The dam was built as an emergency water supply for Washington, D.C. Savage River State Forest is known for its hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking trails.

By the early 1900s, narrow gauge railroads were used to facilitate logging on steeper slopes as the demand for wood products continued to increase.

In part, as a reaction to the rapid cutting of trees and the burning that was taking place, the Garrett Brothers, in 1906 gave 2000 acres to the state with the proviso that an agency would be created to manage the property and to institute scientific forestry- this led to the birth of the Maryland Forest Service.

In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps assisted the forest service with fire suppression efforts, tree planting, and constructing facilities for recreational activities.

The CCC boys helped with the early snow skiing activities on the forest – later to become New Germany State Park.

The definition can differ according to climatic and eco-regional perspectives and the growth characteristics of specific native forest systems.

In Maryland, an old growth forest is defined as a minimum of five acres in size with a preponderance of old trees, of which the oldest trees exceed at least half of the projected maximum attainable age for that species, and that exhibits most of the following characteristics: It is also important to recognize that old-growth forests are not static and may not be a permanent fixture on the landscape.

Numerous sawmills and New Page paper mill operations provide outlets for timber from local forests.

Very small amounts of the State Forest are located in Deep Creek Lake (0.4%) and Upper North Branch of the Potomac (0.6%) watersheds.

"[2] "The majority of the Savage River State Forest acreage is open for public hunting, with the exception of safety zones and other similar areas.

Hunting opportunities are primarily for white-tailed deer, but other species, depending upon the site, include bear, turkey and upland birds.

Hunting has been a time honored tradition that continues to provide recreation, food, and quality of life in Garrett County.

The large amounts of public land in the county makes it a popular destination for non-resident hunters and those from more urban areas where there is little hunting opportunity.

The results of the DNA analysis were entered into Program MARK which yielded a population estimate of 362 adult and subadult bears across the study area.

Fish and Wildlife Service suggest that American woodcock numbers have been declining by an average of 1.9 percent per year since these surveys were started in 1968.

Most woodcock biologists suspect that alterations of habitat, losses to development and changes due to maturation of abandoned farmland are the cause of the population decline.

Woodcock prefer moist soil areas with dense seedling/sapling cover and rich humus layers because earthworms, their primary food, are most plentiful in these habitats.

Because of their habitat and life history requirements, brook trout are typically found in the pristine, aesthetically pleasant areas of Maryland.

The vast majority (82%) of the remaining populations are classified as 'greatly reduced,' meaning that within the sub-watersheds where they occur they occupy only 1% to 10% of the area that was historically inhabited.

Despite the streams and valleys that run through much of the forest, most of the soils are acidic and naturally low in plant nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.

Water drainage is often stunted; locally called “glades” (poorly drained areas) are abundant throughout the forest and surrounding region.

The many streams that run through Savage River State Forest serves as habitat for many types of rare and/or endangered species, such as: Johnny darter, striped shiner, mottled sculpin, stonecat, brook trout and hellbender.

Larger wildlife includes white-tailed deer, black bears, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, and various small furbearing mammals such as canids, opossums, rodents, and skunks.

"[2] "Hunting with rifles, handguns, shotguns, bows and muzzleloaders are permitted in all designated areas in accordance with state and federal laws.

"[2] A rifle range, located on New Germany Road, provides opportunity to target practice and for sighting in firearms prior to the hunting season.

Some of the species of fish you can catch at Savage River include, large and small mouth bass, trout, yellow perch, blue gill, pickerel, musky and many more.