FOREST CONDITIONS IN TENNESSEE. 31 



which are on the Mississippi bottoms in the northwestern part of 

 the region. Such forests have an average stand of from 10,000 to 

 12,000 board feet per acre. The gum, oak, and cottonwood timber 

 is of excellent quality; but the cypress is very defective, running 

 at least 50 per cent " pecky." Growth is very rapid on cut-over 

 lands, and the fire damage is small on account of the wet character 

 of the situation. This is not, however, a permanent type, since 

 most of the land will eventually be reclaimed for agricultural pur- 

 poses. 



FOREST PROBLEMS. 



UNAKA RANGE AND CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. 



While the forest types in the Unaka Range, the more mountain- 

 ous ridges of the Valley of East Tennessee, and the Cumberland 

 Plateau differ somewhat, the problems of forest management are 

 in general very similar. In contrast to the rest of the State, they 

 are essentially timber-exporting regions and should always remain 

 so. Moreover, they constitute an important part of what is known 

 as the southern Appalachian region, which is bound to be the chief 

 source of the future hardwood supply of the United States. The 

 other regions in the United States from which hardwood lumber 

 is obtained are nearly all agricultural in character and must even- 

 tually be used primarily for that purpose. While the soil of the 

 Unaka Range is in many cases fertile, the mountain sides are so 

 steep that farming is not practicable and timber is bound to be the 

 chief crop. The Cumberlands, on the other hand, have certain 

 agricultural possibilities. The level plateau land may eventually 

 be farmed with profit by the liberal use of fertilizers and other in- 

 tensive methods, when market conditions warrant the expense. 

 Nevertheless, there probably will always be much more absolute 

 forest land than is necessary to supply the local demand for timber 

 and wood. 



The fact that the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers head in these 

 regions also gives them peculiar importance. The forests of the 

 mountain slopes should be maintained to check the run-off and to 

 regulate stream flow. Their preservation is essential for the suc- 

 cessful utilization of water power and effectual artificial storage. 

 The protective function of the forest cover is of especial importance 

 in the Unaka Range because of the great height of the slopes. 

 These problems are discussed in detail in the " Report of the Secre- 



