318 THE FORESTS OF GARRETT COUNTY 



Distribution of Forest Trees. 



The trees of the county may be divided into two groups, the mer- 

 chantable and the unmerchantable. The first group includes all 

 trees reaching a suitable size for timber and furnishing material for 

 manufacture. The second group includes the remaining smaller trees 

 of the county, their principal use being as props, charcoal, or 

 cordwood. 



MERCHANTABLE SPECIES. This group includes the six conifers 

 found in the county and 38 of the hardwoods. The trees that occur 

 in measurable quantities (as shown in the preceding tables) and fur- 

 nish the bulk of the merchantable timber are: White Pine, Black 

 Spruce, Red Spruce, Hemlock, Yellow Birch, Sweet Birch, Beech, 

 Chestnut, White Oak, Chestnut Oak, Eed Oak, Sugar Maple, Red 

 Maple, and Basswood. 



The common trees of the upper slopes and ridges are: Chestnut, 

 Red Oak, White Oak (Plate XXII, Fig. 2), Chestnut Oak, and 

 Sweet Birch (Plate IX, Fig. 1), on the lower slopes and along the 

 streams, Hemlock (Plate XXII, Fig. 2), Basswood, Beech, Sugar 

 Maple, and Yellow Birch predominate, while in the swamps and 

 mountain meadow lands Red and Black Spruce, White Pine and Red 

 Maple are common. 



Of the better class of timber trees occurring in the county, but 

 not in measurable quantities, Black Walnut, the hickories, the elms, 

 Cucumber-tree, Tulip-tree, and White Ash are found on the richer 

 slopes and along the streams; Red and Black Ash and Black Cherry 

 in the mountain meadow lands; and on the ridges and drier upper 

 slopes Yellow Oak, Scarlet Oak and Black Locust. The latter occurs 

 as a seedling growth following fire on cut-over lands. 



A third class of merchantable trees of lesser importance (partly 

 due to their poor development here) includes Pitch Pine, Tamarack, 

 Butternut, White Willow, Aspen, Large-tooth Aspen, Sycamore, 

 Flowering Dogwood, Black Gum, and Persimmon. With these may 

 also be included Red Mulberry, Sassafras, Hornbeam, and Blue 

 Beech, which are of slight importance and are used only by farmers 

 and woodsmen for special purposes. 



