20 



MISSISSIPPIS FOREST RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES 



Mississippi, where the timber was aheady heavily de- 

 pleted at the time of the first Survey, lost 40 percent 

 of its sawlog growing stock. Sawlog volume in central 

 Mississippi, roughly half of the State's total, is 25 per- 

 cent less than in 1932-35. In the Delta, the sawlog 

 resource has declined 29 percent. Only in the south, 

 where half the forest is under at least fair management 

 and where the forest was already heavily cut out in 

 1932-35, has there been a net increase in sawlog 

 volume: a drop of 5 percent in hardwood was over- 

 balanced by an increase of 8 percent in softwood 

 species. 



STATE- 

 TOTAL 

 GROWING STOCK 



LEGEND 

 SOFTWOOD MA RDWOO O 



•-•INCREASE" - K$$^ 

 ■■DECREASE — K%^ 



Figure 20. — Percentage change in growing-stock volume be- 

 tween 1932-35 and 1946^8. 



Total growing stock has fared much better than saw- 

 log growing stock. The volume of cordwood trees 

 (trees 5 inches d. b. h. or larger but smaller than 

 sawlog size) has gone up a third, in strong contrast to 

 the downward trend of sawlog volume. Improved 

 fire protection over broad areas and improved cutting 

 practice on some individual properties are a factor in 

 this cordwood increase. It is also true that timber 

 use is concentrated in sawlog-size trees; and the 

 smaller trees, which are frequently unmerchantable, 

 are left standing. 



Tree Species 



In softwood species, the volume of cordwood trees 

 has increased 8 percent, but sawlog trees have been 

 cut so heavily that the net decline of softwood total 

 growing stock is 20 percent. Softwood total growing 

 stock was reduced by nearly 50 percent in the north 

 region, and 25 percent in the central region. South 

 Mississippi alone, of the regions of the State, has had 

 an increase in total softwood volume: 11 percent. 



In hardwood species, a huge increase of more than 

 50 percent in cordwood trees has balanced a cut-back 

 in sawlog volume of 20 percent. But to interpret 

 these figures correctly, it is necessary to note the sharp 

 changes in tree size and quality which are important 

 elements of deterioration in the hardwood resource. 

 (These items are described in the following sections.) 

 Moreover, one should not overlook significant changes 

 in growing-stock volume by location and several 

 aspects of species changes. 



Hardwood sawlog products are taken largely from 

 bottom-land sites throughout the State and from the 

 Bluff hills bordering the Delta. This is partly because 

 a better representation of desired species is obtained 

 from the more favorable hardwood sites; and partly 

 it Is a matter of obtaining particular species where 

 they produce higher value timber. Thus, sweet- 

 gum, which Is a much desired species In bottom land. 

 Is frequently inferior over most of the uplands. In fact, 

 over much of the uplands, most sawlog-size hard- 

 woods are Ignored by loggers (except for the produc- 

 tion of ties and small-dimension stock) or cut only 

 Incidentally in pine logging. 



It is, therefore, highly significant that hardwood 

 sawlog volume on bottom-land sites — the main produc- 

 ing areas of commercial hardwood — has declined a 

 third or more between the two Forest Surveys. This 

 is a greater decline than for pine In Mississippi. 



On upland sites, which produce relatively little com- 

 mercial hardwood outside of the Bluff hills, hardwood 

 sawlog volume has Increased slightly. In comparison 

 with the large decline in pine volume, this denotes a 

 considerable gain of hardwood over pine In upland 

 areas (fig. 21). It bears out the great shift In forest 

 types from pine to hardwood \vhich was described 

 previously. The shift Is even more^sti'Iklng when cull 

 trees and other nongrowing-stork trees are included, 

 since these gcncially undesirable trees are prepon- 

 derantly hardwood. 



The shift from pine to hardw ood can be viewed as a 

 problem in all regions, except the Delta. But of simi- 



