48 ' TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICAS FUTURE 



Table 29. — Net annual growth oj timber on commercial forest land by regions, 1952 



Section and region 



Growing stock 



Live sawtimber 





Total 



Softwood 



Hardwood 



Total 



Softwood 



Hardwood 



North: 



New England 



Billion 

 cu. ft. 

 0.88 

 1. 35 

 1. 18 

 1. 13 

 . 12 



Billion 

 cu. ft. 

 0. 29 

 . 15 

 .32 

 .05 

 .01 



Billion 



cu. ft. 



0. 59 



1.20 



.86 



1.08 



. 11 



Billion 



bd.-ft. 

 1. 86 

 3. 16 

 2.69 

 3. 96 

 .40 



Billion 



bd.-ft. 

 0. 91 

 .47 

 .80 

 . 25 

 .04 



Billion 

 bd.-ft. 

 0. 95 



Middle Atlantic _ _ _ _ _ _ . 



2. 69 



Lake States _ 



1. 89 



Central 



3. 71 



Plains - - - 



. 36 







Total, North,. 



4. 66 



.82 



3.84 



12. 07 



2.47 



9. 60 







South: 



South Atlantic 



1. 91 

 3.06 

 1.84 



.97 



1.72 



.88 



.94 



1.34 



.96 



6. 88 

 10.04 



7. 10 



3. 67 

 6. 68 



4. 15 



3. 21 



Southeast . _ . . 



3. 36 



West Gulf - - - - -- 



2. 95 







Total, South 



6.81 



3.57 



3. 24 



24.02 



14.50 



9. 52 







West: 



Pacific Northwest: 



Douglas-fir subregion 



1.00 

 . 33 



. 94 

 . 33 



. 06 



5. 15 

 .83 



5. 01 

 . 82 



. 14 



Pine subregion _ _ 



. 01 







Total 



1.33 

 .59 

 .60 

 .22 



1.27 

 .54 

 .59 

 . 19 



. 06 

 .05 

 .01 

 . 03 



5. 98 



2. 94 



1.53 



.73 



5.83 



2.89 



1.51 



.68 



. 15 



California . - _ _ _ . 



.05 



Northern Rocky Mountain 



. 02 



Southern Rockv Mountain 



. 05 







Total, West 



2. 74 



2.59 



. 15 



11. 18 



10.91 



. 27 







Continental United States 



14. 21 

 .03 



6.98 

 .03 



7.23 



0) 



47.27 

 . 13 



27.88 

 . 13 



19. 39 



Coastal Alaska 



(') 







All regions . _ 



14.24 



7.01 



7.23 



47.40 



28.01 



19. 39 







Mortality, 2 all regions- _« _ 



3. 49 



2. 24 



1.25 



12.52 



10. 09 



2.43 







Mortality in relation to net growth. _ 



Percent 

 25 



Percent 

 32 



Percent 

 17 



Percent 

 26 



Percent 

 36 



Percent 



13 







' Less than 0.005. 



2 These estimates represent the current level of mortality 

 indicated by trends over a period of years, as determined 

 in 1952. The estimates of mortality in 1952 shown sub- 

 sequently in the protection discussion in this section are 



One-Third of Sawtimber Growth Is Southern 

 Yellow Pine 



The growth of southern j^ellow pines as a group 

 in 1952 was 14.2 biUion board-feet, or about 30 

 percent of total sawtimber growth (table 30). 

 I'he growth of southern pines so dominated the 

 sawtimber growth picture that it exceeded the 

 growth of all other softwoods combined, both 

 eastern and western, and was not far behind the 

 combined growtli of all hardwoods. Douglas-fir 

 dominated the growth of western softwoods, and 

 the oaks accounted for nearly 40 percent of saw- 

 timber growth of eastern hardwoods. 



The distribution of sawtimber growth among 

 liardwood species is significant. Five of the more 



the same except in the West. The 1952 mortality in the 

 West is higher by 0.02 billion cubic feet of growing stock 

 and 0.15 billion board-feet of sawtimber than used in these 

 periodic estimates because of abnormally high 1952 mor- 

 tality in the Northern Rocky Mountain region. 



desirable hardwoods — white oak, red oak, yellow 

 birch, sugar maple, and j^ellow-poplar — accounted 

 for less than 30 percent of eastern hardwood 

 growth. A group of other hardwoods, increasingly 

 used for pulpwood, accounted for an additional 30 

 percent. Much of the remaining 40 percent of 

 hardwood sawtimber growth is in less desirable 

 species. 



In terms of growing-stock growth, the southern 

 yellow pines again dominated the picture and 

 accounted for one-fourth of the total. They are 

 exceeded, however, by a miscellaneous group of 

 eastern hardwoods which include many of the less 

 desirable species. 



