]8 



The early logging operations on these bottoms removed a limited 

 number of trees, but gradually the markets absorbed an increasing variety. 

 These bottomlands have been rather thoroughly cut over for saw-timber, 

 until at present only about 11 per cent of the acreage has sufficient saw- 

 timber to insure profitable logging. The average yield for the entire area 

 of forested bottomland is the very low figure of 970 B. F. per acre as 

 contrasted with the average of 1,393 for all bottomlands of the state. 

 The present stands are very well stocked with saplings and young trees, 

 and growth is rapid. 



Three extensive bodies of bottomland timber remain in the Wabash 

 region. The main Wabash bottoms, formerly growing the largest hard- 

 woods in America, have been cleared except for the lower 10 miles. Here 

 several thousand acres of forested land remain between New Haven and 

 the junction of the Wabash and the Ohio. It has teen heavily cut over 

 and the present stand consists of immature timber or a few old pecan 

 groves. The two other large areas of timbered land in the Wabash re- 

 gion are on the middle reaches of the Little Wabash River. Forested 

 bottoms on Skillet Fork below Wayne City, aggregating over 30,000 acres, 

 still contain several thousand acres of good saw-timber ; while the other 

 extensive area of forested bottom, on the Little Wabash above Fairfield, 

 contains about 16,000 acres, mostly of saplings and immature timber. 

 Drainage projects are developing all three of these forested bottoms, con- 

 verting forest to crop land. Elsewhere in the Wabash region, the stands 

 are belts along the streams or limited remnants of the former extensive 

 forests. 



These bottomlands are not subject to excessive deposition or erosion ; 

 rather, the water backs up over the bottoms, deposits a fine coat of soil, 

 and eventually recedes. Under such conditions reproduction is very ex- 

 cellent and forests establish themselves readily. 



These forests in the past supplied immense quantities of timber, 

 mostly rough lumber. In addition special industries drew heavily upon 

 these rich bottomland forests for material, such as sycamore in the manu- 

 facture of tobacco cases ; red gum, soft maple, elm for wooden dishes, 

 lard and sugar containers, egg crates, fruit and berry baskets ; hickory 

 for vehicle and tool stock ; and white oak and black walnut for high grade 

 veneers. The saw-timber in the present forests is rapidly being utilized, 

 and is largely such inferior material as pin oak and defective trees left 

 from original operations. These stands now produce large quantities of 

 piling, railroaS car stock, and cross-ties. In the Saline bottomlands even 

 the pole-wood is worked up into mine timbers ; but over the remainder 

 of the Wabash system, trees are rarely cut commercially until they reach 

 pile size. 



In summary ; some 30 per cent of the bottomland forests in the 

 Wabash region are in three large bodies extending back from the stream 

 two to four miles ; the stands have an abundance of saplings, approach an 

 even-aged character, have a high representation of pin oak and sweet gum, 

 and a relatively low representation of soft maple and elm. The "hard- 



