TIMBER GROWTH AND TIMBER DRAIN 
3. How does current forest growth compare with forest 
drain? 
The rate at which new growth of wood takes place in our 
forests was estimated in 1945 at 13.4 billion cubic feet a year. 
The total drain on the forests in 1944—\ that is, timber cut, 
pilus that destroyed by fire, insects, disease, etc.—amounted 
to 13.7 billion cubic feet. The fact that new timber growth 
almost equaled drain may seem to indicate that everything is 
coming along nicely. 
Those estimates cover all timber—low-value kinds as well 
as good trees; small as well as big. More to the point would 
be a comparison of growth and drain in saw timber—trees 
of the kinds and sizes that could be used for lumber. Many 
other forest industries besides lumber—most of them, in 
fact—depend on saw timber. In trees of saw-timber size, 
drain in 1944 was at the rate of 53.9 billion board feet, while 
annual growth was only 35.3 billion board feet. Saw-timber 
drain thus exceeded growth by more than 50 percent. 
It is probable that the excess of saw-timber drain over 
growth is even greater today. Annual growth probably has 
changed little. But the output of lumber in 1947 was sub- 
stantially greater than in 1944, and lumber is the biggest 
item of drain. 
It should be remembered also that much of the current 
drain is of high-quality old-growth timber, and especially 
the more valuable softwoods, whereas much of the new 
growth is of low-value hardwoods and other material of 
greatly inferior quality. 
Overmature old-growth stands, in which little or no net 
growth occurs, may be converted, if properly cut, to young, 
vigorously growing stands. The important thing is to see 
that good new growth follows the cutting of the old growth. 
We should plan on more than merely balancing timber 
growth and drain. A balance at present levels of use would 
mean no provision for the increasing needs of a growing 
population and expanding economy. Rather than figure on 
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