A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



231 



practices and various cultural measures, including planting, to increase 

 both the quantity and quality of the yield to a point consistent with 

 the productive capacity of the land. All of the areas under intensive 

 forestry, therefore, would be in a good growing condition and well 

 stocked with desirable species. 



An allocation of forest areas according to the intensity of manage- 

 ment which might theoretically be attained at some time in the distant 

 future is illustrated by table 22. The application of intensive and 

 extensive forestry on anything like the scale indicated in this table 

 can, of course, be brought about only after a long period, perhaps a 

 tree generation, and then only as a result of the most aggressive and 

 sustained efforts of all agencies concerned. This table takes cogni- 

 zance not only of the present commercial forest areas, but also of the 

 54.7 million acres of farm land which are estimated to be available 

 for forest use because not needed for agriculture. (See section, 

 " Forest Land the Basic Resource.") The table classes as productive 

 forest land not only the open or denuded areas which may be expected 

 to restock naturally during a long period of years, but also the area 

 which is set up for planting under the section "Reforestation of 

 Barren and Unproductive Land." It excludes as not available for 

 timber use those areas which other sections of this report estimate will 

 need to be reserved for recreation or other purposes. Under the general 

 application of forestry practices assumed in this calculation denudation 

 would be largely eliminated. Whatever error may be involved because 

 of denudation before this theoretical plan of land use could be attained 

 is on the optimistic side. Therefore, recommendations for action 

 based on the resulting growth calculation will be conservative. 



The theoretical yield which might be obtained under the conditions 

 set up in table 22 is shown in table 23. The calculations are shown 

 only on a cubic-foot basis, but the bulk of the cut would, of course, be 

 in trees of saw-timber size. 



TABLE 22. Hypothetical allocation by types of management of areas prospectively 



available for timber use 



1 Includes the 494.9 million acres of present commercial forest area and the 54.7 million acres of farm land 

 now available for forestry, with reductions of 2 million acres of forest land to be cleared for agriculture in the 

 West and of 39 million acres for recreation and other purposes. 



2 Residual area of denuded commercial forest land and agricultural land available for timber use, after 

 allowing natural restocking of 42.8 million acres and planting of 25.5 million acres. 



168342 33 vol. 1- 



-ir, 



