Dear Students and Educators:
The year 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of forest conservation in Maryland. Come join us as we celebrate Maryland’s Forestry Centennial.

Maryland’s forest resources were mostly privately owned and in a state of near total depletion at the turn of the 20th century. Fred W. Besley, Maryland’s first State Forester, was passionate about his work, and was challenged to reverse the bad practices of indiscriminate harvesting and uncontrolled forest fires. He focused his early efforts on reforesting cut-over land and controlling wildfires.

State Forester Besley also believed that an awareness and knowledge about Maryland’s natural resources was important to the lives of children and adults throughout Maryland’s diverse regions. He realized that proper management and stewardship of the land would enhance the quality of life, and contribute greatly to Maryland’s economy.

We appreciate your interest in learning more about Maryland’s forests and their trees and wildlife. We have put together a list of Suggested Children’s Literature, which includes 51 books that are reference points for your studies, and a source for learning more about wood products, planting trees, and how our wonderful forest ecosystems work.

For a more extensive book list, contact Maryland’s Project Learning Tree State Coordinator, Dave Reinecke at dreinecke@dnr.state.md.us.

Sincerely,
Steven W. Koehn
Director / State Forester