MARYLAND WEATHER SERVICE 375 



The Future of the Forests. 



There is in this section a large area of absolute forest land which 

 will never produce anything but timber, and the problem should be 

 how to produce the best timber crop. The rate of growth of forests 

 on mountain land is slow, and there is, therefore, a disposition to 

 disregard the possibilities of a second crop, after the first crop is 

 removed. Furthermore the tax rate is high and the danger from 

 forest fires is very great so that the inducements for conservative for- 

 est management are few. For example the present price of oak 

 stumpage in a locality where average conditions exist is $2.50 per 

 M. The stand of merchantable timber, per acre, is 10,000 feet B. 

 M. giving a stumpage value of $25 per acre. The average age of 

 the trees is 150 years. The timber crop representing 150 years of 

 growth is therefore worth $25 per acre. Similar lands that have 

 been cut over are worth $5 per acre. Placing the average value of 

 the land for the past 150 years at $3 per acre, and the annual charge 

 for taxes at 3c, the net returns on the investment including 4% com- 

 pound interest and taxes would mean a loss of over $25 per acre. 

 Under such conditions forest owners are at a decided disadvantage. 

 There must be a readjustment of the methods of taxing forest land, 

 and a thorough system of fire protection before much can be expected 

 in the way of forest improvement. With the tax burden equitably 

 adjusted to encourage the holding of forest land, and efficient fire 

 protection the forest yields will be greatly increased, and then will 

 timber growing become profitable and popular. 



Forest Eesources of Maryland. 



The forest resources of the State have been made the subject of 

 a detailed study for the past three years, and as a result of the county 

 forest surveys, a table has been prepared showing, in a condensed 

 form, the acreage stand and value of saw timber for each county. 



