Furthermore, an increasing number of private 
owners are practicing better forestry; and fire pro- 
tection is becoming more effective. But if the 1944 
cutting practices and rate of drain were continued 
regionally, the saw-timber stand would fall 27 
percent in the next 20 years (table 14). 
In this theoretical projection the Southeast re- 
gion would suffer the biggest drop (60 percent), 
with the Pacific Northwest second (39 percent). 
Significantly, these are the Nation’s principal tim- 
ber-producing regions. 
1,200 
1,000 
800 
600 
BILLION BOARD FEET 
400 
200 
1945 1965 1945 1965 1945 1965 
SOUTH 
Ficure 10.—How saw-timber volume would change in 20 
years, if 1944 drain and cutting practices were continued. 
For the South as a whole, a continuation of the 
1944 cut and prevailing forest practices for 20 
years would mean a decline of 117 billion board 
feet, or one-third of the present saw-timber volume 
(fig. 10). Obviously such a decline in saw-timber 
volume would mean curtailment of the forest in- 
dustries and drastic readjustment in dependent 
communities. Such economic and _ social losses 
would be serious for the South, which needs addi- 
tional industrial development to offset the dis- 
placement of labor by reduction of the acreage in 
cotton and by mechanization of its cultivation and 
harvesting. 
In actual quantity, the greatest reduction of saw 
timber is taking place in the Douglas-fir subregion 
where 20 years more at the 1944 rate would bring 
the volume down 206 billion board feet. Such a 
reduction, while not alarming statistically, would 
be accompanied by the closing of many established 
mills and continued shift of industrial activity: 
from one locality to another. 
Twenty years more of the present drain would 
not materially reduce the saw-timber stands in 
the rest of the country. However, depletion of 
ponderosa pine, western white pine, sugar pine, 
and redwood would force western forest industries 
to adapt themselves to the production and mar- 
keting of a different class of products. 
If this 20-year projection were to become a 
reality, it would impair the chances for full em- 
ployment, increase the burden of taxation on 
other forms of property, and affect our national 
security. 
Though some adverse effects of timber deple- 
tion can hardly be avoided, the United States need 
not remain the victim of such circumstances. Our 
land resource is adequate; our people are making 
some progress in protecting and managing the 
forests for future timber crops. The time is ripe 
for more positive measures to make our forests 
more productive. 
TasLe 14.—Estimated effect of continuing 1944 
drain and cutting practices for 20 years ~ 
i Prospective 
Section Present 5 h 
and region stand RS Cuanee 
stock 
North: pence one Percent 
New England.............. 58 49 —16 
Middle Atlantic... 62 71 +14 
50 35 —30 
44 43 —2 
6 (jail ewes ees 
220 204 —7 
South: 
South Atlantic... 97 93 —4 
Southeast. 23.0.0. 136 55 —60 
West. Gulf... 105 73 —30 
otale eee ae 338 221 —35 
West: 
Pacific Northwest: 
Douglas-fir 
subregion......... : 505 299 —4l 
Pine sub-. : 
Tesion eeuee 126 84 —33 
‘Rotali= susieet os 631 383 —39 
Galifornialenesmesrest 228 187 —18 
North Rocky 
Mtn oe et oe tapas 127 119 — 6 
South Rocky 
Mitaiseseee near! 57 52 = @) 
Rotalar ernie 1,043 741 —29 
United States... 16019 | el GOR =O 
32 Miscellaneous Publication 668, U.S. Department of Agriculture 
