104 



The Forests op Maryland. 



Mixed hardwoods comprise 72 per cent of the total area of wood- 

 land ; the pure pine type 18 per cent ; and the hardwood-pine 10 per 

 cent. On the higher, dryer hills and ridges are commonly found chest- 

 nut, scarlet and post oaks; on the lower slopes, hickory, tulip poplar, 

 white, black and Spanish oaks. On the low lands along the water- 

 courses, and the undrained flats which occupy a small percentage of 

 the wooded area, are red maple, willow, black gum, river birch, willow 

 and pin oaks. In the pine stands which occur in the northern, south- 

 eastern, and southwestern sections of the county the two species repre- 

 sented are the scrub and pitch pines, the latter occuring only occasion- 

 ally on sandy soils along the edge of swamps, and seldom in sufficient 

 numbers to constitute a. stand. Pine and oak, chiefly white oak, are 

 found in mixture in the northern half of the county. On the 127,200 

 acres of forest land is a stand of saw timber aggregating 176,627,000 

 board feet. The Prince George's County Forest Survey, 1907, indi- 

 cates hardwoods of 5,000 feet or more on 2,122 acres of land, and of 

 less than 5,000 on 89,124 acres ; pine stands, all under 5,000 feet, on 

 23,755 acres; mixtures of both over an acrea of 12,199 acres, all of 

 which is also less than 5,000 board feet per acre. 



Uses of the Forests. 



The annual cut of lumber, ties, pulp wood, cord wood, staves, piling, 

 poles, mine props, export logs, and posts, to name the different forest 

 products in order of value, totals 1,388,000 cubic feet of wood, for the 

 year 1914, with a value at the 32 mills, or other shipping points, of 

 $161,939. It is therefore manifest that local woodlands contribute 

 largely to the prosperity of the county, and the products of the forest 

 rank next to those of agriculture as an important source of revenue. 

 Although it is probable that the cut of hardwoods has decreased with- 

 in recent years, it is equally true that the use of the pines, particu- 

 larly the scrub, has shown a growing demand and a correspondingly 

 heavy cut. The use of scrub pine for pulpwood began in the county 

 about fifteen years ago, and has shown a steady increase since. 

 For staves also the pine lias come to be widely used, and to a lesser ex- 

 tent for railroad ties, the latter \isually receiving some preservative 

 treatment before use. There are approximately 100 miles of steam 

 and electric lines in this county, all of which help to make most of the 

 timbered regions easily accessible, as well as furnishing excellent 

 markets for some of their forest products. The wood-using industries 

 of this county are restricted to yards at Berwyn, Capitol Heights, 

 Hyattsville, Laurel, Riverdale, and Upper Marlboro, with planing 



