Table 6 shows that for the year 1962 in the Northern Coastal 

 Plains, tree mortality cut heavily into the total growth and re- 

 duced the size of the gain. Improved fire control and better 

 forest management could cut down on the rate of tree mortality, 

 while at the same time, drastically boosting the growth rate. 



TABLE 6 - GROWTH, MORTALITY, AND CUT OF 

 GROWING STOCK ON COMMERCIAL FOREST LAND, 

 NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN, 1962 

 (Million Cubic Feet) 



TOTAL GROWTH MORTALITY NET GROWTH TIMBER CUT GAIN 



Sof twoods 

 H ardwoods 



119.9 

 118.0 



27.5 

 31.4 



92.4 

 86.6 



70.3 

 78.9 



22.1 

 7.7 



TOTAL 



237.9 



58.9 



179.0 



149.2 



29.8 



Although the net growth exceeds the volume of timber cut, the 

 trees removed are in the more desirable species. The net result 

 is that there is an increase in volume of the less desirable species 

 A greater amount of the total hardwood growth in the Albemare Area 

 is in inferior species and scrub growth. At least half of all the 

 hardwoods growing fall in this category, a situation which consti- 

 tutes a great waste of space, time, and money. 



Forestry Employment 



The most recent figures available, from the 1965 report of 

 the N.C. Employment Security Commission, indicate that forestry and 

 wood products industries are important employers in the Albemarle 

 Area. Employees covered by the Employment Security Program do not 

 comprise the total number working in forestry and forest industries. 

 Businesses with three or less employees often do not participate 

 in the program, and self-employed individuals and their family mem- 

 bers would not be counted. It is a reasonably safe estimate that 

 between eight and ten percent of the total area work force is en- 

 gaged in forestry or wood products industries. 



15 



