A similar preponderance of oaks is to be seen in the 

 total volume of merchantable pole-timber stands: 



Tons 



Oaks 286, 200 



Other hardwoods 74, 100 



Conifers 53, 800 



All species 414, 100 



Young growth of commercially valuable species 

 occupies about 225,000 acres, or 56 percent of the 

 forest land of the coal-field area. Good management 

 can develop these to the point where they could con- 

 tribute considerably to the timber needs of the mining 

 industry. Since much of the forest is owned by the 

 coal companies themselves, such development would 

 materially lessen the companies' expenditures for 

 timber. 



Growth and Drain 



Because of past fires and heavy cutting by mine- 

 timber operators, there are few operable stands today 

 in the coal-field area. Proximity of the forests to the 

 mines has resulted in stands being clear-cut for mine 

 timbers as soon as they attained sullicient volume to 

 justify operation. The fact that total growth exceeds 

 drain (table 13) is of little significance because excess 



Table 13. — Inventory change in the coalfields, by condition 

 class and kind of material, Jan. 1, 1943, to Jan. I, 1944 



Sawi.og Material 



Condition class 



1943 

 inventory 



Total 

 drain 



Net 

 incre- 



llirnl 



1944 

 inven- 

 tory 



Merchantable stands: 

 Saw timber. . . . 

 Pole timber 



U n m c r c h a n t a b 1 e 

 stands 



M bd. ft. 



20, 800 

 23, 000 



72, 800 



M bd.Jt. 



1, 000 



930 



1,010 



.1/ bd.lt. 



1,510 



4,070 



1,740 



M bd. ft. 

 21,310 

 26, 140 



73, 530 



Total 



1 |<,, (,oo 



2,940 



7,320 



120,980 



Other Material 



Merchantable stands: 



Saw timber 



Pole timber 



Unmerchantable 

 stands 



Total. 



Tons 

 87, 000 

 315,900 



1,302,200 



I. 705, 100 



Tons 



2,600 



7,700 



62, 700 



73, 000 



(., 600 

 35, 400 



82, 600 



91, 000 



343. (.(in 



1. 322. 100 



12 1.000 l. 756, '00 



growth is limited largely to small, scattered stands, 

 parks, or areas reserved for residential development. 

 Although the forest area of the coal fields comprises 

 more than 12 percent of the region's forests, the growth 

 of all material in trees 5.0 inches and larger amounted 

 in 1943 to only 7 percent, and that of the saw tin; 

 alone to only about 5 percent of the growth in the 

 entire region. Only 7 percent of the round timbers 

 needed by the mines came from this area, and less 

 than 5 percent of the sawed products. 



Potentialities 



The forest situation in the coal fields is unfavorable 

 both from the owners' and the community's stand- 

 point. The forest land of the coal-field area is too 

 small ever to provide .ill the wood required by the 

 mines. But coal-field landowners could build up 

 their forests to provide a considerably larger propor- 

 tion of their mine-timber needs. This could be ac- 

 complished without decreasing the 1943 drain rate 

 but it would require planned operations in accordance 

 with forest-management principles. Under such a 

 plan the drain could average the 1943 rate for the 

 next 20 years and still permit total growing stock to 

 build up to twice its present volume. Ultimately, 

 say in 100 years, under management for qualit\ as 

 well as quantity production, the forests of this area 

 could contain many times their present growing stock 

 volume, with possibilities of yielding 10 times as 

 much saw timber annualh as at present. lw<>- 

 thirds of the forest area of the coal fields is in po- 

 tentially productive forest types. These forests can 

 some day support local industries turning out finished 

 products of high value and providing employment to 

 large numbers of skilled laborers. 



Coal and people are virtually the only resources oi 

 the coal fields. On the other hand, the rehabilitation 

 measures required to bring the forests back to pro- 

 ductivity would provide considerable employment 

 for 5 or in years. The total forest acreage is too 

 small, however, for it to be able to solve more than a 



COmparativel) small proportion oi the economic 



problems of the subregion. Effective readjustment 



of Us economic condition must therefore lake into 



account the economic possibilities of the other sub- 

 regions. 



The Anthracite Forest Region A Problem Area 



41 



