84 MARYLAND MANUAL

District 4.Bel Air
(Baltimore, Cecil, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's Counties)

William H. Johnson, District Forester

John C. Bennett, Ass't District Forester

Henry Stasiek, Ass't District Forester

Paul H. Seward, Supervisor Fire Control

L. E. Bettinger, Supervisor Fire Control

The Commission of State Forests and Parks consists of five mem-
bers appointed by the Governor, one recommended by the Maryland
Farm Bureau, one by the Maryland State Grange; a third member
shall have had practical experience in the lumbering business, while
the remaining two shall have an interest in the advancement of for-
estry. The members serve for a term of five years with overlapping
tenure of office. They select their chairman and appoint the State
Forester who serves as director of the Department of State Forests
and Parks (Code 1947 Supp., Art. 39A, sees. 1-2).

A forestry department was first organized in 1906 under the State
Board of Forestry. The present Department, associated with the Board
of Natural Resources was organized in 1941, and is the successor of the
first department. The Department of State Forests and Parks
administers the tree marketing program under which woodland own-
ers who plan to dispose of their timber may secure a free marking
service to yield maximum return in saw timber and other forest
products, with due provision made for a sustained yield of successive
timber crops. The Department also administers the Forest Con-
servancy Districts Act designed to ensure the practice of forestry
on privately owned woodlands throughout the State (Code 1947
Supp., Art. 39A, sees. 52-64). The district foresters of the Department
serve as executive officers and secretaries of local forestry boards set
up under the Act. Another responsibility of the Department is the
protection from fire of 2,700,000 acres of public and private wood-
land. To carry out this assignment, the Department maintains a
specially trained fire control force, which is supplemented by 600-
700 forest wardens commissioned by the Governor. The protection of
approximately 3,000,000 trees along the State highways is also a re-
sponsibility of the Department. A force of wardens is employed to
supervise tree trimming operations by the public utility companies
along their pole-line right of ways.

The Department administers ten State Forests with a total area
of 120,666 acres. These forests serve as demonstration areas in for-
estry management. Recreational areas have been developed in several
of them, notably, Herrington Manor on the Swallow Falls and New
Germany on the Savage River. Parallel to this is the administration
of nine State Parks of scenic or historic interest totaling 4,870 acres.
The State Forests and Parks and their areas are as follows:

Name Swallow Falls Savage River Potomac Mt. Nebo Green Ridge Cedarville Doncaster Pocomoke Seth Demonstration Elk Neck

STATE FORESTS County Garrett Garrett Garrett Garrett Allcgany Prince George's & Charles Charles Worcester Talbot Cecil

Area 7,468 52,672 12,057 1,791 25,451 3,510 1,464 12,377 124 3,762