White Pine Blister Rust Survey Maps of Plainfield, NH

These 1937 to 1950 maps were developed to inventory the trees and features of Plainfield, particularly to show any evidence of White Pine Blister Rust. They have remarkable detail about what species of trees were growing eightyfive years ago. Some sections also show locations of stone walls, cellar holes, house locations, pasture boundaries, wood roads, etc. They are an invaluable resource for anyone interested in researching their property.

Take a look at the many detailed section maps created over 13 years.

Note: The 1939 maps have extensive areas marked “blow down” that reflect the timber lost during the Hurricane of 1938. This Category 3 hurricane struck New England on September 21st, caused hundreds of deaths, destroyed thousands of homes and felled large swaths of valuable forests, particularly stands of white pine. In Plainfield, wind speeds of between 80-125 mph uprooted trees, blew off roofs and destroyed outbuildings. All roads were impassable, as were the woods.  This decimated the maple syrup industry, and since only a fraction of the fallen timber could be harvested, the economic losses were significant. "