State Forest Reserves. 



37 



tion — these aud many other problems can be solved by planting. The 

 important higliwa.ys of the State must be beautified aud made as at- 

 tractive as possible. Here again tree planting otSers the best solution. 



Comparatively little forest planting was done prior to the time that 

 the State Forest work was organized in 1906. The records show only 

 5 such plantations. In 1908 the State Forester distributed small 

 quantities of black locust and catalpa for experimental planting in 

 various parts of the State. The stimulated interest, but little progress 

 was made until the State Nursery was established six years later. It 

 is estimated that a total of 550,000 young forest trees have been used 

 to date for tlie reforestafion of 475 acres of laud in this State. In- 

 terest in forest planting is rapidly- growing and the demand for State- 

 grown stock increasing. A list of trees with prices may be obtained 

 by applying to the State Forester, Baltimore, who will also give prac- 

 tical advice and lielp in forest planting or other forest and tree prob- 

 lems. 



STATE FOREST RESERVES. 

 The State now owns in forest reservations 2,716 acres — three re- 

 serves in Garret ("ounty. and one in Baltimore aud Howard Counties. 

 They are : 



Skipuish Reserve — Garrett County 888 acres 



Swallow Falls Reserve — Garrett County. . . . 823 acres 



Kindness Reserve — Garrett County 206 acres 



Patapsco Reserve — • Baltimore & Howard 



Counties 829 acres 



Total of State Reserves 2.716 acres 



The Garrett County Reserves, given to the State by Messrs. Robert 

 and John W. Garrett in 1906, contain no merchantable timber, but a 

 valuable stand of j'oung growth which has been developed since the 

 lands were cut over prior to their coming into the i)ossession of the 

 State. Since their acquisition, they have been patrolled by Forest 

 Wardens to protect them from tires and trespass, with the result that 

 the fire damage has been slight, notwithstanding extensive damage 

 on other lands in the vicinity not systematically protected. In addi- 

 tion to fire protection, improvement work has been conducted on ap- 

 proximately 500 acres of the Skipnish Reserve, 50 acres of the Swal- 

 low Falls Reserve and over the entire 206 acres of the Kindness Re- 

 serve. This work has been in the nature of a liberation cutting to re- 

 move trees that were not of sufficient value to be taken out when lum- 

 bering operations were conducted ten years ago, but which later inter- 



