Contents 



Page 



Summary 1 



Mississippi: The setting 3 



Forest Survey regions 3 



The original forests 7 



Agriculture and the forests 9 



The timber economy 11 



Nontimber values of the forest 12 



The present forests 15 



Forest land 15 



Forest types 15 



Tree stocking 15 



Growing stock 16 



Tree and stand size 16 



Tree and stand quality 17 



Current growth . 18 



The changing forest inventory 19 



Forest land 19 



Forest types 19 



Growing stock 19 



Tree species 20 



Tree size 23 



Tree quality 24 



Forest land management 25 



The level of private forest management. ... 25 

 How timber management differs among 



private owners 27 



Controls over cutting and fire 28 



Supervision of cutting 28 



Cutting-diameter limits 30 



Seed trees 30 



Fire protection by forest landowners 32 



State fire protection 32 



Attitudes of owners toward timber manage- 

 ment 32 



Burning of forest land 32 



Concepts of timber management 33 



Miscellaneous influences on timber manage- 

 ment 34 



Forest industry 35 



Production 35 



Drain 37 



Plants processing raw products 38 



Location of timber-cutting operations 38 



Movement of timber products to plants .... 38 



i^ 



Page 

 Forest Industry — Continued. 



How has timber production been sustained? . 38 



Inroads on the forest resource 40 



Use of less desirable trees 40 



The increase in output of less exacting 



products 43 



Fuller utilization of trees cut 43 



Outlook in timber production 45 



What is the outlook under current trends? . . 45 



Lumber 45 



Pulpwood 45 



Veneer 46 



Cooperage 46 



Naval stores 47 



Other products 48 



What is the outlook under improved man- 

 agement? 48 



Some approaches to a better forest situation. . 51 



Improved utilization 51 



Improved cutting practice 52 



Fire control 52 



Grazing control 52 



Prospects under better forestry 53 



Appendix 54 



Definitions 54 



Forest land 54 



Tree groups 54 



Forest type 54 



Class of timber 54 



Stand-size class 55 



Tree stocking . 55 



Volume and basal area 55 



Diameter 55 



Growth 55 



Drain 55 



Tree grades for softwoods 55 



Log grades for hardwoods 55 



Stand quality 56 



The field survey and its accuracy 56 



Forest land area and timber volume 56 



Growth 57 



Production and drain 57 



Forest land ownership and management . . 57 



Tables 62 



III 



