in rocks and hills. The availability of iron ore also encouraged the development of local manufacturers. The Kennehan Agricultural Works in Brasher Falls was a well-known maker of plows and other farm implements from the 1870s until the 1960s. Much of the land acquired by the state during the 1930s and 1940s was farm or pasture land in poor condition. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a major part in reforesting these areas. Over 6,500 acres of open land was planted with pine, spruce, and larch plantations. These areas now comprise a large and important part of the state. Some of the buildings constructed in the CCC era are still in use at the DEC maintenance facility in Brasher Falls. The state forests are managed to provide a steady and renewable supply of wood products such as firewood, pulpwood, posts, poles, and sawtimber. Much of the land that was in poor condition 70 years ago has recovered and has grown into young hardwood forest containing maple, oak, beech, and elm. The black ash wetlands community type that is especially important in this unit is Black ash (Fraxinus nigra) grows in seasonally wet swamp hardwood stands, along with red maple, green ash, elms, aspen, yellow birch, and white cedar. It has a narrow range of growing conditions in which it reaches its best form and quality, and it is sensitive to changes in hydrology, such as those caused by beaver activity. (http://dec.ny.gov/places/bombay-and-brasher-state-forests)