90147A 



accepts full responsibility for the factual data and the views expressed 

 in the report. 



In October 1955, a preliminary review draft was released. That 

 draft was intended originally for in-Service review and for our advisers 

 and collaborators. The demand was so great and interest so intense 

 that the review draft had to be rerun several times and, all together, 

 15,000 copies of the Summary chapter of the review draft, 13,500 of 

 the Statistical Appendix, and about 5,000 of the other chapters were 

 processed. 



The purpose of the preliminary draft was to invite review and 

 comment. Some 2,000 suggestions were received from many individ- 

 uals both in and out of the Forest Service. Each of these suggestions 

 has been carefully considered; none was ignored. A great many were 

 accepted. This final report is substantially different from the review 

 draft and, we hope, better. 



We hope that this study will add to America's leadership in 

 forestry, that it will be useful to other nations of the world in relating 

 their timber situation to ours, and that it will serve as a basis for long- 

 range forestry planning for progressive forest landowners and for 

 State and Federal Governments. 



The report should convince the reader that the United States is 

 not faced with an acute timber shortage. There is no "timber famine" 

 in the offing although shortages of varying kinds and degrees may be 

 expected. But it is equally clear that there is little danger of timber 

 becoming a surplus crop. To meet future timber demands will take 

 earnest effort. Meeting those needs will require not only early action 

 but an intensity of forestry practices that will startle many of us. 

 There are no grounds for complacency. What we do in the next 10 

 or 20 years will determine whether we shall grow enough timber to 

 enable our children and their children to enjoy the timber abundance 

 that we ourselves know. 



-^'JUZ^.M'O^JiP^ 



Richard E. McArdle, 



Chief, Forest Service. 



m 



