FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA 



By J. S. Holmes 

 Forester 



IT IS probable that Western 

 North CaroHna is more widely 

 known for its fine climate, pure 

 water, and beautiful scenery than for 

 any others of its natural advantages. 

 Thousands of health and pleasure 

 seekers come each winter to this "Land 

 of the Sky" to escape the rigors of the 

 northern and eastern states, while tens 

 of thousands flock each summer from 

 the south. The entertainment of these 

 summer and winter visitors or tourists 

 forms a most important and promising 

 industry, for they bring into the coun- 

 try each year from two and a half to 

 three million dollars. The large part 

 that the forests play in the tourist traf- 

 fic, by increasing the purity of the 

 streams and making the country more 

 beautiful and interesting, is not gener- 

 ally realized ; yet forest and stream and 

 climate are Western North Carolina's 

 most valuable assets. With the con- 

 servation of the forests, the improve- 

 ment of the roads, and the extension of 

 railroads, the attractiveness as well as 

 the accessibility of the country will be 

 tremendously enhanced, and the num- 

 ber of visitors will steadily increase. 



Of even greater economic import- 

 ance are the timber resources. The 

 hardwoods of the Southern Appalach- 

 ians are as widely known among buy- 

 ers and users of wood products as the 

 climatic advantages are by the travel- 

 ing public. Oak, chestnut, poplar, 

 cherry, walnut, and other woods are 

 shipped to all of the eastern states, even 

 to Canada and to Europe ; and furni- 

 ture made in North Carolina from 

 wood grown in these mountains goes 

 all over the world. 



Agriculture, which in most parts of 

 the State stands first among the im- 

 portant industries, takes third place in 

 the mountains, and, if only those farm 

 products which bring a cash return are 

 counted, is unimportant, though con- 

 siderable quantities of apples and cab- 

 bages are shipped out of the region, 



384 



and corn, cattle, chickens, eggs, butter, 

 fruit, and garden truck are sold locally. 



ACCESSIBILITY OF THE TIMBER. 



The accessibility of timber largely 

 determines its value and also deter- 

 mines methods of forest management. 



Western North Carolina is well sup- 

 plied with railroads, there being no 

 fewer than ten railroad outlets. Yet 

 the greater part of the best timber is 

 rerriiote from transportation and cannot 

 be marketed profitably until new lines 

 are built or extensions made. Since 

 1909, however, railroad development 

 has been rapid, so that now only the 

 three extreme northeastern counties are 

 without railroads, while spurs or ex- 

 tensions are under construction or are 

 definitely planned for about half the 

 mountain counties. The wagon roads, 

 which are the chief feeders for the rail- 

 roads, are in most cases unimproved; 

 and though they are often fairly good 

 in dry summer weather, many of them 

 become almost impassable in winter. 

 Nothing could add more to the value 

 of timber and give proper encourage- 

 ment to proper methods of forestry 

 than the construction of good roads. 

 This question of transportation is dis- 

 cussed in more detail later. 



CLASSIEICATION OE LAND 



Throughout the region, agricultural 

 land is held mostly in small areas, and 

 a farm of more than 500 acres is excep- 

 tional. In nearly all counties, however, 

 some forest land is held in large bodies 

 by lumber companies, or speculators ; 

 and in some counties more than 60 per 

 cent of the land is in tracts of more 

 than 1,000 acres in extent. But since 

 all of this is rough, mountain woodland, 

 unsuited to agriculture, such tenure is 

 no drawback, but rather an advantage; 

 for by keeping the full stand of timber 

 the land retains a full valuation, which 

 is reduced as soon as the timber is 

 taken ofY. 



