The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-11-26
THE FORESTS OF GARRETT COUNTY
Garrett County as Seen in the Report
OF the naryland State Board of
Forestry.

The fire records for the past five
years show that fire originated from
several causes, chief of which are the
railroads and logging engines, which
were responsible for half of the fires in
which the origin was known, followed
by those of incendiary origin, brush
burning and hunters.
The most alarming item in these re-
ports is the large number of incendiary
fires. During the spring of 1911,
twenty-seven forest fires occurred in
the county within three weeks, and of
this number eleven were reported as
having been Intentionally set to burn
off the young forest growth in order to
improve the range for cattle and sheep.
The present law permits the owners of
cattle and sheep to run their stock at
large, all unfenced lands being consider
ed open range, and hence there is the
incentive on the part of those who own
stock and but little, if any, forest land
to burn off the forest cover to promote
a growth of grass. The forest law
provides penalty of $1,000 or one
years Imprisonment, or both, for any
one convicted of setting out fires, and
although at this time there were strong
suspicious and a special investigation
by the Grand Jury, direct evidence was
-.
ed. Garrett is the only county in the
State which allows stock to run at
large and it is question for the people
to determine whether they will permit
conditions that in this case allowed 3d.
900 acres of woodland to be burned
over at loss of over 500, 900 for few
hundred dollars worth of free grazing,
or whether they will make each stock
owner take care of his own stock, and
thus remove the incentive to burn the
forest such as exists at the present
time.
Forest fires are in most cases the re-
suit of somebody's carelessness, or in
tent to burn. and when the people
generally understand the damage caus-
ed by these fires, they are likely to be
much more fewer fires as a result.
Frequently fires are severe enough to
kill all of the standing trees, in which
case the loss is fully apparent. but in
most cases the fires do not kill the large
merchantable timber, yet the loss is
nevertheless severe. The average fire
as it goes through the woodland burns
the seed and the young seedlings that
nature has provided for the perpetual
ton of the forest. 1t also burns
through the bark of the smaller trees,
making scars which furnish the en-
trance to wood destroying diseases
that seriously injure the tree, or Kill it
eventually. While this stunts the trees,
they will continue to grow, but never
produce high grade of material. In
fact, forest fire that only partially
kills the tree does much more damage
than is supposed, for it practically de-
stroyes the hope of good crop of tim
Der, and these damaged trees prevent
anything of more value from taking
their places. Then. too, the soil is i'm
poverished. The leaf litter and humus
of the soil are completely DESTROYED,
thereby taking away the natural pro-
lection which conserves the moisture
onA Of no o1le
keeping the soil in a good condition.
Where forests are frequently burned
oyer and the leaf litter destroyed, the
soil drys out and the trees will be short
and scrubby. These facts can be demon
strated in nearly all places in the
county where fires have been frequent.
Nearly all of the present wooded area
of the county will continue IN woodland,
and would now be twice as productive,
if fires had not been allowed to burn
over these lands in the past. 1t is safe
to say that the loss in production in the
woodlands of the county from forest
fires in the past so years is equivalent
" 1osOOV ACSS VI biLibtl pCi dSIC VII tlC
repeatedly burned lands. comprising
not less thai so, 600 acres. The stump
value alone of timber DESTROYED by fire
on basis of 81 so per thousand feet
amounts to S1,25O, 000 Since every
thousand feet of standing timber that
is converted into lumber pays $500 in
wages, this means loss IN revenue to
the wage earners of the county of 3d.
500, 200. Fires have been so frequent
and so many have been of an incendiarv
orinin, that there is feeling of help
lessness on the part of most of the land
owners. They are regarded by many
as inevitable, and In consequence the
owners of woodland. instead of manag-
ing them for successive crops, and feel
ing that they can be made a source of
permanent income, feel that the only
thing to do is to cut and utilize the
timber as quickly as possible without
running the risk of fire loss any longer
than necessary. Since the forest re-
sources of the county are so very i'm