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The Forest Service regards this as a reasonable 
allowance, and hence has made its calculations 
on the basis of the upper range. 
A quantitative growth goal is suggested with 
full realization of the uncertainties involved, but 
with the conviction that this is needed to give 
point and perspective to the forest situation. 
Some students of the situation may prefer to set 
up as the objective the bringing of all commercial 
forest lands to full productivity. This would 
mean setting higher figures and would require 
a longer time for achievement. Others may pre- 
fer a lower goal—for example, the lower range 
of 18 billion cubic feet and 65 billion board feet 
mentioned on p. 33. ‘This of course involves reduc- 
ing either the figure for potential requirements or 
the margin for unestimated factors. This lower goal 
could be reached sooner, but when everything 
is taken into consideration, the character and 
magnitude of needed action for the next several 
decades would be about the same. 
To achieve the goal suggested means increasing 
all-timber growth 50 percent and doubling saw- 
timber growth. 
The importance of having plenty of saw timber 
in the growth goal can hardly be overemphasized. 
A large part of our timber need is, and probably 
always will be, for the kind of material that comes 
from big trees. Moreover, one way to keep log- 
ging costs down is to manage forests so that the 
bulk of the crop can be cut from trees of saw- 
timber size. Even for products like pulpwood, 
for which trees of saw-timber size are not essential, 
large trees are generally less expensive to handle. 
The significance of the growth goals in relation 
to current growth can be clarified by considering 
the situation by regions. The allocation of growth 
goals to regions suggested in table 15 is in no 
sense a forecast. It is intended only as a reasonable 
illustration of how the various regions might par- 
ticipate in the national goals, taking into account 
the acreage of commercial forest land, the poten- 
tial rate of growth in the principal types, local 
accessibility, ease of management, and position 
with respect to consuming markets. 
About half of the goal is assigned to the South, 
which has some 40 percent of the commercial 
forest land, very favorable growing conditions, 
and easy access to important consuming regions. 
The increase in growth of all timber suggested 
for the South is almost 60 percent; for the North 
Forests and National Prosperity 
it is about 25 percent. The suggested increase 
is only about 20 percent in the Rocky Mountain 
regions but about 100 percent for California and 
the Pacific Northwest. 
To meet the suggested allocation of saw-timber 
goals, growth will need to be almost doubled in - 
the South, more than doubled in the North, and 
increased to 214 times its present volume in the 
West. 
These goals present a real challenge to forestry in 
this country. Certainly we need not fear timber 
surplus. The goals would not be vitiated if demand 
should fall below annual growth in periods of 
economic depression. The resulting increase in 
growing stock would simply put the country in 
position to achieve the goals sooner. 
' Finally, goals that call for keeping the land 
well-stocked and for maintaining a large volume 
of saw timber will best promote other forest values. 
In general, the better the cover the better the 
watershed protection; and the bigger the timber the 
more attractive the forest to the people. 
TaBLeE 15.—Growth goals and current annual timber 
growth by regions 
All timber Saw timber 
Section 
and region Growth | Current | Growth | Current 
goal | growth | goal | growth 
Billion Billion Billiton Billion 
North: cu. ft. cu. fi. bd. ft. bd. ft. 
New England ....... 1.14 0.90 4.0 1.8 
Middle Atlantic .. 1.64 1.40 5.8 2.7 
TEA CUE eh neato Rode TA5 81 3.1 14 
Central 1.73 1.44 4.5 2.3 
Plains 12 12 a 2 
Motal) des Aan SIS: | Sy BOTs | ITO tela 4 
South: 
South Atlantic ..... 2.14 1.76 7.8 6.1 
Southeast (000... 4.80 2.71 17.5 8.2 
West Gulf ............. 3.20 1.92 12.1 5.6 
‘Mota. geee. eee 10.14 6.39 37.4 ty 9:9) 
West: 
Pacific Northwest: 
Douglas-fir 
subregion .. 2.17 1.02 10.0 3.7 
Pine subre- 
gion 38 22 1.4 5 
‘otal 2.55 1.24 11.4 4.2 
California) 2-228 .64 33 2.8 1.2 
North Rocky Mtn. .65 54 1.9 1.3 
South Rocky Mtn. 24 20 9 3 
‘otally eee. 4.08 2.31 17.0 7.0 
United States 20.0000... 20.00 13.37 72.0 35.3 
39 
