1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



571 



its just reward. The aesthetics of the 

 situation and equalization of water- 

 flow left entirely out of account, the 

 future contribution of the White 

 Mountain region to mere commercial 

 prosperity, its permanent yield to man- 

 ufacturing 1 industries based on timber, 

 seem to be bound up in public owner- 

 ship and control. 



.And the fact that hampers and lim- 

 its use in one direction is in another 

 the very door of opportunity. That is 

 the low value of the cut-over lands. 

 There are considerable areas in the 

 White Mountains that are worth noth- 



ing whatever to their owners. They 

 will hardly pay taxes on them. If they 

 protect from fire in any degree, it is 

 simply for the sake of neighboring" 

 timber. With an organization there 

 which is capable of meeting business 

 men with their own tact'cs and on their 

 own ground, large areas of land can 

 be acquired at very moderate expense. 

 One thing that is necessary for such 

 an organization to have, is authority 

 when they condemn or purchase lands 

 to allow to the owners under whatever 

 restrictions are thought reasonable, the 

 removal of the merchantable timber. 



FORESTRY IN MARYLAND* 



BY 



W. D. STERRETT 



Forest Assistant, U. S. Forest Service. 



I. GENERAL FOREST CONDITIONS. 



The total area of woodland in 

 Maryland comprises about two and 

 one-half million acres, constituting, 

 approximately, 40 per cent of the 

 total land area of the state ; some- 

 thing less than I per cent of the wood- 

 ed area is virgin forest. The forests 

 of the state are mostly second' growth 

 and under 150 years in age. In the 

 western part of the state there is much 

 recently culled and cut-over virgin 

 forest, with little second growth as 

 yet, or covered with a very small brush 

 growth under 25 feet in height. 



The general forest conditions which 

 prevail in Maryland can best be de- 

 scribed separately for each of the 

 three physiographic divisions which 

 compose the area of the state : ( i ) 

 The Appalachian Region, (2) the 

 Piedmont Plateau, and (3) the At- 

 lantic Coastal Plain. 



i. The Appalachian Region. This 

 composes about 20 per cent of the 

 land area of the state and includes the 



two most western counties and half of 

 a third adjoining county. This is the 

 most heavily wooded region of the 

 state, and the lumber industry is here 

 of first importance. The region sup- 

 plies much lumber for the general 

 market, besides the large quantity con- 

 sumed locally in mines, pulp mills, and 

 for building purposes. About 60 per 

 cent of the area of this division, or 

 some 750,000 acres, is woodland. 



The elevation of this region is 500 

 to 3,400 feet above sea, forming a 

 mountainous country of deep valleys 

 and high ridges. The upper slopes 

 and ridges are unsuited for agricul- 

 ture, and it is not probable that to any 

 extent additional areas of forest will 

 be cleared for farming purposes, as 

 the best lands are already cleared, and 

 many areas once cultivated are being- 

 abandoned on account of their poor 

 soil. 



The forests of this region consist 

 mostly of recently culled and cut-over 

 virgin forest, and there has not suf- 



*This article is based upon data secured through the co-operative forest work carrie 

 on by the Maryland Geological Survey and the U. S. Forest Service, and s prir 

 with their permission. 



