This scene shows horse logging in a hardwood forest of Vermont in the 1950s. The timber in this area consists of White Ash, Northern Red Oak, Elm (which has nearly disappeared due to Dutch Elm disease), White and Yellow Birches, Sugar ( "Rock") Maple, Red Maple, Beech, and others. Balsam Fir, Eastern Hemlock, several spruces, White Pine, and other conifers also grow in this region.
In the lower right portion of the painting some White (Paper) Birch has been cut for firewood and is waiting to be picked up. However, the local people prefer Beech and Rock Maple to Birch for firewood.
A large "cull-type" Sugar Maple stands on the right next to the stone wall. The Sugar Maple grows 75- to 100-ft. tall and 2- to 4-ft. in diameter. Its hard wood is used for furniture, cabinet work, interior trim, and flooring, as is true with many other hardwoods of the area. Maple is still the premier wood for bowling alleys everywhere. Its sap is the source of maple sugar and syrup. Sugar Maples are popular for shade and ornamental plantings because of their brilliant red-yellow-orange fall foliage.
(Thanks to Michael Newton, Professor of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, College of Forestry for his help and personal knowledge of the Vermont area.)