WEST VffiGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



205 



The Present Lumber Industry. 



The large operations at present are Prendergast Lumber 

 Company, cutting with a band mill on Laurel creek, a tributary 

 of Pigeon creek, and on Right Fork of Twelvepole creek, and 

 J. S. Walker Lumber Company of Okeeffe. Besides these there 

 are 7 smaller mills running. 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



There are, approximately, 8,200 acres of virgin forest in 

 the county. Two thousand acres of this lies near the head of 

 Brown's Fork of Guyandot, 1,500 acres lies on waters of Pigeon 

 creek, and the remainder on waters of Twelvepole creek. The 

 land owned and occupied by native settlers lies principally in 

 narrow strips along the water courses. Not over 5 per cent of 

 the land in the county is cleared and not over 35 or 40 per 

 cent is held in fee by resident owners. There are about 200,000 

 acres of cut-over forest land owned by coal companies and 

 other non-residents. 



The virgin forest areas have a remarkably good stand of 

 hardwoods, and a large percentage of the cut-over land has 

 some merchantable timber left. None of the hickory, beech, 

 birch and maple has been cut and in some sections, as on Mar- 

 rowbone creek, Trace and Elk Forks of Pigeon creek. Left Fork 

 of Twelvepole creek and in the region east of Guyandot river, 

 there is a fair stand of medium and small white oaks, yellow 

 poplars, and others, of the more valuable kinds of timber. It 

 may be said of the forest land that 50 per cent has a varjdng 

 stand of timber 18 inches and under; 25 per cent has a stand 

 of 12 inches and under; 15 per cent has a stand of 20 inches 

 and under; and 10 per cent has a stand of 24 inches and 

 under. The cut-over areas will estimate about 2,000 feet per 

 acre of all species. 



Except in coal mining sections and in parts frequently 

 visited by forest fires the cut-over lands are in prime condition 

 and the young timber is making a rapid and healthy growth. 



