31 



should the operations of lumbering and agriculture be suspended 

 for a comparatively short period of years. Trees grow almost as 

 readily in most localities as do weeds in neglected gardens; and 

 even in our most thickly populated districts woodland is rarely, 

 if ever, out of sight. 



K all our. forest areas were in prime condition and could be so 

 kept, there would be no lack of timber for us and a large amount 

 to spare. The discouraging feature of the situation is that the 

 timber is being so rapidly consumed and that so mush of the 

 woodland now seen on every hand is composed of trees that have 

 but slight value. On the other hand, however, the tendency to- 

 ward natural reforestation furnishes the greatest encouragement 

 to those who are interested in the improvement of forest condi- 

 tions. The planting of trees is expensive, even for a state, but 

 almost any o^vner of wooded land, without money and with but 

 little effort, can provide for the natural growth of valuable kinds 

 of trees on his property and may live to reap profitable returns 

 from at least one or two crops of fast-growing species. 



For the purpose of a general survey of the situation the wood- 

 land of the State may be divided into three classes, viz : the virgin 

 areas, the cut-over areas, and the farmers' woodlot areas. It will 

 be understood that the first class named embraces the forests that 

 still remaia in their original state ; that the second class includes 

 the culled woodland held in. large tracts, usually by lumber and 

 coal companies ; and that the third class is constituted by the 

 thousands of small woodlots connected with cleared farm land 

 throughout the State. 



A recent inquiry into the condition of "West Virginia forests has 

 shown that there are approximately 1 1-2 million acres of virgin 

 forest, 2 1-2 million acres of cut-over forest, and 5 million acres 

 of woodlots. The principal virgin and cut-over forests of the 

 State lie east of a line dra^vvn from the Fairfax Stone, at the source 

 of the North Branch of Potomac River, to Charleston, and ex- 

 tending in the same direction to the Big Sandy River. The natur- 

 al forest region of the State adjoins this line in a belt of varying 

 width and includes large portions of Tucker, Grant, Pendleton, 

 Randolph, "Webster, Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Nicholas, Clay, Fay- 

 ette, Raleigh, Roone, Logan, "Wyoming, McDowell, and Mingo 

 counties. In some of these counties there are extensive areas of 

 agricultural land of a very superior quality and in all there are 



