quent timber growth (e.g., 

 Johnson 1973). 



The rapid expansion in 

 availability and use of 

 computers and computer 

 specialists in recent 

 decades greatly increased 

 efficiency in many research 

 projects. These have includ- 

 ed timber inventories, pre- 

 dicting furture stand devel- 

 opment with alternative 

 management practices, 

 estimating allowable cuts, 

 and identifying optimum 

 rotation ages for specified 

 timber-management objec- 

 tives. 



The information obtained 

 from the many studies 

 conducted by forest scien- 

 tists on the various aspects 

 of southern forest manage- 

 ment has been brought 

 together from time to time 

 in major publications. Knowl- 

 edge relating to longleaf 

 pine was summarized by 



W.G. Wahlenberg in 1946 

 in a lengthy monograph. In 

 1960, he published a similar 

 comprehensive treatise on 

 loblolly pine, covering its 

 ecology, regeneration, 

 protection, growth, and 

 other aspects of manage- 

 ment. This book was based 

 on the author's personal 

 experience plus reviews of 

 nearly 1,500 articles by 

 other researchers. The 

 comprehensive "Silivicultural 

 Systems for the Major Forest 

 Types in the United States" 

 has provided guidelines for 

 management of all the 

 important pine and hard- 

 wood types in the South 

 (Burns 1983). Symposia 

 and conferences for both 

 practicing foresters and 

 researchers have also 

 provided summaries of new 

 information for both pines 

 and hardwoods, together 

 with recommendations for 

 management of various 

 species (e.g., Barnett 1981). 



34 



