The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-10-20
Making Maryland WoodlOts Pay.

For one time the State Forester o
Maryland has co-operated with loca
| owners in divising and executing a
plan for not only conserving the fores
| resources of their lands and farms bu
| doing so with profit. Nothing, forest
~ included, can long be practiced at
loss, and recognizing this, plan was
made and offered to the people of the
State which met not only the needs Of
| the woodland, but the financial need:
| of the owner also. An instance will
explain.
The holder of a hundred-acre tract OF
timber less than ten miles from Baltl-
more City requested the Forester, late
last winter, to make preliminary ex
animation of the land in question with
an eye to laying out some practical plans
of Improvement The examination was
made, and plan prepared for
handling of the woodlands. This plan
was adopted by the owner and in March
an Assistant Forester from the Board
of Forestry went over the tract mark
ing the trees to be cut, estimating val
ues and carrying out in detail the work
recommended. The timber was, as a
whole, mature, and intermingled with
it was a considerable growth of other
species with little present, and no flu
ture value The latter included some
little scrubby pine, gum. maple and the
like; in brief, tweed trees which need
ed to be thoroughly removed to give
the room to the other better trees, then
needed for their best development and
growth.
Among the bett er species, also, some
cutting was indicated, this being done
by a blaze upon the trunk of The tree,
several feet above the ground, and
another, stamped with the letter "M''
farther down, near the stump, where
it would be left after the tree was cut
to show that only marked trees had
been removed by the purchaser. The
work was done by the Forester; to es-
innate, tally, and indicate the trees to
be marked; and two assistants, who
had to mark and measure them. Young,
thrifty, trees of the better kinds were
left to perpetuate the stand, and the
mature specimens were removed, to-
gother with those over mature defec-
tive, disease, or undesirable in any
way. Several large seed-trees were also
left per acre.
The work was done little faster
than IS acres per day, and the total
cost to the owner, for his 100 acres of
timber, was $40. This included all of
the field work, and that only, as the
data is worked out in the Forester's
office at no additional cost. The esti-
mated value of the standing timber
was 81, 772 O4, and bids were solicited
from lumbermen of the vicinity. To
aid in this, mimeographed statements
of the timber for sale were furnished
to the owner. together with list OF
lumber dealers to whom they shall be
sent. The timber was sold almost i'm
mediately, and cutting started with the
beginning of summer. The price Sc
cured was $1,000, which was slightly
above the estimated value, enough to
more than cover the entire cost of the
work 20. 1t would seem that there
was considerable clear profit.
When the work is done, young,
growing forest will be left, and another
tract of timber of valuable character
will in comparatively short time sue
coed that removed Such work pays
in timber, pays in the future of the
forest, pays in present revenue. 1t is
work available to all in Maryland, and
the State Forester, at 532 North
Howard St.. Baltimore, is prepared
with a corps of trained Foresters to
give prompt assistance.