86 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICAS FUTURE 



Table 54. — Area and number of farm and "other" private ownerships, 1953 



Size of forest holding 



Farm 



"Other" private 



(acres) 



Number 



Area 



Number 



Area 



Less than 10 2 



10 to 20 



Thou- 

 sands 

 671 

 742 

 485 

 279 

 197 

 324 

 193 



} 492 



Cumu- 

 lative 



percent 

 20 

 42 

 56 

 64 

 70 

 80 

 85 



100 



Million 



acres 



4. 2 



10.2 



11. 2 



9.4 



8.5 



18.7 



15.6 



/ 59.2 



t 28. 2 



Cumu- 

 lative 

 percent 

 3 

 9 

 15 

 21 

 26 

 38 

 47 

 83 

 100 



Cumu- 

 lative 

 percent ' 

 1 

 3 

 5 

 7 

 9 

 13 

 16 

 28 

 34 



Thou- 

 sands 

 125 

 122 

 95 

 89 

 157 

 189 

 196 



} 131 



Cumu- 

 lative 



percent 

 11 

 22 

 31 

 39 

 53 

 70 

 88 



100 



Million 



acres 



0.9 



1. 9 



2.5 



3.0 



6.8 



11.3 



16.3 



/ 36. 6 



I 51.4 



Cumu- 

 lative 

 percent 

 1 

 2 

 4 

 6 

 12 

 20 

 33 

 61 

 100 



Cumu- 

 lative 

 percent ' 



{') 



1 



20 to 30 -- _- 



1 



30 to 40 



2 



40 to 50 



3 



50 to 75 _ 



5 



75 to 100 -- -- .- 



9 



100 to 500. _ - . - 



16 



500 and larger 



27 



All ownerships 



3,383 



100 



165. 2 



100 



34 



1, 104 



100 



130.7 



100 



27 



' Percent of total commercial forest area in the United 

 States. 



From the standpoint of number of owners, it is 

 significant that, of the 3.4 milUon farmers owning 

 forest land, over half own tracts of less than 30 

 acres, and two-thirds own tracts of less than 40 

 acres. Good forest management by the two 

 million farm owners of less than 30 acres apiece 

 would affect only 5 percent of the commercial 

 forest land and a correspondingly small propor- 

 tion of timber supplies (table 54). More fruitful 

 response in terms of timber growth might accrue 

 from more intensified forestry effort on larger 

 acreages owned by fewer individuals. On the 

 other hand, growth and inventory needed to meet 

 projected timber demands are so high as to sug- 

 gest that not even 5 percent of the Nation's com- 

 mercial forest land may be considered unimportant 

 in meeting future timber needs. 



Timber Volumes Small in Relation to Acreage 

 Owned 



Sawtimber in farm ownerships averages 1,900 

 board-feet per acre. This is lower than the aver- 

 age for any other major type of ownership. The 

 low stand per acre limits the importance of farm 

 ownerships from the viewpoint of immediate 

 timber supplies. It reflects past overcutting and 

 lack of care, and the need for better management 

 of farm forests in the future. 



Although farm ownerships hold one-third of the 

 commercial forest area, they support only 9 per- 

 cent of the softwood sawtimber. This means 

 that farm forest lands are not nearly as important 

 in meeting current and near-future softwood 

 requirements as might be expected in relation to 

 area owned. On the other hand, farm owner- 

 ships support more than their proportional share 

 of hardwood sawtimber — 41 percent — and have 



2 East only, 3- 

 acres for area. 

 5 Less than 0.5. 



10 acres for number of owners; 1-10 



more hardwood sawtimber than any other major 

 ownership group. Considering both hardwoods 

 and softwoods, farm ownerships have 15 percent 

 of all sawtimber, in contrast to 34 percent of the 

 forest area. 



The 41 percent of recently cut farm timberlands 

 in the upper productivity class is lower than the 

 percentage for any other major ownership group, 

 and onl}^ half as high as that for pulp ownerships 

 or the national forests. This should be of real 

 concern, not only to farmers themselves but also 

 to forest industries, independent loggers, and 

 buyers who depend on timber from farm holdings, 

 and who are in a position to exercise considerable 

 influence on the condition in which farm forests 

 are left after cutting. 



Other Private Ownerships 



By "other" private ownerships is meant pri- 

 vately owned forest land which is not in farm or 

 forest industry ownership. It includes a miscel- 

 laneous group of owners embracing a large number 

 of occupational pursuits and some nonforest in- 

 dustries such as railroads and mining. This 

 group shows great diversity in such owner char- 

 acteristics as occupation, tenure, residence on or 

 off the property, and interest, knowledge, and 

 intent with respect to forestry. 



Localized studies of this ownership group have 

 been made in New England, Tennessee, Missis- 

 sippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and California. '^ 

 However, these studies do not provide a basis for 

 broad generalizations as to the characteristics of 



" Since preparation of this discussion, additional studies 

 have been published applicable to parts of Michigan and 

 Texas. 



