THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER SUPPLIES 



127 



SAWTIMBER GROWTH, CUT, AND INVENTORY 

 . IN THE SOUTH 



45 



SOFTWOODS 



HARDWOODS 



TOTAL 



30 



Net Growth-v^ y 



525 



350 



175 



Net Growthv,^ V 



,-> — ** y 





Net Growth 



rrs=— as; 



Cut 



■Cut 



Inventory-..,^ 



4f Inventory 



Inventory 



X 







1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 



Figure 56 



Projected growth of hardwood sawtimber, with 

 the allocated cut and recent levels of management, 

 rises slightly and then declines to an estimated 

 6.8 billion board feet by 2000. In spite of a 

 projected increase in the area of hardwood types 

 from 120 million acres in 1963 to 124 million acres 

 by 2000, this trend is anticipated because con- 

 tinuing increases in density of hardwood stands 

 are expected to result in some reductions of per- 

 acre growth. 



Numbers of hardwood trees below sawtimber 

 size have increased considerably in recent years. 

 As a result, basal area of southern hardwood 

 stands has been steadily building up — by 12 

 percent between 1952 and 1962, for example. 

 Further increases are anticipated as shown by 

 the following estimates of basal area in square 

 feet per acre: 



Year: 









All trees 



Growing 

 stock trees 



1952. 

 1963_ 

 1970_ 

 1980_ 

 1990_ 

 2000- 











71 

 79 

 87 

 98 

 103 

 105 



46 

 53 

 58 

 66 

 69 

 70 



Hardwood Tree 



Size 



and Quality 







of Major 



Importance 











Quality of logs for lumber and plywood is 

 strongly related to log diameter, particularly in 

 the case of hardwoods. Projections of hardwood 

 inventories show a marked decrease in relative 

 volumes of trees above 15 inches in diameter — 

 from 15 percent of the total inventory in 1962 to 

 10 percent in 2000 (table 84). Proportions of 



