116 



The Forests of Maryland. 



In the west section of the county loblolly pine is invariably the - 

 only tree that can withstand conditions along the borders of the pre- 

 vailing swamps ; and in the gradual sinking of the shore line, and the 

 encroaching of the marshes upon the dryer lands inside, this tree is 

 the last to recede. Over the entire county there is a large amount of 

 loblolly occurring wherever surface conditions are not too wet, and 

 even in such areas this tree will be found growing on the hummocks 

 with scattered hardwoods. In the northern third of the county where 

 hardwoods commonly occur they are usually of a swamp type, con- 

 sisting principally of scrubby oak and gum, while in the southern sec- 

 tion — ■ particularly, though, in the sovithwest — ■ the white oak is more 

 common, attaining a fair size and good quality. Red gum is also 

 more abundant in the southern section of the county, where it is of 

 noticeably better quality than in the northern part. Loblolly pine 

 reaches its best development on the low, sandy loams in the southern 

 half of Somerset, almost invariably growing in even-aged stands above 

 a lower story of oaks and gnim. The demand for oak, particularly 

 white oak, has been heavy, stripping the hardwood stands of their most 

 valuable timber. After a clear cut, pine is the first to reseed, but 

 heavily cut-over stands of hardwood are usually restocked with such 

 relatively inferior species as black gum and red maple. Generally, 

 however, the hardwood forests have suffered more than the pine 

 stands, which, by reason of their consisting of a single species, and 

 that of a kind possessing in marked degree powers of recuperation, 

 have quickly recovered from the cuttings and naturally regenerated 

 the land. 



Only 10 per cent of the forested area of Somerset county was in 

 pure hardwoods when the survey of 1910 was made, with 42 per cent 

 in pine (including a small amount of cypress) and 48 per cent in 

 stands of both. Of this, the mixed hardwoods, 7,101 acres in extent, 

 are all of less than 5,000 feet per acre ; 7,896 acres of pure pine stands 

 contain timber amounting to 5,000 feet or over to the acre, and 20,843 

 acres of less ; while stands of mixed hardwood and pine contain 5,601 

 and 26,946 acres, respectively, according to this classification. 



Uses op the Forests. 



Though the percentage of forest land in Somerset County is not 

 large, there is a relatively heavy cut of lumber and other forest prod- 

 ucts, which in 1914 amounted to 2,742,423 cubic feet, with a value of 

 $363,174 at shipping points. These figures represent the combined 

 cuts of 46 mill and timber operators, and lumber heads the list in 

 point of amount and value. Mine props are second, then barrel staves, 



