large volume of the timber discarded annually by 

 the naval stores industry will have neither the size 

 nor the quality for the production of lumber. With 

 the diminishing supply of old-growth saw timber, 

 lumber here appears to have a place in industry 

 somewhat different from that in other parts of the 

 South. The management of hardwoods and non- 

 turpentine pines for high-grade products and a"n in- 

 tensive use of worked-out turpentine pines, how- 

 ever, can assure the continuance of a lumber indus- 

 try of respectable size, but one made up principally 

 of small plants. Conservative naval stores opera- 

 tions should not appreciably reduce the quantity of 

 poles, piles, and cross ties (particularly in the smaller 

 sizes), and with proper attention to integrated 

 use the available quantity of these products can 

 certainly be maintained and possibly expanded. 



There is evidently a place for a pulp and paper in- 

 dustry. All classes of stands could be improved by 

 reducing the number of sound and rotten cull trees 

 and by the removal of worked-out turpentine trees 

 which are now preventing a large aggregate acre- 

 age from returning to productivity. With adequate 

 fire protection and forest management, including 

 planting where natural reproduction fails, the land 

 can grow more trees than can be brought to ma- 

 turity. Trees which normally would be crowded 

 out of developing stands, or which are hindering the 

 normal development of others potentially more 

 valuable, should be removed, and the thinnings (in 

 pine) are well suited for pulpwood. The Osceola 

 National Forest located within the survey unit and 

 the Apalachicola located just over the border to the 

 west are excellent examples of the possibilities in 

 proper forest management. 



Because of the increasing competition for raw 

 material, the leaders of the larger industrial estab- 

 lishments are seriously concerned for future sup- 

 plies. This concern should result in action to safe- 

 guard their interests through the purchase of lands 

 upon which to grow the raw material needed for 

 the future. The solution of this problem does not, 

 however, lie entirely in their hands; a great many 

 small owners together hold a large part of the forest 

 land. These small owners must be encouraged, 



educated, and aided to handle their forest lands 

 wisely to the end that they themselves, the forest 

 industries, and the communities will be benifited. 

 In this section, where the people are becoming in- 

 creasingly aware of the returns and benefits that can 

 be realized through skillful forest management and 

 integrated utilization, there is a great opportunity 

 for the intensification of the educational work of the 

 State and Federal forest services in fire protection 

 and sound forest management. 



A very considerable area of potentially valuable 

 forest land is covered with scrub oak and is making 

 little or no economic contribution. It may be 

 beyond the capacity of private enterprise to restore 

 this land to productivity within any reasonable 

 time, and consideration should be given to the 

 possible participation of the Federal and State 

 Governments in artificially restocking it to pine. 



The outstanding need is more intensive and 

 effective control of fires. Only about 30 percent of 

 northeastern Florida was under organized fire pro- 

 tection in 1938. The prevalence of fire is mainly 

 responsible for the open nature of the stands and 

 their relatively low increment. Effective control of 

 fire is essential to reduce the excessive mortality 

 rate which now exists. It will result quickly and 

 certainly in the filling in of large areas of under- 

 stocked stands and in the natural regeneration of 

 many of the clear-cut lands. Only with effective 

 control of the fire situation can this part of Florida 

 be expected to increase materially its annual output 

 of forest wealth. 



Although the forests of northeastern Florida 

 already support a considerable population, a fuller 

 utilization and better management of the forest re- 

 sources would appreciably increase the opportuni- 

 ties for employment. The logical combination of 

 farm and forest activities, the growing need of 

 industry for raw material, the development of 

 forms of outdoor recreation most effective in forest 

 settings, the desirability of bringing submarginal 

 forest lands into economic use, the need for com- 

 munity stabilization in order to offer adequate 

 economic and social security to the present and 

 future populations, all justify the intensive develop- 

 ment of these forests. 



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