KEPORT FOE 1912 ASD 1013 41 



times. The forest problems of the State are, therefore, those dealing 

 with the second growth, and it is to this work that the State Forester 

 has devoted a large part of each field season for the past four years. 



Each summer field parties have been engaged in taking measure- 

 ments in even aged stands of the different types of hardwood in order 

 to determine the yield of such stands of different ages under different 

 soil conditions. Such studies will furnish a basis for predicting the 

 yield of woodlands of certain types and for different periods, so that 

 the woodland owner who is growing timber may know with some 

 certainty what he may reasonably expect in the way of yield in a 

 given time and also what the principal elements of cost are. The 

 growing of timber is just as much the production of a crop as the 

 growing of wheat or corn, the difference being the length of time 

 required to produce that crop. The length of time that must elapse 

 before harvest, and the lack of exact information as to what the 

 revenue from the crop will likely be, introduces an element of uncer- 

 tainty that has prevented many a land owner from engaging in the 

 growing of timber in a commercial way, whereas if he had more 

 complete and convincing information he would be less reluctant to 

 engage in the business. 



Mjost of the forest area of the State is in the hardwood region, 

 so that the investigation of the growth of hardwoods is of special 

 importance. During the past four field seasons 364 sample plots, 

 averaging one-half acre each, have been carefully measured and 

 complete records taken in Washington, Garrett, Frederick, Cecil, 

 Harford, Prince George's and Charles Counties as representative of 

 the hardwood section of the State. 



Scrub Pine Study. 



This species of pine, also called the spruce pine, is native in the 

 central and southern parts of the State, but most common in Prince 

 George's, Anne Arundel, Charles and St. Gary's Counties. Up to 

 10 years ago this species was regarded as of very little importance, 

 because it seldom attained suitable size for saw timber, and since 

 cordwood, for which it was best adapted, was a low-priced product, 



