F-414208 



Young-growth stands in the South provide a base for industrial expansion. 



sawtimber in the South would increase from 16.9 

 bilhon board feet in 1962 to an estimated 22 

 bilHon board feet in 1980 (table 82 and fig. 56). 

 Thereafter projected growth declines to a balance 

 with cut in 1990, and to about 7.5 billion board 

 feet less than the projected timber cut by 2000. 

 Projected growth of all growing stock shows a 

 similar trend. 



These growth projections are based on indica- 

 tions that a continuation of recent levels of pro- 

 tection, natural regeneration, planting, and tim- 

 ber stand improvement would not be adequate to 

 maintain the present area of softwood types. An 

 estimated 2.9 million acres in the South have 

 been restocking naturally to softwoods each year, 

 and during the 1958-62 period an average of 1.7 

 million acres were planted or seeded with pine. 

 Nearly 1.4 million acres underwent stand improve- 

 ment. Nevertheless, the area of softwood types 

 dropped almost a million acres between 1952 

 and 1962. With recent levels of management, it 

 is estimated that the acreage of softwood types 

 would continue to decrease — from 81 million 

 acres in 1962 to 77 million acres by 2000. 



There are also signs that the greatly improved 

 fire protection of recent years is building up 

 "rough" or ground cover that may slow down 

 natural regeneration. If this continues, an in- 

 crease in prescribed burning and planting or direct 

 seeding would be necessary to maintain natural 

 regeneration rates. 



The increasing stocking of southern pine stands, 

 resulting from more intensive fire protection and 

 other forestry activities, is indicated by a 12 

 percent rise in average basal area per acre between 

 1952 and 1962. Further increases in basal area 

 per acre (in square feet) are anticipated, as 

 follows : 



Year: 



All 



Growing 



live 



stock 



trees 



trees 



48 



45 



60 



57 



75 



71 



92 



87 



104 



99 



98 



93 



1952_ 

 1963_ 

 1970. 

 1980_ 

 1990. 

 2000_ 



The projected downturn in growth of softwood 

 sawtimber after 1980 would be due in part to the 

 prospective shrinkage in area of softwood types, 

 but mainly would reflect the effects of such in- 

 creases in density of stands. 



Under intensified management, only about 84 

 square feet of basal area per acre on 74 million 

 acres of softwood types would be required to 

 produce the 26 billion board feet of cut allocated 

 to southern softwoods in the year 2000. How- 

 ever, this would require repeated thinnings to 

 concentrate basal area on fewer stems and to 

 maintain desirable spacing and age-class distribu- 

 tion of growing stock, plus other measures to 

 insure regeneration and limited mortality losses. 



