southern part. More than four-fifths of the northern 

 sawtimber area contains large sawtimber compared 

 with 25 percent in the south. This difference sug- 



Seedlings 



and 

 Saplings 



NORTHERN SOUTHERN STATE 



STAND-SIZE CLASS 



Figure 12. — Northern Indiana has more area in the large sawtimber 

 stand-size class than in all other stand-size classes combined; southern 

 Indiana has only one-jourth of the forest area in this class. 



gests that the northern stands are not cut as heavily or 

 as often as those of the south and therefore have more 

 valuable, mature timber and a smaller percentage of 

 the forest area in immature stands. 



Stocking 



On the basis of number of trees, volume, or basal 

 area, per acre, the forests of Indiana are under- 

 stocked, and as a whole average 335 sound trees per 

 acre. Of this number 255 or more than 75 percent 

 are saplings (not included in the volume of growing 

 stock), 62 are poles, and 18 are sawtimber size. This 

 number could represent a well-stocked stand if there 

 were a different distribution in size classes. Actually, 

 however, not enough trees are of sawtimber and 

 poletimber size to obtain maximum growth. Stocking 

 was somewhat poorer in northern Indiana than in 

 southern, attributable no doubt to grazing, which has 

 eliminated much of the reproduction. Nearly 24 

 percent of the forest area in the north is heavily 

 grazed but only 7 percent in the south. 



The large sawtimber stands average 1,165 cubic feet 

 per acre, small sawtimber 920, poletimber 372, and 

 seedling-sapling 48. 



How much timber a stand in Indiana should support 

 to obtain maximum growth has not been determined. 

 A look at some of Indiana's better stands, however, 

 gives some indication of the amount to be expected on 

 the better sites. Selected sawtimber stands that are 

 well stocked average 9,440 board-feet per acre. 

 There was an average of 1,570 cubic feet of growing 

 stock in 160 trees per acre. The average basal area 

 was 85^2 square feet per acre with only 19 percent of 

 the basal area in trees 18 inches d. b. h. and smaller. 

 Even these good sawtimber stands (fig. 13) are only 



20 

 D,B H CLASS (Inches) 



Figure 13. — To obtain more board-Joot growth, the basal area dis- 

 tribution for stands on good sites should be more like the distribution 

 shown for good sawtimber stands. 



Indiana's Forest Resources and Industries 



11 



