Maryland Woodlands: Past,
Present, & Future
Jonathan Kays
Natural Resource Specialist
University of Maryland Extension
jkays@umd.edu
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
What do most
people want
from
woodlands?
Habitat for wildlife
A diversity of species…both game & nongame
Recreation &
Quality of Life
And let’s not forget wood products the provide
income and support local economic
development
Road to the Present Forest
has been shaped by...
• Human activity based on good & bad
decisions, and knowledge
• Cycles of abuse & neglect
• Dynamic change whether we do anything or
not
• Incredible resiliency and renewability of the
land
Forensic Forestry: What Happened
To This Land the Last 100 years?
Land Shaped by Human Activity
Forests are resilient
Clearcut early 1900s versus same location 60 years later
Pre-Colonial Forest
Native
Americans
Early
Settlers
First Industrial Use of Wood in
1700’s for Iron Production
• In 1719, MD Assembly
offered 100 acres to
anyone erecting a
furnace
Land Use
Change thru
mid-1800s
Hand & Horse Labor
Steam power
1850s
Demand &
access brought
commercial
exploitation of
wildlife
Wide-scale Harvesting
Throughout US – early 1900s
• Exploitative, not
sustainable
• Narrow gauge
locomotives
• Use to build our
cities – industrial
economy
By early 1900s most of the timber
had been cut…
…cutover land began to grow back…
…other land grew back into forest
after abandonment.
Turn of the Century brought...
• State forestry agencies to
fight wildfires
• National Parks
• Conservation Organizations
• Developing sciences of
forest and wildlife
management
Gifford Pinchot
The First Conservationist/Forester
Aldo Leopold
Father of Wildlife Management
Extensive forests of
chestnut changed to
oak in a few short years
(1920s). Only chestnut
sprouts remain.
Poor agricultural practices in 1930s resulted in
erosion and development of conservation
programs for farmers
Civilian
Conservation Corp
(CCC) during the
depression planted
many trees but….
…they were never
managed
Chainsaw developed 1940
Modern equipment
has potential for high
impact. Needs to be
applied wisely.
Increased Wildfire Control
• Federal and state funding for firefighter crews
• Smokey Bear campaign
Area Burned
• 1930s:
– 40-50 million acres/year
(16-20 million hectares/year)
• 1960s:
– 2-9 million acres/year
(800,000 -3.5 million hectares/year)
Post WW2
Wood needed for building boom
that continued for decades…
Today, never before
have so many people
lived in the woods...or
want some woods on
their land
Parcelization - Fragmentation
• More landowners, smaller parcels. Large
acreage tract subdivided
Conservation Policy
• Preservation v. Conservation debate
continues today:
Urban vs Rural Forestry Management
85% of MD population is urban
Impacted Ecosystems
• Invasive plants & diseases – global
economy, global distribution
• Overabundant wildlife species (deer)
• Forest harvest practices (or lack of)
• Landowner demographics &
parcelization
Other Forest Threats
• Past
– Chestnut blight
– Dutch elm disease
• Present
–
–
–
–
–
–
Emerald ash borer
Gypsy moth
Asian longhorned beetle
Thousand cankers disease
Sudden oak death
Sirex wood wasp
Maryland’s Forests
Is leaving the forest alone the best for wildlife,
forest health, & biodiversity?
Fenced Exclosure Area At Black Hills
Deer Browse At Black Hills Regional Park
Our Forests Are Maturing
Sapling
12%
Sawtimber
67%
Sapling
Poletimber
USDA Forest Service, 2001
Sawtimber
Poletimber
21%
Area of Timberland by
Forest-Type Group
Oak/Gum/Cypr
ess
5%
Elm/Ash/RM
5%
Other
1%
N. Hardwood
9%
Oak/Hickory
58%
Loblolly
12%
Oak/Pine
10%
USDA Forest Service, 2001
Forest Harvesting as a positive tool to improve forest
structure, health, genetics, etc.
Proper Harvesting Techniques
Impacts on structure, genetics, etc.
Many natural
resource
professionals are
available to help
forest
landowners.
Finding out who
they are is the
challenge.
What history
are you
writing?
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
Education Needed to
Dispel Forestry Myths
• Myth: Leaving the woods alone is the
best option for wildlife, forest health,
and ecosystem protection.
• Myth: Managing woodland takes a lot of
time and money.
• Myth: My woodland are too small to
consider any type of managment.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland