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The Forest Before Us
When European settlers arrived in Maryland in the early 1600s, they encountered a vast woodland teeming with diversity—towering oak, hickory, pine, and chestnut trees covered nearly the entire landscape. These forests were open and expansive, shaped by centuries of Indigenous stewardship and low-intensity fire. Travelers marveled at the ease of movement beneath the canopy, noting how one could “drive a four-horse carriage… through the midst of the trees.”
To the colonial eye, however, the forest was both a resource and an obstacle. Timber was useful, but more urgent was the need to clear land for tobacco, Maryland’s dominant cash crop. Forests were girdled and burned to make way for plantations, settlements, and shipyards. This early era of clearing was not just about subsistence—it was economic strategy, fueling maritime trade and exporting lumber and charcoal. As the colony grew, so too did the pace and scale of deforestation.
From Extraction to Exhaustion
By the 18th and 19th centuries, timber harvesting intensified across Maryland, driven by industrialization and westward expansion. Logging railroads opened access to previously untouched tracts, especially in the Appalachian west, while water-powered sawmills processed timber at industrial scale. The booming demand for wood in cities like Baltimore, where it was used for homes, factories, and fuel, made forests into economic engines—but also left them stripped bare.
Felled mountainsides and scorched landscapes became common. Without replanting or erosion controls, soil washed into rivers, fires swept through logged-over stands, and land productivity plummeted. The American chestnut—once a cornerstone species in Maryland’s forests—was nearly eradicated by a blight introduced in the early 1900s, reshaping forest composition and depriving wildlife of a critical food source.
At the same time, the state’s agrarian economy began to shift. Maryland’s population grew, its cities expanded, and farmland moved into marginal areas. In many places, exhausted crop fields and pastures were abandoned, allowing trees to slowly return. But it was clear that natural recovery alone wouldn’t be enough.
Seeds of Change
At the dawn of the 20th century, a new idea began to take hold: that forests should be managed, not just used. National figures like Gifford Pinchot and President Theodore Roosevelt championed this philosophy, calling for conservation to serve the long-term public good. Maryland answered that call in 1906, appointing Fred W. Besley, a Yale-trained forester, as its first State Forester. That same year, the Garrett brothers donated land in western Maryland, and the General Assembly passed legislation creating the Board of Forestry.
Besley’s work was foundational. With a $2,000 budget and no staff, he traveled the state by buggy, mapping timber resources, preaching fire protection, and encouraging replanting. He promoted forestry not just to landowners but to schools, civic groups, and policymakers. In 1916, he produced The Forests of Maryland—the first comprehensive forest inventory in the United States.
Maryland’s forestry movement mirrored national concerns: unchecked logging, rampant wildfires, and degraded watersheds were seen as threats not just to nature but to the economy. Federal policies were evolving too, with conservation increasingly tied to rural stability and public welfare. Maryland’s early adoption of these principles placed it at the forefront of state-led forest management.
Building the Foundation
From the 1920s through the 1940s, Maryland expanded its forestry capacity. Fire laws were strengthened, roadside trees received legal protections, and state-run nurseries began producing seedlings for reforestation. During the Great Depression, New Deal programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps brought thousands of young men into Maryland’s woods. They planted trees, built fire roads, and helped recover abused lands—creating infrastructure that still supports public forests today.
As the mid-century approached, the pace of forest clearing slowed, but new pressures emerged. Suburban development and infrastructure projects—highways, power lines, and dams—began fragmenting forest blocks, especially in central Maryland. The post–World War II economic boom brought prosperity, but also a surge in land conversion, threatening the continuity of forest ecosystems and limiting the regeneration of younger age classes.
Recognizing the need for long-term planning, Maryland passed the Forestry Conservancy District Act in 1943. It reorganized forest governance to include regional advisory boards and focused more intentionally on private landowners, who held most of the forestland. The Act marked a turning point, embedding forestry in local decision-making and public education.
Balancing Needs, Growing Purpose
By the 1960s and 70s, Maryland’s forests were no longer seen solely as timber sources. Recreation, wildlife, water quality, and scenic beauty became legitimate management goals, reflecting broader shifts in public values. National legislation like the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act set new environmental expectations, and Maryland responded with its own tools—zoning laws, forest conservation statutes, and stream buffer incentives.
This shift in perspective culminated in a new generation of forestry programs that addressed ecological health and community engagement. In 1996, the John S. Ayton Nursery opened on the Eastern Shore, replacing older facilities and dramatically increasing the state’s capacity to produce native seedlings. Dedicated on Earth Day, the 300-acre nursery symbolized Maryland’s modern forest mission: one rooted in science, outreach, and long-term stewardship.
The health of the Chesapeake Bay also became a defining concern. Forests, especially riparian buffers, were recognized as essential filters that reduce nutrient runoff and protect aquatic life. Tree planting campaigns like Marylanders Plant Trees and the Backyard Buffers Program tied forestry to watershed restoration in direct, visible ways.
What We Inherit
Today, forests cover about 2.7 million acres—roughly 40% of Maryland’s land base. Most of that is privately owned, reflecting long-standing patterns of land tenure and rural livelihoods. The forest products industry continues to contribute more than $3.8 billion to the state economy, even as its footprint becomes more efficient and specialized.
But challenges persist. Forest loss to development continues, especially in central counties. Regeneration lags, with young forests making up only 10% of the landscape—raising concerns about long-term resilience. Climate change adds further complexity: warming temperatures, erratic rainfall, and invasive pests like the emerald ash borer and spotted lanternfly threaten species stability and forest health.
Yet Maryland’s forestry system remains anchored by strong roots—both institutional and ecological. The state’s investment in stewardship, begun over a century ago with Fred Besley and the Board of Forestry, has grown into a mature, multifaceted effort that balances economy, ecology, and public benefit. The task ahead is the same as it was in 1906: to manage forests not just for today, but for generations still to come.
