amount in the western Poconos also. White pine- 

 hemlock is to be found in ravines and other relatively 

 inaccessible places throughout the area. The white 

 pine-oak type is found chiefly in the Poconos, espe- 

 cially in the eastern Poconos where it occupies a 

 quarter of the area. The chestnut oak is almost 

 entirely in the Peters Mountain subdivision, whereas 

 the scrub oak is mostly in the southwestern portion of 

 the western Poconos. The most important minor type 

 is red spruce, most of which is to be found in the 

 Poconos. 



Of the species, the chief conifers are white pine, 

 hemlock, and in the south, pitch pine. Hard maple 

 occurs in the north, where it is more important than 

 the oaks. In the south the principal species in this 

 group are white, red, and black oaks, with an ad- 

 mixture of the other oak species and some hickory. 

 The dominant species in the other hardwood group 

 are red maple, beech, white ash, and yellow birch in 

 the north; and red maple, black birch, white ash, and 

 yellow-poplar in the south. 



Hardwoods other than oaks and hard maple are 

 the dominant species in the extensive forests. In saw- 

 timber stands the conifers also are more important 

 than the oaks: 



M board feet 



Conifers 96, 200 



Oaks and hard maple 72, 200 



Other hardwoods 129,900 



All species 298, 300 



In the pole-timber stands the oaks and hard maple 

 are more important than the conifers. The distribu- 

 tion by species groups of the total merchantable 

 volume in these stands is: 



Tons 



Conifers 302, 700 



Oaks and hard maple 1, 528, 400 



Other hardwoods 2, 089, 300 



All species 3, 920, 400 



Growth and Drain 



The saw-timber stands in the extensive forest area, 

 like those in the farming area, were subjected to 

 heavy cutting during the war period. Many of these 

 stands have only recently attained sufficient volume 

 to justify operation, the virgin timber having been 

 removed 40 to 60 years ago. Most of the forest is 

 still in young stands. Although the drain on saw- 

 timber stands in 1943 was more than one-third 

 larger than the growth, the pole-timber stands 



actually increased in volume, largely because of the 

 movement of unmerchantable stands into the pole- 

 timber classification (table 21). 



What are the prospects for the next 10 to 20 years? 

 The pressure of growth in the young forests of the 

 extensive forest area will result in larger growing- 

 stock volumes of both sawlog and other materials, 

 even if drain should be continued at its current level. 

 The larger sizes in the extensive forests are being 

 overcut, but the prospects for high-quality material 

 in the future are good. 



Table 21. — Inventory change in the extensive forest area t 

 by condition class and kind of material, Jan. 1, 1943, to 

 Jan. 1, 1944 



Sawlog Material 





Condition class 



Merchantable stands: 



Saw timber 



Pole timber 



Unmerchantable stands 



Total. . . 



1943 

 inven- 

 tory 



M bd. ft. 



298, 300 

 164,600 

 283, 400 



Total 

 drain 



M. bd. 



ft- 

 29, 990 

 21, 610 



3,670 



Net 

 incre- 

 ment 



M bd. 



ft. 



18,700 

 29, 530 

 -2, 820 



746, 300 55, 270 45, 410 736, 440 



1944 

 inven- 

 tory 



M bd.ft. 



287,010 

 172,520 

 276, 910 



Other Material 



Merchantable stands: 



Saw timber 



Pole timber 



Unmerchantable stands 



Total 



Tons 

 1,076,700 



3, 074, 700 



4, 753, 300 



8, 904, 700 



Tons 



Tons 



23, 



600 



47, 



000 



88, 



300 



277, 



900 



91, 



400 



229, 



400 



203, 



300 



554, 



300 



Tons 

 1, 100, 100 

 3, 264, 300 

 4,891, 300 



9, 255, 700 



Potentialities 



What are the potentialities of the extensive forests? 

 The productive forest types of the region (maple- 

 beech-birch, white pine-hemlock, and white pine- 

 white oak) cover half of the extensive forest area. 

 These forests, and those of the oak types, are today 

 producing larger cubic-foot volume growth per acre 

 than either of the other principal land use areas. 



This is due largely to well stocked young stands. 

 The current growth of saw timber is somewhat less 

 than that of the farming-area forest, but its potentiali- 

 ties are nearly as great. Growth under an 80- to 

 90-year rotation on a 10-year cutting cycle should 

 amount to about 240 board feet per acre per year as 

 compared with the present 42. This potential yield of 

 the extensive forests would maintain forest-products 

 industries employing from 6 to 10 times the present 

 number of employees and greatly enhance the income 

 of the subreeion. 





52 



Miscellaneous Publication 648, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



