864 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



trees left standing in the southern Appalachian forest occupy thousands 

 of acres in the aggregate and interfere with the continuity and success 

 of second growth. 



Chestnut blight is among the factors contributing to deterioration 

 of stands in the southern Appalachians. As a result of this disease, 

 chestnut has practically disappeared from the forests of southern 

 New England and the Middle Atlantic States. Although chestnut 

 is still the most abundant timber tree in the southern Appalachian 

 Mountains, the disease is now established throughout the com- 

 mercial range of chestnut in the South. 



Satisfactory replacement with other species is generally to be 

 expected, but the loss of chestnut will nevertheless have a deteriorat- 

 ing effect in many ways. It will greatly change the composition of 

 the forest, and will also substantially reduce its productivity, since 

 chestnut grows faster than most of its associates. Successive, short- 

 lived generations of sprouts from blight-killed chestnut, with their 

 tendency to spread out and monopolize growing space, endanger the 

 development of other hardwood reproduction. This danger is aug- 

 mented in mixed stands by the growth of shrubs and the shade from 

 living trees. The tendency of the crowns of undesirable " hold- 

 overs" to expand and fill openings left by the death of the chestnut 

 increases the shade still further. In the southern Appalachians this 

 problem is rendered acute by the fact that some of the most desirable 

 tree species are not able to endure prolonged shading. 



The present actual growth rate on southern Appalachian forest 

 land is obscured by lack of specific data. Examination of many 

 tracts scattered through the region indicate that a large part of such 

 growth as is taking place is distributed among trees of little or no 

 commercial promise. Such trees fall chiefly into the classes of large 

 unmerchantable rejects from past logging, and smaller trees rendered 

 defective by fire, decay, insects, or other causes. Although many 

 excellent small stands are scattered throughout the region, it is safe 

 to say that southern Appalachian timberlands as a whole are not 

 making one third of the growth which the soils are capable of main- 

 taining. 



Deterioration of southern Appalachian hardwood stands has been 

 described in considerable detail since the processes which are at work 

 here are the same as those which affect other hardwood regions of the 

 eastern half of the United States. 



In New England, deterioration of forest land has been widespread. 

 It has resulted from clear cutting, or repeated culling, and fire. In 

 the spruce region, deterioration has been especially marked as a 

 result of culling first for pirie, then for spruce lumber, and finally 

 for spruce and fir pulp, without any attention to the hardwoods. 

 The residual hardwoods are very defective and have spread out to 

 occupy the space to the detriment of new growth which might be on 

 the ground. A serious problem of future utilization has been created 

 over thousands of acres in this way, and in addition, large areas which 

 formerly bore mixed stands of softwood and hardwoods have now 

 become almost entirely hardwood. 



Hardwood stands in all sections which have been repeatedly clear 

 cut on a short rotation for fuel wood or other products have shown a 

 deterioration in composition red maple, gray birch, aspen, fire 



