The Cecil Whig., 1915-03-20
200 PER CENT. PROFIT
FROM FOREST LAND

In addition to encouraging the re-
clamation of lands within the State
through planting forest trees, the
State Board of Forestry is, in great
number of cases, cooperating with
timber owners for the improvement of
their forest lands. Where this is done
the timber which is ready for the axe
is sold at a fair price, the logging op-
erations are conducted in such way
that the removal of the trees which
are mature is not injurious to the
younger trees that are left, and the
whole stand is put in a better produc-
ing condition than ever before. En-
phasis can best be given this, and the
work itself explained, by citing case
in point.
In may, 1914, the State Forester
at Baltimore was visited by gentle
man owning $50 acres of wooded land
in Anne Arundel county. 1t was an
old stand of mixed hardwoods. The
chestnut was being rapidly killed by
the blight, large share of the trees
of other species We're becoming over
mature, and the stand as whole much
in need of an improvement cutting.
Approaching this, the owner was con-
sidering the sale of his merchantable
trees, for which he had already receiv-
ed what he considered fair offer.
Before selling, however, he wished
to have the opinion of skilled Fores-
ter on the advisability of cutting over
the tract. The State Forester accord
ingly went over the land with him,
and it was pointed out that for very
small sum this timber might be thor
oughly covered by expert Foresters,
the defective diseased, and mature
trees marked for removal and COR
rect estimate secured as to the amount
and value of the timber to be taken
out.
This the owner agreed to have done,
and a party of three men was sent
from the Forester's office to do the
work. In this connection it may be
added that men with special training
are furnished to local landowners at a
cost Of 50 per day, the man in charge
SO, in addition to travelling expenses
and maintenance during the duration
of the job. The property in question,
$50 acres, was completely gone over
in six days time, the mature trees
calipered, tailed and marked. One
blaze, about four feet above the
ground clearly indicated the marked
trees, while the other, as naer the
ground as possible and bearing a
stamped letter IN" served as a check,
making sure that only trees so mark
ed We're cut.
The total expense to the owner was
S55.34, for the results of field work
are tabulated and summed up free Of
charge in the office at Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore. This was
done, and a map of the whole tract
made. The estimate of the trees mark
ed was mimeographed, and this state
ment, showing the location of the
tract with kinds and amount of timber,
was sent out from the State Fores-
ter's office to several hundred sawmill
men in the same locality, who would
be most likely to take an interest in
the purchase of the wood and timber
-Four months from the time the pre-
liminary examination was made, and
three after the marking had actually
been DONE the timber had been sold.
1t was sold for more than three times
the amount originally offered, and
with the purchase the buyer gave
written guarantee that in the removal
of the old timber every reasonable
precauton would be used for the pro-
lection of the young.
Such work, an object lesson in good
management and economy, is of value
to the community; it is of substantial
and lasting improvement to the for
est; and the financial profit to the
owner is not the least of the benefits
derived. The State Board of Forestry
since then has been engaged in many
similar undertakings, and the work
has been highly advantageous to the
owners. 1t is in a position to take up
additional work of this nature, and is
prepared to extend real assistance by
experts to Maryland woodland own
ers in the improving, marketing, and
handling of their timber.