Dec. 1939] Maeketing of Farm Woodland Products 11 



Table 2. — Quantity and quality of merchantable timber available for 

 specialty products, by species, 1939 



Species Good quality Fair quality Total 



Cords Cords Cords 



Paper birch 4,722 19,055 23,777 



Sugar maple 1,695 4,643 6,338 



White ash 1,710 51 1,761 



Other 1,274 177 1,451 



Total 9,401 23,926 33,327 



Production on Sustained Yield Basis 



Any efficient processing and marketing organization to handle forest 

 products would (to avoid long periods of idleness and to use plant, equip- 

 ment, and personnel to best advantage) require a relatively constant 

 supply of raw material. 



In order to accomplish this objective some long range planning for for- 

 est management is essential. This does not mean intensive manage- 

 ment on each individual tract but rather a plan for sustaining the yield 

 over the area as a whole. Much of the timberland included in the sur- 

 vey is farm woodland and is in units the boundaries of which are set 

 by other than economic factors. Any plan for sustained yield devised 

 for the area should consider the farm woodlands in the light of the re- 

 mainder of the farm business with the ultimate goal a conibination of 

 enterprises, including timber production, which is likely to give the indi- 

 vidual the greatest annual net income. 



By approaching the problem from this angle, varying degrees of in- 

 tensity of management will exist on individual tracts, but for the area as 

 a whole it will be possible to maintain a fairly uniform annual cut. The 

 underlying feature of the whole management plan should be a well coor- 

 dinated program of land use. 



It is necessary to have an estimate of the amount of merchantable tim- 

 ber which can be removed annually without impairing growing stock or 

 reducing the supply left standing. Total production (providing an at- 

 tempt is made to keep supply resources somewhat constant) over an in- 

 termediate period (say 2-25 years) is relatively fixed^ In other words, 

 the producer, although he may be able to increase growth rates by cul- 

 tural methods, will be unable to influence greatly the amount of timber 



•Under conditions of sustained yield the amount of timber which can be put on the market 

 from an area may vary greatly depending on the length of the period under consideration. 



1. For any time up to a few months, production is relatively fixed. (The process from 

 stump to stick ordinarily takes some little time.) 



2. During the space of a year or two, the amount made available may vary considerably. 

 The extent of such variation depends to a considerable extent on the size of the ar«"a; 

 the smaller the area relative to the whole woodland, the greater opportunity there is for 

 variation. 



3. Over an intermediate period of years (say 2-25) the amount again becomes relatively 

 fixed. F'orest management practices can have little effect upon production of timber 

 ready for cutting within the period. 



4. Over a long period, quantity comes under the influence of the timber owner. By adopt- 

 ing (or failing to adopt) various management practices, yields may be made to vary 

 over a wide range. 



Throughout this study, only that quantity becoming available over the third, or interme- 

 diate, period is considered. 



