THE FORESTS AND THEIR PRODUCTS 



BY 



F. W. BESLEY 



Introductory. 



From the early records it is evident that at one time nearly the 

 entire land area of the State was covered with forests. The changes 

 brought about by settlement and the advance of agriculture in the 

 lasl 250 years, have completely altered the relation between the for- 

 est land and the cleared land. Whereas, formerly, the woodlands 

 covered at least 90% of the land area they now occupy but 35%. 

 This change has perhaps been more pronounced in Southern Mary- 

 land than in any other part of the State because it was in this sec- 

 tion that the first settlements were made. The clearing of land 

 went on with the growth of population with increased vigor, until 

 about 1860, when the maximum was reached. Since that time more 

 land has been abandoned and has reverted to forests than has been 

 cleared, so the woodland area is slowly growing in extent. In Cen- 

 tral Maryland where the advance of settlement came later, the clear- 

 ing of land has been more gradual, but has continued regularly until 

 the forests have been reduced to the minimum amount commensu- 

 rate with supplying the local demand. This section has the smallest 

 per cent, of forest lands of any in the State. The western part of 

 the State — almost entirely of a mountainous character — has not in- 

 vited agricultural development to the same extent as the other sec- 

 tions and there is, therefore, a relatively large per cent, of woodland. 

 In the second place the cutting away of the forest has brought about 

 changes in the distribution of species. This is particularly notice- 

 able in the case of pine. In the original forest there was scarcely 

 any pine — but now in the southern part of the State at least 30% 

 of the woodland area is in pine stands. This has been brought 

 about by the abandonment of cleared fields that were no longer 



