WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



129 



posures and the steep bluffs along the river and creeks. Hard- 

 woods of various kinds predominate, the only softwood of much 

 value being hemlock. This grows, principally, along the narrow 

 bottoms and steep hillsides facing the larger streams. Pitch pine 

 is found sparsely scattered over the county on dry ridges and 

 high up on the river bluffs. A few red cedar trees grow along 

 the river banks in the southern end of the county. Of other 

 less valuable species, not mentioned here nor in the list above, 

 there are the sycamore, white elm, river birch and the rare 

 sweet gum, growing along the river, and smaller quantities of 

 white walnut, black cherry, honey locust, slippery elm and 

 others, scattered throughout the county. The timber on the 

 virgin forest areas would estimate from 5,000 to 8,000 feet per 

 acre, of the species listed above. That on the cut-over areas 

 would estimate, on the average, about 1,000 feet per acre of such 

 species as oak, beech, hickory, birch and buckeye. The farmer's 

 woodlots, as a rule, are cut over but contain sufficient timber for 

 domestic purposes. The approximate total stand of all kinds of 

 timber in the county, including, the less valuable species of cut- 

 over and woodlot areas, is 250 million feet. 



An investigation of conditions in the county has given us 

 the following classification of forest and farm land: 



The principal boundary of virgin timber yet remaining is 

 toward the head of Buffalo creek, being part of a tract which 

 extends into Nicholas county. There are about 2,000 acres of 

 virgin timber in the extreme southwestern part of the county, 

 and 1 or 2 small tracts yet remaining in Otter district, west of 

 the Elk river. The cut-over areas lie, principally, east and 

 southeast of the Elk river and are greatly in excess of either the 

 uncut forest or the farm lands in that section. On the west side, 

 although not more than 25 per cent of the land has been cleared 



Virgin, Cut-over and Farm Areas. 



Virgin forest land 



Cut-over forest land. . . . 

 Farm and woodlot land 



17,500 acres 

 75,000 acres 

 130,220 acres 



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