Maryland's Forests

Maryland’s Forests: Past, Present, and Future

Jonathan S. Kays regional Extension natural resources specialist Western Maryland Research and Education Center

For centuries, Maryland’s forests have pro- areas of forest for agriculture, berry produc- vided wood, wildlife habitat, clean water and tion, and hunting, but these activities were air, aesthetic and recreational enjoyment, and primarily near settlements along the many other benefits. However, over the last Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Virgin for- few decades the State population has grown est covered almost the entire state. The tree rapidly and demands on forest resources have species of 17th century Maryland forests— increased. This fact sheet briefly describes oak, tulip-poplar, eastern hemlock, beech, Maryland’s past, present, and future forests loblolly pine, white pine, and American and attempts to impress upon all woodland chestnut—are similar to those growing today. owners that the forest is truly a renewable Forest composition, however, has changed natural resource whose future can be ensured dramatically. The original forests were pri- by sound forest stewardship. marily composed of hardwoods; at present, pine is more abundant due to planting The Past: Forest Clearing efforts and the reversion of abandoned farmlands to forest. Cycles of Use and Neglect Many people think present-day forests have Colonists and the Forest never changed or been changed. In fact, The first European settlers saw the forest as most of Maryland’s forests have been harvest- a dense wilderness that impeded their agri- ed and regrown three to five times since cultural livelihood and harbored dangerous European settlement. These woodlands have animals and diseases. Timber was abundant, been shaped by other human activity as well. had little monetary value, and colonists A brief look at Maryland’s forest history indiscriminately cleared woodland (primarily shows how humans have affected the forests. by burning) to grow tobacco and other cash crops. Poor agricultural practices caused The Early Forest massive soil erosion and silted up what had This fact sheet is part of a series on woodland management. If you Maryland’s forests were virtually untouched been the deep-water harbors of the would like information on additional topics in the series, contact your before the arrival of the first European settlers Chesapeake Bay. county Extension office. in 1634 at St. Mary’s City. Prior to this, Native Colonization centered primarily around the Americans had cleared and burned small Chesapeake-Tidewater area until 1732. At this P95

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30,1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Maryland at College Park, and local governments. Thomas A. Fretz, Director of Cooperative Extension Service, University of Maryland at College Park. The University of Maryland is equal opportunity. The University’s policies, programs, and activities are in conformance with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations on nondis- crimination regarding race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, and disability. Inquiries regarding compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the 8 Educational Amendments; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990; or related legal requirements should be directed to the Director of Personnel/Human Relations, Office of the Dean, College of Agriculture, Symons Hall, College Park, MD 20742. time, Lord Baltimore opened land to the west to for the Industrial Revolution. As forests were moderate to heavy gypsy moth defoliation, the means to improve tree growth, wildlife settlement—primarily to assert Maryland’s claim harvested, towns were established and then which has killed an estimated 428 million habitat and other forest benefits, while con- to lands disputed by neighboring Virginia. As set- abandoned, sometimes within a few years. board feet of oak timber. As a result, many oak tributing to the economic and aesthetic well tlements expanded, more wood was needed for forests have regenerated with other species— being of the region. structures, fences, and fuel. These demands were Agricultural Abandonment and species less amenable to wildlife and less valu- met by clearing Forest Regrowth able as timber. As the gypsy moth moves south The Future: Putting Forest into previously unaffected areas of Southern Industrial Exploitation Clearing for agriculture reached its peak in the mid 1800’s. After the Civil War, there was Maryland and the Eastern Shore defoliation, Stewardship Into Practice Iron furnaces. The first widespread indus- a gradual increase in the number of forested mortality, and changes in Maryland species Today the reawakening of interest in envi- trial exploitation of forests began in the early acres as agricultural land was abandoned composition will probably increase. ronmental issues has renewed interest in for- 1700’s. Iron was in short supply in the early and people moved to industrial centers for Because many factors affect the health of our est stewardship. Forest resources other than settlements and smelting iron ore required jobs. Additional land abandonment occurred forests, sound management and regular moni- wood products will gain attention as popula- large quantities of charcoal. In 1719 the after the Great Depression in the 1930’s. toring of private woodlands is needed to tions spread out and Maryland’s patchwork of Maryland Assembly offered 100 acres of land Fields reverted to pine and hardwood ensure that problems are discovered and treat- forests, farmlands, and cities becomes more to anyone who built an iron furnace. forests, many of which exist today. These ed in a timely manner. intimately interwoven. Throughout the 1700’s and 1800’s, large tracts 60- to 90-year-old even-aged forest stands The economic exploitation that character- of forest were clearcut to produce charcoal to are rapidly reaching maturity. The species Forest-Products Industry ized the early history of Maryland’s forests fire iron furnaces. The Principio Furnace, composition and size- and age-class distrib- Forest products are a large industry in has been replaced by a more informed style Maryland’s first iron furnace, was established ution that characterize many of today’s Maryland. They play a vital role in maintain- of woodland management. The use of profes- in 1719 in Cecil County and consumed forests are the results of natural succession ing a healthy, vigorous forest and meeting sional foresters and other resource managers 10,000 acres of woodland during its 100 as well as planned forest management and the State’s wood-product needs. The industry to assist private woodland owners in forest years of operation. management planning and harvest decisions silvicultural practices. employs more than 15,500 people, is the Steam engines, railroads, and canals. largest employer in Garrett and Allegany is becoming an accepted practice. Further, The invention of the steam engine in the Counties, and is the second largest employer the large private ownership of Maryland’s early 1800’s revolutionized the use of forest The Conservation Movement on the Eastern Shore. forests makes it clear that the stewardship resources. The 1850 introduction of the circu- By the late 1800’s, there was a burgeoning The forest products industry is diverse, practices implemented by these owners and lar saw, which was powered by steam, national conservation movement with leaders including sawmills, a paper mill, pulpwood managers will control the health and produc- allowed settlers to produce far more saw tim- such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and operations, family-owned logging companies, tivity for future generations. ber than water-powered mills. Forests that Gifford Pinchot. National attention focused firewood operators, whole-tree chippers, and previously had been inaccessible to logging on widescale timber harvesting and the lack veneer log buyers, as well as producers of References were opened to wholesale exploitation of concern for regeneration. This resulted in furniture, cabinets and other secondary through the use of steam engines or narrow the formation of the National Park and Forest wood products. During an average year, mil- Besley, F.S. 1916. The forests of Maryland. gauge railroads. Forest products were no system and many State forestry agencies. lions of board feet of hardwood and soft- Maryland State Board Forestry, 152 pp. longer restricted to local markets but could However, the widescale timber harvests that wood timber is harvested in Maryland. In Birch, T. U.S. Forest service, state & private be transported to large industrial centers, occurred in that century and the early 1900’s 1993, the income from timber sold on forestry. Personal Communication. such as Baltimore and Williamsport. New were not nearly as damaging as the wildfires Maryland woodlands, whether as stumpage Carroll, D., coordinator. 1990. Executive sum- lumber markets followed the B&O Railroad, that followed. Set by sparks from steam (price paid to the landowner for standing mary: The governor’s task force on trees and forests in Maryland. Office of the Governor. which was chartered in 1827 and reached St. engines, fires decimated the seeds and young trees) or cut and then sold, was estimated to Frieswyk, T.S., and D.M. DiGiovanny. 1988. Louis in 1857. The C&O Canal, begun in growth that were to supply future forests. be $29.3 million. This provided a direct eco- Forest statistics for Maryland–1976 and 1986. USDA 1826 and completed in 1852, also provided The Maryland State Board of Forestry was nomic benefit to Maryland workers. For Forest Service Resource Bulletin. NE-107, 157 pp. the means to transport timber products to organized in 1906, primarily to control forest every $1 paid to landowners for the sale of Powell, D.S., and N.P. Kingsley. 1980. The industrial areas. fires, and until 1944, forest wardens were not timber in 1993, $14 in direct wages and forest resources of Maryland. USDA Forest Forest products. As the timber industry salaries was generated for the State’s econo- paid a salary for their services. Service Resource Bulletin NE-61, 103 pp. expanded, its primary product—lumber— Fred Besley was the first Maryland State my. The total annual payroll from the forest increased, as did associated enterprises that Schaefer, E.D. and R.M. Kreitwer. 1991. forester. He single-handedly inventoried products industry in Maryland is more than Maryland’s land 1973–1990: A changing relied on forest products. Pulpwood was every 5-acre woodlot in Maryland and pro- $420 million. If indirect benefits of these used to make paper. Tanbark, the bark of resource. Maryland Office of Planning. duced the first forest inventory, which was wages and salaries were included, the effect Publication 91-8. hemlock and chestnut oak, supplied chemi- printed in 1916. Thus, although widespread would be even greater. cals needed for tanning. Other specialty exploitation dramatically affected our forest The partnership of private forest stewards Reviewed by products and industries flourished as well. resources, it resulted in the establishment of and the forest products industry is mutually Robert Tjaden These forest products provided raw materials a State forestry agency with the mission of beneficial and provides woodland owners regional Extension natural resources specialist Wye Research and Education Center 2 7 Figure 4. Maryland Forests: Ownership of Forestland. improving the management of public and Amazingly, this percentage has remained private forest resources. rather constant from the turn of the century 5% The first State forest nursery was established when forests and old fields covered 46 per- Forest Industry in 1914 to supply seedlings for reforestation cent of the State. Forest cover varies from the 1% efforts. Starting in the 1950’s, the Maryland heavily forested (about 73 percent) counties Other Forest Division offered woodland owners of Western Maryland to the less-forested (24 5% professional forestry assistance, as well as to 35 percent) urban, suburban, and agricul- State Forest seedlings, to ensure forest regeneration. In tural counties of central Maryland and the the early 1900’s, forestry schools were formed Eastern Shore. Southern Maryland and the 5% around the nation that sponsored research on lower Eastern Shore also have a considerable County & Municipal how forests could be managed to provide amount of forest, 54 to 61 percent and 37 to Forest adequate regeneration and meet other land- 51 percent respectively. Ninety percent of use objectives. As the schools developed, so Maryland forest is classified as commercial, did the science of forestry management. which means it is capable of producing large mature forests. The Present: A Patchwork Most of the State’s commercial forestland regenerated after extensive harvesting at the 84% of Forest Ownership and turn of the century and following farm aban- Private donments. Today, forests of trees greater than Nonindustrial Management 11 inches in diameter (sawtimber) make up Landowners Forest Coverage the largest percentage of Maryland’s forests Maryland’s forests cover 43 percent of the (Figure 2). At present, 71 percent of Maryland’s woodland acreage comprises saw- Source: Frieswyk, T.S., and D.M. DiGiovanny. 1988. Forest statistics for Maryland–1976 and 1986. USDA Forest Service Resource Bulletin. NE-107. State or 2.7 million acres (Figure 1).

Figure 3. Physiographic Provinces and Their Divisions in Maryland.

Appalachian Province Piedmont Province 17% 56% Greater Appalachian Valley Allegany Washington Carroll Garrett Harford Cecil Baltimore Alleghay Plateau Frederick

Blue Ridge Mt. Howard Kent

Montgomery Anne Arundel Queen Anne's

Talbot Eastern

Prince Caroline Shore 1986 27% George's

Calvert

Charles Dorchester Wicomico St. Mary's

Worcester

Sawtimber Poletimber Seedling/Sapling Somerset Adapted from: Miller, Fred. 1976. Maryland Soils. Coastal Plain Province Source: Frieswyk, T.S., and D.M. DiGiovanny. 1988. Forest statistics for Maryland–1976 and 1986. USDA Forest Service Resource Bulletin. NE-107. Bulletin 212, Maryland Cooperative Extension Service.

4 5 Figure 2. Maryland Forests: Change in Size of Trees From 1976 To 1986. timber-sized trees; 19 percent comprises trees Appalachian Province of Western Maryland 5 to 11 inches in diameter (poletimber); and includes the Blue Ridge Mountains, the only 10 percent contains trees smaller than 5 Greater Appalachian Valley, and the inches in diameter. As Maryland’s forests Appalachian Plateau. These areas of moun- mature, young forests and the species they tains and valleys contain a diversity of oak support dwindle. forests and northern hardwoods (beech, 10% Forest Zones and Types birch, and maple trees), along with a colder 71% climate. The elevation and relief of this If one were to traverse Maryland from the province increases going westward to reach southeast to the northwest, he or she would an elevation of 3,360 feet above sea level in cover 262 miles and three distinct forest Garrett County. More than 150 native tree zones (Figure 3). The sandy, flat Coastal species are found in Maryland. The dominant Plain Province of southeast Maryland with its mild climate marks the northernmost bound- forest type across the State is oak-hickory, ary for southern trees such as loblolly pine which covers 60 percent of forest acreage, and bald cypress. The Piedmont Province of followed by loblolly-shortleaf pine (12 per- central Maryland supports forests of red, cent), oak-pine (12 percent), northern hard- white, and chestnut oak, yellow poplar, and wood (6 percent), and other types (10 per- 19% ash with mixtures of pine/oak throughout. cent). The majority of the timber in Maryland Higher in elevation than the Coastal Plain, it forests is yellow poplar, oak, and red is characterized by a broad, undulating land- maple—the major species in the oak-hickory 1976 scape with some ridges and low knobs. The forest type.

Figure 3. Physiographic Provinces and Their Divisions in Maryland.

Appalachian Province Piedmont Province 17% 56% Greater Appalachian Valley Allegany Washington Carroll Garrett Harford Cecil Baltimore Alleghay Plateau Frederick

Blue Ridge Mt. Howard Kent

Montgomery Anne Arundel Queen Anne's

Talbot Eastern

Prince Caroline Shore 1986 27% George's

Calvert

Charles Dorchester Wicomico St. Mary's

Worcester

4 5 Figure 4. Maryland Forests: Ownership of Forestland. improving the management of public and Amazingly, this percentage has remained private forest resources. rather constant from the turn of the century 5% The first State forest nursery was established when forests and old fields covered 46 per- Forest Industry in 1914 to supply seedlings for reforestation cent of the State. Forest cover varies from the 1% efforts. Starting in the 1950’s, the Maryland heavily forested (about 73 percent) counties Other Forest Division offered woodland owners of Western Maryland to the less-forested (24 5% professional forestry assistance, as well as to 35 percent) urban, suburban, and agricul- State Forest seedlings, to ensure forest regeneration. In tural counties of central Maryland and the the early 1900’s, forestry schools were formed Eastern Shore. Southern Maryland and the 5% around the nation that sponsored research on lower Eastern Shore also have a considerable County & Municipal how forests could be managed to provide amount of forest, 54 to 61 percent and 37 to Forest adequate regeneration and meet other land- 51 percent respectively. Ninety percent of use objectives. As the schools developed, so Maryland forest is classified as commercial, did the science of forestry management. which means it is capable of producing large mature forests. The Present: A Patchwork Most of the State’s commercial forestland regenerated after extensive harvesting at the 84% of Forest Ownership and turn of the century and following farm aban- Private donments. Today, forests of trees greater than Nonindustrial Management 11 inches in diameter (sawtimber) make up Landowners Forest Coverage the largest percentage of Maryland’s forests Maryland’s forests cover 43 percent of the (Figure 2). At present, 71 percent of Maryland’s woodland acreage comprises saw- Source: Frieswyk, T.S., and D.M. DiGiovanny. 1988. Forest statistics for Maryland–1976 and 1986. USDA Forest Service Resource Bulletin. NE-107. State or 2.7 million acres (Figure 1).

Forest Ownership Forests, Population, and Commercial forest ownership patterns are a Development Figure 1. Percentage of Maryland Land That Is Forested patchwork. Among the many reasons for As Maryland’s population continues to acquiring forestland are investment, recre- grow, the greatest threat to forestland is ation, timber production, wildlife habitat, and development. From 1973 to 1990, Maryland aesthetic enjoyment. Contrary to public per- lost 126,300 acres (4.5 percent) of forestland 2.7 Million Acres ception, 90 percent of Maryland forest—2.4 to development, and this trend is increasing. million acres—is privately owned by more 43% Between 1990 and 2020, Maryland may lose Forested than 125,000 individual owners (Figure 4)! 6,000 or more acres of forestland per year. (Only 10 percent of the forest is in public This prospect is a cause for great concern. It ownership.) Therefore, it is the decisions of means that the remaining forestland must be private landowners that will have the largest better managed to meet the needs of effect on the future of Maryland forests. The Maryland’s citizens. majority of the individual holders are nonindustrial landowners, and 55 percent own Forest Health fewer than 10 acres. However, large proper- Forest insects, diseases, fires, air pollution ties continue to be subdivided, which makes and other factors threaten the future of our management increasingly difficult. The forests. A local scourge, the southern pine diverse objectives of the many landowners, beetle, periodically ravages Southern along with growing populations and shrink- Maryland and the Eastern Shore killing hun- ing resources, cause much conflict. With 25 dreds of acres of woodland, particularly 57% percent of all private landowners expected to mature timber, and causing large changes in Not Forested harvest timber in the next 10 years, it is wildlife habitat. important to provide sound management In Northern and Western Maryland, nearly 3.6 Million Acres information on a timely basis. 690 million acres of forestland have suffered Source: Frieswyk, T.S., and D.M. DiGiovanny. 1988. Forest statistics for Maryland–1976 and 1986. USDA Forest Service Resource Bulletin. NE-107. 6 3 time, Lord Baltimore opened land to the west to for the Industrial Revolution. As forests were moderate to heavy gypsy moth defoliation, the means to improve tree growth, wildlife settlement—primarily to assert Maryland’s claim harvested, towns were established and then which has killed an estimated 428 million habitat and other forest benefits, while con- to lands disputed by neighboring Virginia. As set- abandoned, sometimes within a few years. board feet of oak timber. As a result, many oak tributing to the economic and aesthetic well tlements expanded, more wood was needed for forests have regenerated with other species— being of the region. structures, fences, and fuel. These demands were Agricultural Abandonment and species less amenable to wildlife and less valu- met by clearing Forest Regrowth able as timber. As the gypsy moth moves south The Future: Putting Forest into previously unaffected areas of Southern Industrial Exploitation Clearing for agriculture reached its peak in the mid 1800’s. After the Civil War, there was Maryland and the Eastern Shore defoliation, Stewardship Into Practice Iron furnaces. The first widespread indus- a gradual increase in the number of forested mortality, and changes in Maryland species Today the reawakening of interest in envi- trial exploitation of forests began in the early acres as agricultural land was abandoned composition will probably increase. ronmental issues has renewed interest in for- 1700’s. Iron was in short supply in the early and people moved to industrial centers for Because many factors affect the health of our est stewardship. Forest resources other than settlements and smelting iron ore required jobs. Additional land abandonment occurred forests, sound management and regular moni- wood products will gain attention as popula- large quantities of charcoal. In 1719 the after the Great Depression in the 1930’s. toring of private woodlands is needed to tions spread out and Maryland’s patchwork of Maryland Assembly offered 100 acres of land Fields reverted to pine and hardwood ensure that problems are discovered and treat- forests, farmlands, and cities becomes more to anyone who built an iron furnace. forests, many of which exist today. These ed in a timely manner. intimately interwoven. Throughout the 1700’s and 1800’s, large tracts 60- to 90-year-old even-aged forest stands The economic exploitation that character- of forest were clearcut to produce charcoal to are rapidly reaching maturity. The species Forest-Products Industry ized the early history of Maryland’s forests fire iron furnaces. The Principio Furnace, composition and size- and age-class distrib- Forest products are a large industry in has been replaced by a more informed style Maryland’s first iron furnace, was established ution that characterize many of today’s Maryland. They play a vital role in maintain- of woodland management. The use of profes- in 1719 in Cecil County and consumed forests are the results of natural succession ing a healthy, vigorous forest and meeting sional foresters and other resource managers 10,000 acres of woodland during its 100 as well as planned forest management and the State’s wood-product needs. The industry to assist private woodland owners in forest years of operation. management planning and harvest decisions silvicultural practices. employs more than 15,500 people, is the Steam engines, railroads, and canals. largest employer in Garrett and Allegany is becoming an accepted practice. Further, The invention of the steam engine in the Counties, and is the second largest employer the large private ownership of Maryland’s early 1800’s revolutionized the use of forest The Conservation Movement on the Eastern Shore. forests makes it clear that the stewardship resources. The 1850 introduction of the circu- By the late 1800’s, there was a burgeoning The forest products industry is diverse, practices implemented by these owners and lar saw, which was powered by steam, national conservation movement with leaders including sawmills, a paper mill, pulpwood managers will control the health and produc- allowed settlers to produce far more saw tim- such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and operations, family-owned logging companies, tivity for future generations. ber than water-powered mills. Forests that Gifford Pinchot. National attention focused firewood operators, whole-tree chippers, and previously had been inaccessible to logging on widescale timber harvesting and the lack veneer log buyers, as well as producers of References were opened to wholesale exploitation of concern for regeneration. This resulted in furniture, cabinets and other secondary through the use of steam engines or narrow the formation of the National Park and Forest wood products. During an average year, mil- Besley, F.S. 1916. The forests of Maryland. gauge railroads. Forest products were no system and many State forestry agencies. lions of board feet of hardwood and soft- Maryland State Board Forestry, 152 pp. longer restricted to local markets but could However, the widescale timber harvests that wood timber is harvested in Maryland. In Birch, T. U.S. Forest service, state & private be transported to large industrial centers, occurred in that century and the early 1900’s 1993, the income from timber sold on forestry. Personal Communication. such as Baltimore and Williamsport. New were not nearly as damaging as the wildfires Maryland woodlands, whether as stumpage Carroll, D., coordinator. 1990. Executive sum- lumber markets followed the B&O Railroad, that followed. Set by sparks from steam (price paid to the landowner for standing mary: The governor’s task force on trees and forests in Maryland. Office of the Governor. which was chartered in 1827 and reached St. engines, fires decimated the seeds and young trees) or cut and then sold, was estimated to Frieswyk, T.S., and D.M. DiGiovanny. 1988. Louis in 1857. The C&O Canal, begun in growth that were to supply future forests. be $29.3 million. This provided a direct eco- Forest statistics for Maryland–1976 and 1986. USDA 1826 and completed in 1852, also provided The Maryland State Board of Forestry was nomic benefit to Maryland workers. For Forest Service Resource Bulletin. NE-107, 157 pp. the means to transport timber products to organized in 1906, primarily to control forest every $1 paid to landowners for the sale of Powell, D.S., and N.P. Kingsley. 1980. The industrial areas. fires, and until 1944, forest wardens were not timber in 1993, $14 in direct wages and forest resources of Maryland. USDA Forest Forest products. As the timber industry salaries was generated for the State’s econo- paid a salary for their services. Service Resource Bulletin NE-61, 103 pp. expanded, its primary product—lumber— Fred Besley was the first Maryland State my. The total annual payroll from the forest increased, as did associated enterprises that Schaefer, E.D. and R.M. Kreitwer. 1991. forester. He single-handedly inventoried products industry in Maryland is more than Maryland’s land 1973–1990: A changing relied on forest products. Pulpwood was every 5-acre woodlot in Maryland and pro- $420 million. If indirect benefits of these used to make paper. Tanbark, the bark of resource. Maryland Office of Planning. duced the first forest inventory, which was wages and salaries were included, the effect Publication 91-8. hemlock and chestnut oak, supplied chemi- printed in 1916. Thus, although widespread would be even greater. cals needed for tanning. Other specialty exploitation dramatically affected our forest The partnership of private forest stewards Reviewed by products and industries flourished as well. resources, it resulted in the establishment of and the forest products industry is mutually Robert Tjaden These forest products provided raw materials a State forestry agency with the mission of beneficial and provides woodland owners regional Extension natural resources specialist Wye Research and Education Center 2 7 Maryland’s Forests: Past, Present, and Future

Jonathan S. Kays regional Extension natural resources specialist Western Maryland Research and Education Center