F-504522 



Much of the recent gqin in forest land area is attributable to reforestation of abandoned farmland. 



Table 53.- — Chaiiges in commercial forest land, 

 by region, 1953 and 1963 



Region 



Area 



Jan. 1, 



1963 



Change Jan. 1, 



1953-Jan. 1, 



1963 



New England 



Middle Atlantic 



Lake States 



Thou- 

 sand 

 acres 

 31,451 

 43,888 

 52,392 

 44,058 



Thou- 

 sand 

 acres 

 + 425 

 + 1,663 

 -49 

 -952 



Per- 

 cent 



+ 1.4 

 + 3.9 

 -0.1 



Central 



-2.2 



Total North 



171,789 



+ 1,087 



+ 0.6 



South Atlantic 



47,604 

 44,772 

 53,361 

 55,332 



+ 1,452 



-716 



+ 3,864 



+ 2,113 



+ 3.1 



East Gulf 



Central Gulf 



West Gulf -__ 



-1.6 



+ 7.2 

 + 3.8 







Total South 



201,069 



+ 6,713 



+ 3.3 







Pacific Northwest 



51,884 

 18,480 

 39,287 

 26,336 



-325 



-0.6 



Pacific Southwest 





Northern Rocky Mountain 



Southern Rocky Mountain 



+ 45 

 + 65 



+ 0.1 

 + 0.2 



Total West- . 



135,987 



-215 



-0.2 







All regions ... 



508,845 



+ 7,585 



+ 1.5 







vested declined 10 percent in the 1950's, while 

 the rural population dropped about 12 percent. 

 In terms of timber supplies, trends in land use 

 have not been so favorable. Much of the land lost 

 to timber gi'owing is of relatively high timber gi'ow- 

 ing capability, and often the timber standing on 

 such land is not utilized. Most areas reverting to 

 forest, on the other hand, are wornout farmlands 

 that must be restocked either artificially or natu- 

 rally before they can produce timber crops at some 

 future date. 



One-Third of the Forest Is 

 Nor^commercial for Timber Production 



There are about 250 million acres of noncom- 

 mercial forest in the 50 States. Some 16 million 

 acres of these forests in public ownership are 

 suitable for timber gi'Owing but are legally with- 

 drawn for such uses as State and National Parks 

 and National Forest wilderness areas. Most of 

 this "productive-reserved" area is in Federal 

 ownership. Two-thirds of it is in the West. 



