TaBLeE 4.—Timber volume, United States, 1945 
Saw timber + All timber ? 
Section 
and region —— | -ro¢a] | Soft- | Hard-| Tota | Soft | Hard- 
wood | wood wood | wood 
Billion | Billron | Billion | Billion | Billion | Billion 
North: bd ft. bd ft. bd ft. CU ft. cust: cu. ft. 
New England 58 33 25 25 12 13 
Middle ; 
Atlantic |... 62 14 48 27 5 22 
Wake yy accesses: 50 15 35 23 7 16 
Gentraly ....2 44 3 4] 21 1 20 
pl ainsiee cer 6 ] 5 4 (°) 4 
Total 220 66 154 100 25 75 
South 
South 
Atlantic ..... 97 59 38 36 17 19 
Southeast ...... 136 77 59 54 24 30 | 
West Gulf....... 105 58 47 4] 18 23 
Motali a. 8 338 194 144 131 59 72 
West: 
Pacific 
Northwest: 
Douglas- 
fir sub- 
region 505] 501 4). 117)|- 115 2 
Pine sub- 
region 126 126 (°) 29 29 () 
Total | 631 627 4} 146 144 2 
Califernia ...... 228 228K ees, 45 230) | eet 
North Rocky 
Mtn. oie 127 126 1 33 33 (°) 
South Rocky 
Mtn er: 57 56 1 15 14 1 
Mota a. 1,043 | 1,037 6 239 236 3 
United States... 1,601 | 1,297 304 470 320 150 
*“Saw timber” includes merchantable trees large enough 
to yield logs for lumber, whether or not they are used for 
this purpose. Because the minimum size of logs acceptable 
for lumber varies, the minimum size of saw-timber trees 
ranges from 9 to 23 inches d.b.h., depending upon the species 
and region. 
° “All timber” includes trees 5 inches and larger in diameter 
breast high. 
SLess than 0.5 billion. 
There is now only 15 billion board feet of white 
and red pine, species that once were foremost in 
our lumber markets. 
Oak is the leading hardwood, with 101 billion 
board feet, about equally divided between North 
and South. ‘This is one-third of all the hardwoods. 
Birch, beech, and maple, as a group, come next 
with 68 billion board feet, mostly in the North.8 
A most disturbing fact is that the forest growing 
stock continues to decline. The 1945 estimate of 
§ Additional details on species are given in: U. S. Forest 
Service. GAGING THE TIMBER RESOURCE OF THE UNITED STATES. 
(Reappraisal report 1.) Washington. 1946. 
Forests and National Prosperity 
NORTH 
14% of timber 
37% of orea 
SOUTH 
_ 21% of timber 
40% of area 
WEST 
65% of timber 
23.% of area 
100 150 
AREA (MILLION ACRES) 
A = 110 billion board feet of sow timber 
Shaded symbols indicate virgin timber 
Ficure 4.—Distribution of the saw timber, United States, 1945. 
1,601 billion board feet of saw timber is 43 percent 
less than reported by the Bureau of Corporations 
(Department of Commerce) for 1909, and 9 percent 
less than the Forest Service estimate for 1938.° 
Although the 1938 and 1945 figures are not en- 
tirely comparable,'® the fact of a major decline in 
saw-timber volume in recent years is clinched by 
figures for the regions where comparable data are 
available from the Forest Survey (table 5). The 
saw timber in 15 surveyed States dropped 156 bil-_ 
°The decline since 1909 has probably been greater than 
indicated. The 1909 estimate did not fully recognize the 
smaller properties, and many species which are now mer- 
chantable were disregarded. Furthermore, in contrast to the 
practice 35 or 40 years ago, lumbermen and foresters now 
count trees of much smaller size as saw timber, particularly 
in the East. 
1°'The 1938 estimates were weak in regions which have 
not been adequately surveyed. For example, more saw tim- 
ber is now reported for the North than in 1938. The dif- 
ference is primarily in the Middle Atlantic and Central 
States where hardwoods are reported at almost double the 
1938 estimate. Such differences are much greater than could 
have resulted from growth even if there had been no 
cutting. They are partly due to an increase in the estimate 
of commercial forest acreage. In California also, where the 
progress of depletion is common knowledge, better estimates 
in 1945 resulted in a larger figure than in 1938. On the 
other hand, the 1945 estimates for the two Rocky Mountain 
regions are lower than in 1938 because a more realistic ap- 
praisal of operating prospects led to a reduction of almost 16 
million acres in the commercial forest area. 
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