12 MISC. PUBLICATION 1-6 2, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



SOUTHERN FOREST REGION 



South of the central hardwood region lies the southern forest, 

 extending- through all of the South Atlantic and Gulf States from 

 eastern Texas to the southeast corner of Virginia, and including all of 

 Florida except the southern tip. It takes in the southern and eastern 

 parts of Arkansas and the extreme southeastern corner of Missouri. 

 It is composed mostly of pine lands and alluvial bottoms and swamps. 



Most important in the southern forest are its pinelands, where grow 

 the four pines for which the South is famous — longleaf , slash, short- 

 leaf, and loblolly (fig. 8). Lumber from these pines is all marketed 

 as southern yellow pine, which since the decline of the white pine 

 forests of the North has been the mainstay of the eastern and central 



F-227353 



Figure 7. — A Stand of Mixed Hardwoods in the Central Hardwood Region (Illinois). 



lumber markets. The production of southern yellow pine, however, 

 has passed its peak, and is declining. In addition to being valuable 

 timber trees, the longleaf and slash pines are highly important as the 

 source of the gum from which turpentine and rosin are manufactured. 

 Other species found in the pinelands are southern red, turkey, black, 

 post, laurel, and willow oaks ; black gum ; pond, spruce, and jsand pines. 



Another tree of commercial importance, found in the southern for- 

 est, is the southern cypress. It grows mostly in the swamps and 

 lowlands and is one of the few coniferous trees that shed their 

 leaves in the fall (fig. 8, B) . The supply of this species also is gradu- 

 ally dwindling after years of heavy cutting. 



Perhaps the most important hardwood tree of the southern forest 

 is red gum, or sweet gum. At one time its wood was considered of 

 little importance because of its tendency to warp and twist. With 

 the introduction of proper seasoning methods and the diminishing 



