Mountains. They are hardwood forests and, like hardwood 

 forest everywhere in the state, contain so much low-grade 

 and cull material that growth of better trees is impeded. 

 It seems likely that yields of timber on national forests 

 have improved little, if any, over yields on similar private 

 lands. They may have more timber because they cut less. 

 Selective cutting seems to be Forest Service policy for 

 these forests, and must undoubtedly be one good way to 

 harvest, but numbers of foresters will argue that clear 

 cutting is just as good or better for Mountain hardwoods. 

 They point out that the best hardwood stands in the Moun- 

 tains, excepting old fields, both on national forests and on 

 private lands, are on the areas cut most completely years 

 ago. The national forests are building up their stands. 

 This would seem to be an appropriate function of public 

 forests; to hold a good volume of timber for periods of 

 emergency. 



Industrial Owners. They own over 1% million acres 

 in North Carolina, mostly in the Coastal Plain. Pulp mills, 

 with over % million acres, are either practising intensive 

 forestry or preparing to do so. They employed 13 foresters 

 in North Carolina in 1944, three times as many as the 

 more numerous lumber companies. Pulp companies cut 

 their lands conservatively (much land is not being cut at 

 all) and are trying to protect them from fire. This latter 

 problem is the more troublesome for them because their 

 holdings are scattered. 



Lumber companies own over % million acres. Of this 

 acreage, however, not over % can be credited with inten- 

 sive management; that is, systematic management aimed 

 at increasing yields. At least % million acres are in the 

 hands of companies which have "cut out" and are still 

 holding the lands, undecided what to do next; or are still 

 cutting without particular efforts toward better practices. 

 There are two large lumber concerns in eastern North 

 Carolina that seem to be energetically pushing ahead with 

 land purchases and purposeful forestry practices. A num- 

 ber of smaller mills are working along the same line, and 

 many more are becoming convinced that they should. Most 

 industrial owners are trying to protect their lands from 

 fire, although with some the effort does not lead to fire 

 lines, etc. on the ground. 



Farm and Investment Ownerships. These two groups 

 own about 15 million acres of forest land. Possibly % of 

 the acreage is in holdings over 500 acres in size; most 

 of the others are less than 100 acres. As one moves west- 

 ward from the coast, average size of the forest ownerships 

 becomes smaller. 



County agents, U. S. Soil Conservation Service techni- 

 cians, and public foresters were asked how these private, 

 non - industrial owners are managing their woods. 

 These men who know their country landowners are not 

 inclined to credit more than 7 or 8 percent with intensive 

 management. To earn this rating an owner would be the 

 sort who cuts culls for firewood, tries to protect from fire, 

 and either designates the trees to be cut in commercial 

 sales, or in some definite way makes provision for another 

 good crop of timber. 



It must be said that these ratings are apt to be confus- 

 ing. In judging a farmer's woods work, foresters or agri- 

 cultural workers are naturally going to judge his work 

 according to whether or not he is following their pre- 

 scriptions. Very often a farmer following no particular 



prescription at all happens to have the best timber stands 

 in the country. He may have an old field pine stand, or he 

 may have cleancut for tobacco wood by small patches and 

 got perfect reproduction of pine or desirable hardwoods. 

 It is felt that in most counties owners have little better 

 than 7 or 8 percent of their stands in fairly good con- 

 dition. 



The rating, however, can be said to indicate the number 

 of owners who will today get out and pursue positive mea- 

 sures to improve their woods. 



Questionnaires and personal contacts with the above 

 farm advisors brought out the fact that they think about 

 % of their woodlands suffer from destructive cutting ; that 

 is, cutting that makes no provision for the next crop and 

 supposedly leaves the land in poorer shape to grow another 

 crop. 



According to results from plots taken on timber cuttings, 

 slightly over 50 percent showed destructive cutting prac- 

 tices, especially as to the removal of all pine seed sources. 



Another type of damage arises from the over-cutting of 

 small trees that are just reaching the stage when new 

 volume production is greatest. 



It will be apparent from reading this report that there 

 is very little forest management being practiced in the 

 state which is effective in regenerating pine, except where 

 pine comes in on abandoned fields, from grazed areas, 

 or accidental disturbances. Therefore, the recommenda- 

 tions being offered to landowners do not offer a solution 

 to one of the principal problems. Forestry agencies are 

 becoming more aware of this fact and it is a certainty that 

 efforts will be redoubled to develop lines of approach 

 that will maintain pine. Research has not been active 

 enough on the most critical problems that confront private 

 owners. 



EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS TO DATE 



Extension Service. Great progress has been made in 

 forestry educational work since R. W. Graeber was ap- 

 pointed Extension Forester of North Carolina in 1925. For 

 ten years he carried on educational work with farmers, 

 working alone insofar as the Extension Service was con- 

 cerned until 1935, when an Assistant Extension Forester 

 was appointed. Regular Extension Service educational 

 work was followed by demonstrations and meetings of 

 farmers, and information disseminated by mail. 



In December, 1942, the Farm Forestry Program was 

 initiated and six field men were added to the staff. This 

 program was developed to assist farmers and to aid the 

 war effort. Farmers were assisted in the systematic man- 

 agement of their forest lands to keep them productive. 

 They were aided in the making of timber sale contracts, 

 finding markets and buyers for their products, and in the 

 development of marketing cooperatives when needed. 



The war effort was aided by making a great deal more 

 lumber and pulp material available for use, material that 

 otherwise might not have been utilized due to lack of know- 

 ledge of markets or procedures. 



This program has been continued and extended. There 

 are now eight Farm Foresters working in 31 counties and 

 the program not only includes the above points concerning 

 marketing, but also technical assistance and planning is 

 now offered in thinning and stand improvement, selective 

 harvest of merchantable timber, pruning, planting, and 

 protection from fire, diseases, and insects. 



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