128 



TIMBER TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES 



these larger trees in the projected cut also show 

 an accompanying decline from 55 percent of the 

 total cut in 1962 to 34 percent by 2000 (table 83). 

 The hardwood supply situation also is greatly 

 influenced by the quality of hardwood stands. 

 In 1962 about 33 percent of the basal area of south- 

 ern hardwood timber 1.0 inch and larger was in 

 cull trees. Many other trees qualifying as 

 "growing stock" also contain considerable cull 

 volume or are of poor form. With a continuation 

 of present levels of management, cull trees and 

 low-quality growing stock may be expected to 

 continue to preempt a large share of the total 

 growing space in southern forests. 



Growth Could Be Raised to 

 the Level of Allocated Cut 



Growth of both softwoods and hardwoods more 

 than keeps pace with the allocated cut in the 

 South until about 1990, but thereafter falls below 

 the rising projection of cut. By 2000 a projected 

 deficiency of growth amounts to nearly 7.5 billion 

 board feet for softwoods and about 3.3 billion 

 board feet for hardwoods. Growth could be 

 increased to this level of projected cut, but only 

 with a considerable intensification of timber 

 management activities. 



Table 84. — Distribution of hardwood timber inven- 

 tories in the South, by diameter classes, 1962-2000 



[Percent of basal area per acre] 





1962 



Projections 



Required 

 to maintain 



Tree diameter 

 (inches) 



1980 



2000 



present 

 diameter 

 distribu- 

 tion of cut 



1.0-8.9 



9.0-14.9 



15.0 + 



56 

 29 

 15 



57 

 30 

 13 



63 



27 

 10 



34 



38 

 28 







Total 



100 



100 



100 



100 



Particular emphasis would be needed along 

 several lines. 



(1) Periodic thinning of most softwood stands 

 and many hardwood stands to control density 

 and spacing, species composition, and age class 

 distribution. Failure to maintain proper stand 

 densities and spacing will result in further increases 

 in basal area per acre and reductions in growth. 



(2) Conversion of hardwood stands to pine in 

 some areas would have to be increased over 

 present efforts so as to offset expected declines 

 in areas of softwood types. 



(3) Extensive stand improvement on at least 

 150 million acres would also be needed, especially 

 in hardwood and oak-pine types, to reduce the 

 excessive stocking of culls and undersirable trees 

 and to obtain a better distribution of desirable 

 species and tree sizes. Such efforts, moreover, 

 would be required on hundreds of thousands of 

 small properties which compose a major part of 

 the commercial lands in the South. 



(4) Intensified regeneration efforts to assure 

 prompt stocking of recently cut areas with the 

 proper species. Also, increased effort will be 

 needed to reestablish stands on the more produc- 

 tive sites that are now inadequately stocked 

 with trees of acceptable form and species, non- 

 stocked, or poorly stocked. 



THE TIMBER SUPPLY OUTLOOK IN THE NORTH 



The North has about 172 million acres of 

 commercial forest land — a third of the national 

 total (fig. 57). This section has about 22 percent 



RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF FOREST 

 RESOURCES IN THE NORTH 



Area 







^^^^^^^H 







HHJi^^^H 







Sawtimber Volume 



i 



Growing Stock Volume 



Sawtimber Cut 



■ 



Sawtimber Growth 



(In Percent of U.S. Total) 



Fisure 57 



