The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1915-04-30
What State Forestry Can DO For
Local Timber Growers.


In addition to encouraging the re-
clamation Of lands within the State
through planting forest trees, the
State Board OF Forestry IL, 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 fair price, the
logging operations are conducted i'm
such way that the removal or The
trees which are mature Is not injur-
ious to the younger trees that are
left, and the whole stand is put in
better condition than ever before.
Emphasis can best be given this, and
Che work itself explained, by citing
case in point.
In May, 1914, the State Forester at
Baltimore was visited by a gentle
man owning ESQ acres of wooded
land in Anne Arundel County. 1t
was an old stand of mixed hard
woods Tie chestnut was being
rapidly killed by the blight, large
share or the trees or other species
were becoming over-mature, and the
stand as a whole much In need Of
an Improvement cutting. Appreciat-
ing this, the owner was considering
the sale Of his merchantable trees,
for which he had already received
what he considered "a fair offer.
Before selling, however, he wished
to have the opinion Of skilled For
ester on the advisability of cutting
over the tract. The State Forester
accordingly went over the land with
MIN, and II was pointed out that for
very small sum this timber might
be thoroughly covered by expert
Foresters, the defective, diseased,
and mature trees marked for remov-
al, and correct estimate secured as
to the amount and value of the tim
Der to be taken out.
This the owner agreed to nave
done, and party OF three men was
sent from the Forester's Office to do
the work. In this connection 1t may
be added that men with special train
ing are furnished to local landown-
ers at cost of so per day, the man
in charge So, in addition to travelling
expenses and maintenance during
the duration Of the job. The prop
erty in question, $50 acres, was COM
pletely gone over in six days time,
the mature trees calipered, tailed
and marked. One blaze, about four
feet above the ground, clearly indi-
Gated the marked trees, while the
other, a. near the ground a. posi-
bic and bearing stamped letter
m" served as a check, making sure
that only trees so marked were cut
The total expense to the owner
was 1854, 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 map of the whole
tract made. The estimate of the
trees marked was mimeographed, and
this statement, showing the location
Of the tract with kinds and amount
of timber, wa sent out from the
State Forester'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
preliminary examination was made,
and three after the marking had &C
tually 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 or the old timber ev-
cry reasonable precaution would b.
used for the protection Of the young.
Such work, an object lesson in
good management and economy, is of
value to the community; it is of sub
stantial and lasting improvement to
the forest; and the financial profit to
the owner f. not the least OF the
benefits derived. The State Board OF
Forestry since then has been en-
gagged in many similar undertakings,
and the work has been highly adj
vantageous to the owners. 1t is in a
position to take up additional work
or this nature, and il prepared to
extend real assistance by experts TO
Maryland woodland owners In the |
marketing and handling
of their timber.