Preface 



The great progress in south- 

 ern forestry during the past 

 half century must be attribut- 

 ed in part to research scien- 

 tists who provided scientific 

 knowledge and practical 

 technology for forest protec- 

 tion, management, and 

 utilization. Research has 

 pointed the way to better 

 control and use of fire and 

 to more effective methods 

 for regenerating desirable 

 tree species. Improved meth- 

 ods for managing forest 

 lands for timber and other 

 uses, better techniques for 

 controlling insects and dis- 

 eases, and improved ways 

 of producing and using forest 

 products also have stemmed 

 from a wide variety of re- 

 search investigations. 



The combination of research 

 and action programs of 

 Federal, State, and industrial 

 forestry organizations has 

 been a major factor in improv- 

 ing the South's timber supply 

 situation. Timber growth and 

 inventories have shown 

 impressive gains over recent 

 decades. Pulp and paper 

 and other forest industries 

 have expanded steadily. 

 Forest uses for livestock, 

 wildlife, and recreation have 

 been improved. Through 



such developments, forestry 

 continues as the keystone of 

 the economy in many parts 

 of the South. 



Many scientists and practical 

 forest managers have con- 

 tributed to the growth of 

 forestry knowledge and new 

 technology. In earlier years, 

 most forest researchers in 

 the South were employed at 

 the Southern and Southeast- 

 ern Forest Experiment Sta- 

 tions of the USDA Forest 

 Service. But in recent 

 decades, expanding staffs of 

 forestry schools and other 

 research organizations in the 

 region have also made 

 substantial contributions to 

 forestry knowledge. 



Developing successful 

 forestry practices is typically 

 the result of integrating bits 

 of knowledge contributed by 

 many different people, 

 through formal research, 

 observation, and empirical 

 testing of new ideas. Because 

 the historical literature on 

 southern forestry is extensive 

 and varied, giving appropriate 

 credit to individuals is difficult 

 if not impossible. The magni- 

 tude of the task of citing all 

 contributors may be illustrat- 

 ed by the fact that in the 



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