940 



A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



more or less commonly carried on to improve future production and 

 placing a close control on expenditure, income, and maintenance of 

 capital values. 



The Southern Forest Experiment Station estimates (23) that the 

 following areas in the several types should be under intensive manage- 

 ment within 20 years : 



Acres 



Longleaf-slash-pine type 6, 340, 000 



Shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood type 9, 715, 000 



Riverbottom hardwood and cypress type 2, 710, 000 



Total 18,765,000 



The sustained yield area noted above is included in these areas. 



PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF FOREST PRODUCTS 



Settlement of the South occurred early in the history of the Nation. 

 In consequence of the fact that other regions of the United States were 

 well supplied with forests until nearly the end of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury, a large timber industry beyond the needs of the region and of 

 some coastwise and export trade did not develop until about 1880. 

 Annual production then increased rapidly to a maximum in 1909 of 

 nearly 20 billion board feet. The region now supplies more than one 

 third of the Nation's softwood lumber, and more than one half of its 

 hardwoods. The relation between production and consumption is 

 shown for each State and for the region as a whole in table 12. 



TABLE 12. Lumber production and consumption in the South in 1928 

 [In thousand board feet] 



1 Data from Forest Products, 1928: Lumber, lath, and shingles. Bureau of the Census, 1930. 

 3 Figures based on compiled data in the files of the Forest Service. 



The South's surplus in 1928 of 7,883,311,000 board feet over its 

 own consumption slightly exceeded that of the Pacific coast region. 



Although lumber is the outstanding forest product of the South, 

 many others are of great importance. The longleaf- and slash-pine 

 belt is the sole source of naval stores in the United States and produces 

 greater quantities of naval stores than any other region in the world. 

 In recent years a large pulp and paper industry has developed. Poles , 

 posts, and piling are produced on a considerable scale for local use 

 and for shipment to other regions. 



