The bulk of the field work was done by the Southern Forest 
Experiment Station which, however, received generous coopera-_ 
tion from the State foresters of the Southern States. For this 
cooperation grateful acknowledgment is made. 
Office computations and the preparation of all tables were in 
the hands of the Forest Service under the general direction of 
Donald Bruce. The text was prepared by R. D. Forbes and E. L. 
Demmon, former and present directors, respectively, of the 
Southern Forest Experiment Station. 
Special acknowledgment for services rendered in connection 
with the study is due to Austin Cary and L. H. Reineke of the 
Forest Service, to W. R. Hine, formerly of the Forest Service 
and now superintendent of forestry in Louisiana, and to R. M. 
Brown of the University of Minnesota, also a former member of 
the Forest Service. In addition, it may be stated that without 
the hearty cooperation of a large number of individuals and 
organizations widely scattered throughout the South and else- 
where, which has been freely given, this publication would not 
have been possible. 
The region covered by the growth study comprises pine forests 
in 12 Southern States, from Virginia south to Florida, west to 
Texas, and north into Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. 
Throughout this region extensive measurements were made of 
individual trees and pure even-aged stands of second-growth 
loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), longleaf pine (P. palustris), short- 
leaf pine (P. echinata), and slash pine (P. caribaea). Stands 
originating after hurricanes, fires, or insect killings in the virgin 
forest, and essentially similar to those following clear cuttings 
or abandonment of farm lands, were regarded as second-growth. 
Scattered trees left in early cuttings, on the other hand, were not 
included, since their form differs from that of true second-growth 
trees. 
The present publication is intended primarily for the use of 
foresters familiar with the terminology and the technic of forest 
mensuration and will be of value mainly in the examination and 
estimation of large tracts of forest land. Tables primarily 
applicable to farm woodlands, detailed explanations of the appli- 
cation of the tables, and elementary discussion of methods of 
study have been omitted from this publication but may be found 
in another bulletin of the Department of Agriculture now in 
preparation.! 
The methods used during the present study in both field work 
and computations are substantially those recommended bya 
joint committee from the Society of American Foresters, the 
1 FORBES, R. D. and BRUCE, D. SECOND-GROWTH SOUTHERN PINES: THEIR ECO- 
NOMIC IMPORTANCE AND RATE OF GROWTH IN FULL STANDS. [Unpublished manu- 
script.] 
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