The 



Outlook 



For 



Timber 



Supplies 





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This section appraises prospective trends in 

 timber growth and inventories between 1962 and 

 the year 2000 in relation to projected timber 

 demands. These estimates of future timber 

 supplies have been made in the light of forest 

 conditions described in the section on Forest Land 

 and Timber Resources, and on the assumption that 

 levels of timber management in the future will be 

 roughly similar to those of recent years. Some 

 indications of possible improvements in timber 

 supplies resulting from intensified forest manage- 

 ment have also been included. 



A number of projections made in the past have 

 indicated that a continuation of the trends then 

 existing would result in a shortage of timber in the 

 United States. Partly as a result of these antici- 

 pations, action has been taken to avoid such 

 undesirable consequences, both by adjustments 

 to make more complete use of available timber 

 supphes and particularly by greatly expanded 

 efforts to gi^ow additional timber. To the extent 

 that projections disclose the need for corrective 

 action, and such action is taken, the principal 

 aim in making them is achieved. 



Projections Intended 

 as Guides to Programs 



These supply projections when compared with 

 projected demands provide a measure of the 

 adequacy of the Nation's timber resources, and an 

 indication of the changes in forestry programs 

 necessary to supply sufficient raw material for the 

 forest industries. These projections are not 

 predictions, and it is unlikely that they will be 

 fully realized. Nevertheless, by showing pro- 

 spective supply-demand relationships, and long- 

 term implications of current trends in forest 

 conditions and programs, they provide a guide for 

 desirable changes in forestry activities. 



110 



Projections Subject 

 to Many Uncertainties 



Any long-term projection of timber supplies or 

 timber demands is subject to many uncertainties. 

 Longi^un effects of the varied factors influencing 

 timber gi'owth under the many different conditions 

 that exist in the Nation's forests are as yet im- 

 perfectly understood. Changes in management 

 intensity and their effects can only be approxi- 

 mated. Unforeseen circumstances could result 

 in future forest conditions and management 

 programs significantly different from those 

 indicated by current trends. 



