THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER SUPPLIES 



133 



100 



SAWTIMBER GROWTH, SUPPLY, CUT & 

 INVENTORY IN THE U.S. 



SOFTWOODS HARDWOODS TOTAL 



75 



50 



25 



Supplyv CuK 



Supply^ tut^ 



-::: / 



Net Growth 



Net Growth 



Net Growth 



o 

 o 



3000 



2000 



1000 



Inventory' 



Inventoryv 







1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 20001950 1960 



Fisore 59 



1970 



1980 



1990 2000 



the projected "supply" would fall short of the 

 projected cut by an estimated 2.6 billion cubic 

 feet of softwood growing stock and 7.6 billion 

 board feet of softwood sawtimber. 



The cut of hardwoods in 1962, amounting to 

 11.7 billion board feet, was far less than hardwood 

 growth of 19 billion board feet. Over the next 

 few decades the projected excess of growth over 

 cut steadily diminishes, however, to a balance of 

 growth and cut around 1990, and an increasing 

 annual deficit thereafter. By 2000 this projected 

 deficit amounts to about 4.0 biUion board feet. 



Trends in Timber Size and 

 Quality of Major Concern 



The forest industries undoubtedly will not be 

 able to process and market all of the species, sizes, 

 and qualities of trees that make up timber growth 



and inventories. Consequently, future supplies 

 of merchantable sizes and species of timber may 

 be substantially smaller than indicated by esti- 

 mates of total volumes in the Nation's forests. 



Over the next few decades, the proportion of 

 larger diameter trees in the timber harvest is 

 expected to drop with assumed levels of cutting 

 and management. Thus in eastern softwoods the 

 cut from trees above 15 inches in diameter is 

 projected to fall from 33 percent of the total cut 

 in 1962 to 22 percent by 2000 (fig. 60). For 

 hardwoods, the projected cut from trees above 

 15 inches drops from 52 percent in 1962 to 33 

 percent by 2000. 



In the West a relatively small change in size 

 composition is expected in national forests by 

 2000, but on other lands a drastic decline in the 

 proportion of the cut from trees above 29 inches 

 in diameter is expected — from 57 percent in 1962 

 to 14 percent by 2000 (fig. 61). 



