FOREST CONDITIONS IN TENNESSEE. 7 



acter and extends from the crest of the Appalachian Mountains 

 westward over the western flank and foothill region of the Unakas, 

 or Great Smoky Mountains, the Valley of East Tennessee, and the 

 Cumberland Plateau. The rolling central portion includes the 

 Highland Rim and the Central, or Nashville, Basin. The gently 

 rolling western portion, lying between the narrow western valley 

 of the Tennessee River and the Mississippi bottom lands, is known 

 as the Plateau and Slope of West Tennessee. 



The mean annual temperature for the State is about 59 degrees, 

 varying from 57 degrees in the East to 61 degrees in the West. 

 The average absolute annual range of temperature is about 90 de- 

 grees. The length of the growing season varies from about 175 

 days in the East to about 200 days in the West. The average an- 

 nual precipitation is 50 inches, generally fairly well distributed. 

 Thus climatic conditions are favorable to the growth of trees and 

 other vegetation. 



Transportation facilities by water are supplied by three great 

 navigable rivers the Mississippi, on the western boundary ; the 

 Cumberland, in the northern part ; and the Tennessee, which crosses 

 the State twice. These furnish about 1,200 miles of navigable wa- 

 ters, while a great many of their tributaries are also suitable for 

 floating timber. In addition, there is a fairly well developed sys- 

 tem of railroad transportation, with a mileage of over 3,600 miles.* 

 Few portions of the State, even in the mountainous regions, are 

 more than 25 miles from a railroad, and the greater part of the 

 State is within 15 miles of railroad shipping points. 



The larger part of the land in Tennessee is owned by farmers, 

 and for the most part in small tracts, except in the mountainous 

 portions of the State and in the Mississippi bottoms. In these por- 

 tions larger bodies of land are often held by corporations or indi- 

 viduals, usually either for speculation or exploitation of their forest 

 or mineral wealth. Here surface, timber, and mineral rights are 

 frequently held by different owners. All of the larger bodies of 

 virgin timber are owned by lumber companies. There is still con- 

 siderable confusion in regard to land titles in the wilder parts of the 

 State. 



Taxation of timber lands has had but little influence upon forest 

 management. While the present system is not ideal in principle 

 or method of application, it has not resulted thus far in imposing 



* " Statistics of Railways in the United States," Interstate Commerce Commis- 

 sion. 



