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CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



immense forests of the mountainous parts of the county; but 

 with their coming began an active lumber industry which has 

 continued to grow until today there are 14 huge band saw mills 

 and about 26 circular saw mills in operation within the county. 

 These, according to figures furnished by Mr. J. M. Paris, of 

 Marlinton, have an approximate combined capacity of 350 mil- 

 lion feet annually. Practically all the virgin forests of the 

 county are in the hands of operators who have already made 

 large openings and who are prepared to complete the cutting 

 of all valuable timber within a comparatively few years. 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



There are about 212,000 acres of virgin forest and 138,000 

 acres of cut-over forest now remaining in the county. 



The forests lie in an almost solid body along the western 

 side of the county and in the northern end, and in large scat- 

 tered tracts on the east of Greenbrier river. The most extensive 

 virgin areas are to be found on the waters of Cherry. Cranberry, 

 Williams, and Elk rivers in the region adjoining Webster and 

 Randolph coimties ; on the west face of the Alleghany mountains 

 north of the village of Frost ; on both sides of the East fork of 

 Greenbrier river in the region of Travelers Repose; and along 

 the east side of Greenbrier river from Hosterman to the Green- 

 brier county line. Smaller tracts are scattered among the areas 

 of cut-over forest in nearly all sections. The largest areas of 

 farm land lie in a broad, irregular belt on the northwest side of 

 the Greenbrier river from Clover Lick to Spice Run, and in the 

 smooth uplands and valleys which lie between the mountain 

 ranges on the east of Greenbrier river. 



The white pine was nearly all cut and removed between the 

 years 1882 and 1900. In the section about Huntersville, drained 

 by tributaries of Knapps creek, there is a fairly good reproduc- 

 tion of young white pines ; but in the region north of Dunmore 

 fires have repeatedly burned over the ground destroying the 

 seeds and seedlings; and the area which once contained a valu- 

 able forest of white pine is growing up in scrubby oaks, chest- 

 nuts, and other hardwoods. A few of the cut-over forest areas 

 are in a good condition and others have been abandoned to the 



