Preface 

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FORESTS are one of the Nation's most valuable natural resources. To sustain and 

 increase this resource requires accurate knowledge of forest conditions. This need was 

 recognized by the Congress of the United States when it authorized the Nation-wide Forest 

 Survey through the McSweeney-McNary Forest Research Act of May 22, 1928. 



The Nation-wide Forest Survey has a fivefold purpose: (1) To take inventory of the 

 supply of standing timber and other forest products; (2) to ascertain the rate at which this 

 supply is being increased through growth; (3) to determine the rate at which this supply is 

 being diminished through use, and by fire, insects, disease, and other agencies; (4) to estimate 

 the present requirements and the probable future trend in the requirements for timber and 

 other forest products; and (5) to correlate these findings with existing and anticipated eco- 

 nomic conditions, in order that policies may be formulated for the effective use of lands 

 suitable for forest production. 



This report on the forests of Mississippi is concerned chiefly with the timber resource of 

 the State. It recognizes, however, that Mississippi's forests also have tremendous value in 

 the protection of watersheds, in lessening damage from soil erosion, in providing recreation 

 and a habitat for wildlife, and in furnishing range forage for livestock. The report is pri- 

 marily the product of the new Forest Survey of the State, which was made between 1946 

 and 1948 in cooperation with the Mississippi State Forest Service; but it also draws on the 

 first Forest Survey, which was carried out in 1932-35. 



The 14 years that elapsed between the two Forest Surveys were eventful years. The 

 United States fought a war. Mississippi saw some of the worst depression and some of the 

 highest prosperity in its history. These extremes in general business were reflected in wide 

 changes in the rate of use of standing timber. The character of the wood-using industries 

 changed markedly. In lumber, there was a continued shift toward smaller operations. In 

 pulpwood, there was a fivefold increase in production as the State joined in the huge enlarge- 

 ment of the pulp and paper industry in the South. During these 14 years, Mississippi saw a 

 greater interest in good forest management than at any previous time, and greater activity 

 in forestry extension work and research. Large acreages of forest land were acquired by 

 companies which recognized the possibility of growing timber as a crop. The State legisla- 

 ture passed a timber harvesting act and voted increased funds for forest-fire protection. 



What has happened to the forests of Mississippi during these momentous years? What 

 role have forest landowners played in the changes which have occurred in the timber resource? 

 How have the wood-using industries adjusted to the changing resource and what are their 

 prospects for timber raw material in the future? What solutions to the problems are sug- 

 gested by the findings of the Forest Survey? These are some of the questions which this 

 report attempts to answer. 

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