STUDY OF FOREST CONDITIONS OF SOUTH- 

 WESTERN MISSISSIPPI BY THE UNITED STATES 

 FOREST SERVICE, IN CO-OPERATION WITH 

 THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



BY 



J. S. Holmes, Forest Examiner, 

 J. H. Foster, Forest Assistant. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In 1907 the Geological Survey of the State of Missis- 

 sippi requested the co-operation of the Forest Service of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture in a study 

 of the forest resources of that State, and made an appro- 

 priation of $500 for the purpose. It is the policy of the 

 Government to assist States in investigating their resources, 

 and the Forest Service duplicated the State appropriation 

 and made a total of $1,000 available for the work, which 

 was begun in November, 1907. The study was necessarily 

 limited in scope, but with further appropriations by the 

 State, which the Forest Service will be glad to duplicate, 

 the study may be gradually extended to cover the entire 

 State. 



The longleaf pine region in the southern part of the 

 State offered the most important field for. a beginning. 

 The future usefulness of the large areas of cut-over long- 

 leaf land, and the rapidly diminishing supply of timber 

 were timely subjects for study and investigation. 



This report deals with the forest conditions in the south- 

 western counties of the State, and includes a description 

 of the several types of forest, a summary of the forest and 

 economic conditions of each of the counties covered, and a 

 review of the timber industries in the region. Plans for 

 the conservative management of private and public forest 

 lands are outlined, and recommendations are made for a 

 definite forest policy for Mississippi 



The map which accompanies this report defines the 



