of this publication. The tidal marshes, which 

 may be several miles wide, extend along the entire 

 coast from South Carolina to Florida. Eight large 

 offshore island groups, Tybee, Skidaway, Ossabaw, 

 St. Catherines, Sapelo, St. Simon, Jekyl, and 

 Cumberland, make up the remaining acreage. 



The last six of these islands, known as the Golden 

 Isles of Guale, and the accompanying narrow strip 

 of mainland, were settled by the Spanish in the 

 sixteenth century. After the English settlement of 

 the Colony of Georgia by Oglethorpe, large planta- 

 tions were established where indigo and staple food 

 crops were produced. Following the Revolution- 

 ary War, the production of sea-island cotton be- 

 came a leading and prosperous industry, enabling 

 these islands to maintain an aristocracy of planter 

 families that led the South in wealth and culture, 

 but during the Civil War these plantations were 

 destroyed and extensive agriculture was aban- 

 doned. There was then little or no activity until 

 these islands were purchased in recent years by 

 some of America's richest families. Vast and 

 elaborate estates, exclusive resorts, and well- 

 stocked game reserves and hunting clubs now re- 

 place the once prosperous cotton plantations. 

 Although a considerable stand of coastal hardwood 

 and pine timber is scattered throughout the islands, 

 because of their relatively greater value as estates, 

 resorts, etc., it is somewhat unlikely that this 

 timber will be logged commercially. 



Definition of Terms 



The following definitions of terms used are given 

 as a help to the reader in comprehending the forest 

 situations here discussed. 



Land Use Classes 



Productive forest land. — Forest land that has the qualities 

 essential for the growth of commercial timber. 



Nonproductive forest land. — Forest land that does not have the 

 qualities essential for the growth of commercial timber. 



Cultivated agricultural land. — Land being used for the produc- 

 tion of farm or orchard crops, or that shows evidence of 

 having been so used during the preceding 2 years. 



Idle agricultural land. — Cultivated land that has been idle 

 for 2 years or more, but that has not reached the abandoned 

 stage. 



Abandoned agricultural land. — Formerly cultivated land 

 that shows distinct signs of having been abandoned for 

 agricultural crop production; no attempt has been made to 

 maintain it as improved pasture. 



Improved pasture. — Cleared or open land that is under 

 fence, used primarily for grazing and upon which an 

 attempt has been made to maintain a sod. 



Other areas. — Areas included within the corporate limits 

 or suburban and industrial sections of cities and com- 

 munities; power, rail, and highway rights-of-way; marsh; 

 nonmeandered waterways; and prairie. 



Forest Types 



Longleaf pine. — Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) constitutes 

 at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size 

 stands and at least 75 percent of the dominant and codom- 

 inant trees in under-sawlog-size stands. This type is found 

 on the drier soils of both the flatwoods and rolling uplands. 

 Scrub oak areas that show promise of coming back to long- 

 leaf pine are included in the longleaf type. 



Longleaf-slash pine. — Longleaf and slash (P. caribaed) pine 

 together constitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot 

 volume in sawlog-size stands and at least 75 percent of the 

 dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands 

 neither species alone accounting for 75 percent. This type 

 is found in the flatwoods in a few areas that are dry enough 

 for longleaf pine and that have escaped fire for a sufficient 

 length of time to permit the slash pine to become established. 



Slash pine. — Slash pine constitutes at least 75 percent of the 

 board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands and at least 75 per- 

 cent of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog- 

 size stands. This type is confined largely to the flatwoods 

 and adjacent ponds and swamps, that is, to moist situations 

 where sufficient time elapses between fires to permit the 

 establishment of slash pine. Scrub oak areas that show 

 promise of coming back to slash pine are included in the 

 slash pine type. 



Slash pine — cypress. — Slash pine and cypress together con- 

 stitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in 

 sawlog-size stands and at least 75 percent of the dominant 

 and codominant trees in under-saw-log-size stands, neither 

 species alone accounting for 75 percent. This type is found 

 principally in low depressions in the flatwoods, and in deeper 

 swamps and ponds than the pure slash pine type. 



Turpentine pines — hardwoods. — Neither pines nor hardwoods 

 alone constitute 75 percent of the board-foot volume in 

 sawlog-size stands, nor 75 percent of the dominant and 

 codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands; but at least 

 half of the pine component is longleaf and slash. 



Nonturpentine pines. — Loblolly (Pinus taeda) shortleaf (P. 

 echinata), pond (P. rigida serotina), sand (P. clausa), or spruce 

 (P. glabra) pines, alone or in mixture, constitute at least 75 

 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands 

 and at least 75 percent of the dominant and codominant 

 trees in under-sawlog-size stands. Scrub oak areas that 

 show promise of coming back to nonturpentine pines are 

 included in the nonturpentine-pine type. 



Nonturpentine pines — hardwoods. — Neither pines nor hard- 

 woods alone constitute 75 percent of the board-foot volume 

 in sawlog-size stands, nor 75 percent of the dominant and 

 codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands; but more 

 than half of the pine consists of nonturpentine pines. 



