FOREST RESOURCES OF THE NORTH-LOUISIANA DELTA 



Comparison of 

 Forest Growth and Drain 



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greater and probably will continue to be greater 

 until general business conditions change or until 

 some of the large industrial lumber mills cease 

 operation because of lack of timber. Of the total 

 drain of over 285 million board feet, approximately 

 70 percent comes from commercial forest areas. 

 A particularly high proportion (more than 90 

 percent) of the cut for lumber and veneer comes 

 from this class of forest. In contrast, less than 10 

 percent of the board-foot drain occasioned by land 

 clearing and domestic use comes from commercial 

 forest areas, and the saw-timber material cut for 

 these purposes is very largely unsuited to high- 

 grade industrial uses. Table 15 records nearly 

 half the total drain against the saw timber-size 

 trees as accounted for by lumber-mill cuttings. 

 Land clearing was next in importance, followed by 

 the production of materials for tight-cooperage and 

 domestic use. 



In addition to the drain of sawlog-size material 

 from the forest of the unit, there is a cordwood 

 drain from the stems of good trees under sawlog 

 size, from the top wood of good trees of sawlog 

 size, and from cull trees. This cordwood drain of 

 material unsuited for saw-timber use is shown in 

 the following tabulation, the last three items being 

 only approximate: Cords 



{including 

 bark) 

 Stem wood of good trees (under sawlog size) .... 148, 000 

 Top wood of good trees of sawlog size, including 



limbs 436, 600 



Stems and tops of sound cull trees 104, 800 



Sound portion of stems and tops of rotten cuil trees . 1 4, 000 



Total 703, 400 



The 148,000 cords of drain from the stems of 

 good trees under sawlog size can be further classi- 

 fied according to the purpose for which it was cut: 

 7,400 cords was cut by industrial operators; 45,800 

 cords was cut in land clearing; and 94,800 cords 

 was cut for fuel and other domestic uses. 



THE total amount of wood taken from the 

 forest of the unit in 1934 for use in industry 

 and for domestic purposes has been con- 

 verted into terms of drain against the growing 

 stock of timber in the same year. Forest drain, as 

 the term is used here, means the total volume of 

 usable material removed from the stands by cut- 

 ting, including the full volume of the trees felled, 

 but not including losses from such natural causes 

 as shading, windfall, and disease. This drain in 

 board-foot material thus includes the volume actu- 

 ally used plus the volume left on the ground in the 

 woods as waste because it did not meet the require- 

 ments of the particular user, although it met the 

 Survey specifications for usable logs. 



Table 15 shows the amount of timber actually 

 used in the production of the various commodities 

 during 1934 and the resulting drain against the 

 growing stock of good, live trees of sawlog size. 

 This drain is for a depression year and does not 

 necessarily represent present or future annual 

 drain. All evidence, in fact, indicates that the 

 drain in the years of recovery since 1934 has been 



Table 15. — Net volume oj timber used and total forest drain from 

 good trees, 7934 (Scribner log scale) 



Kind of material produced ' 



Lumber 



Rotary veneer 



Tight cooperage 



Slack cooperage 



Specialties 



Export stock 



Poles and piles 



Cross ties 



Cut in clearing land. 

 Cut for domestic use 



Total 



Volume of 

 timber used 



M board feet 



121, 100 



16, SOD 



25, 300 



11,600 



4,600 



1,700 



300 



5, 700 



37, 500 



28, 600 



253, 200 



Total forest 

 drain 



j\/ board feet 



137,000 



19, 500 



31, 700 



13, 600 



7,800 



2,300 



300 



7,200 



37, 500 



28, 600 



285, 500 



1 A negligible quantity was also cut for pulpwood. 



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