A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 967 



areas of that State, which revealed 11,489,225 acres of large forest 

 areas and 1,716,775 acres of areas not exceeding 50 acres completely 

 or partially surrounded by cleared land. These small areas may be 

 considered as composed entirely of farm woodlands. Considerable 

 woodland owned by farmers is included within the large forest areas, 

 also. The total forest area was classified as follows: 



1. Lands burned until practically no forest growing stock remains 

 (now occupied by bracken, huckleberries, briars, fire weeds, etc.), 

 300,668 acres. 



2. Brush lands (now occupied by scrub oak, fire cherry, and aspen, 

 occasionally with low sprouts of valuable tree species), 1,565,508 

 acres. 



3. Young forest growth (valuable growth, up to a diameter of 6 

 inches, taking the lead over brush), 7,594,418 acres. 



4. Merchantable timber (stands in which more than 50 percent 

 of the trees are 6 inches or over in diameter), 3,745,407 acres. 



Comparison of these data with reports of 15 to 20 years ago (31) 

 seems to show that conditions have materially improved in recent 

 years. It is reasonable to attribute this improvement to the sub- 

 stantial realization of objectives set up by foresters and public 

 officials about 30 years ago, which, with support from the public, 

 began to be realized during the last 20 years. These objectives 

 centered largely around fire protection. 



EXTENT TO WHICH PRIVATE FORESTRY IS BEING PRACTICED 



These regions, also, have three classes of private forest owners. 

 Ownership of forest land incidental to the holding of other resources is 

 widespread; recreational use of land and control of water resources 

 are more or less joined with forest ownership, and in Pennsylvania it 

 is reported that 6,600,000 acres of forest land is owned in connection 

 with mineral resources. To a considerable degree ownership of 

 commercial timberlands is tied up with manufacturing enterprises, 

 especially pulp and paper mills. 



Many privately owned areas have been yielding forest crops at 

 short intervals from the time of the earliest settlement. Until 

 within the last quarter century this continuous yield, generally 

 speaking, took place without much intent on the part of the forest 

 owner. Originally it came about through the practice of first cutting 

 from the forest only the high-grade species such as northern white 

 pine. After a few years cutting would be undertaken on the same 

 area for some other species that had become valuable. The openings 

 made in the forest by this type of cutting became restocked with 

 young trees. Some of the species, such as the northern hardwoods, 

 spruce, and hemlock, were uneven aged to begin with. The natural 

 form of the forest together with the system of partial cuttings resulted, 

 over large areas, in forests of a rough selection form. Unfortunately, 

 because of lack of effort to remove inferior trees and a general practice 

 of taking the best species and best-formed trees the productive 

 capacity is far below what it would be under a well-planned applica- 

 tion of the selection system, which systematically eliminates poor 

 and ineffective growing stock and builds up effective growing stock. 



168342 33 vol. 1 62 



