180 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE 



and Jeffrey pine, western true firs, and the oaks 

 comprise the foundation of our timber supplies. 

 In terms of both sawtimber and growing stock, 

 these species taken together represent a greater 

 proportion of total cut than they do of either 

 growth or volume. In terms of sawtimber, the}' 

 account for nearly 70 percent of the total cut as 

 compared to about 60 percent of the volume and 

 growth. In terms of growing stock, the propor- 

 tions are only slightly different — two-thirds of the 

 cut and about half the volume and growth. 



Different species show significant variations. 

 The southern yellow pines, for example, have only 

 8 percent of sawtimber volume but supply one- 

 fourth of the cut and 30 percent of the growth. 

 Douglas-fir, on the other hand, with one-fourth 

 of the volume, likewise contributes one-fourth of 

 the cut but only 9 percent of the growth. 



In terms of growing stock, southern yellow 

 pine with 9 percent of the volume accounts for 

 about a quarter of both growth and cut; Douglas- 

 fir has 19 percent of the volume, 18 percent of the 

 cut, and 6 percent of the growth; while the oaks 

 with 10 percent of the volume have 12 percent of 

 the cut and 17 percent of the growth. 



The West's share of total sawtimber cut has 

 grown in recent years — from 34 percent in 1936 

 and 38 percent in 1944 to 46 percent in 1952. 

 The relative dependence on the West may con- 

 tinue for a number of years but not indefinitel}'. 

 Future output will be more neaiiy proportional 

 to the area of commercial forest land and to its 

 growth capacity. 



Large Opportunities for Fuller 

 AND Better Use 



There are large opportunities for fuller and 

 better use of the timber we grow. Perhaps the 

 most obvious is the reduction of losses from fire, 

 insects, disease, and other causes. These losses 

 amounted to 12.5 billion board-feet in 1952. They 

 are deducted from gross growth in the computation 

 of net annual growth. Thus, whatever reduction 

 of mortality can be accomplished by more com- 

 plete protection and by better forest management 

 adds directly to the net annual growth available 

 for use. 



Other opportunities can be visualized by study 

 of the elements of input and output in the timber 

 economy (fig. 70). The timber input totaled 13.6 

 billion cubic feet. In this total were imports, 

 chieflj' pulp and paper products and softwood 

 lumber, with roundwood equivalent of 1.1 biUion 

 cubic feet. The chart indicates that only 52 

 percent of the total timber input finds its way into 

 products other than fuelwood. Another 28 percent 

 is used for fuel, much of it in the wood-conversion 



plants themselves. Twent}^ percent of the input, 

 about equally divided between logging and mill 

 residues, is not used at all: 



Source o 

 input 



Timber cut from growing stock: (percent) 



Softwood 55. 



Hardwood 24. 



Total 79. 



Cut from dead and cull trees ' 12. 5 



Import equivalent 8. 5 



Total 100. 



Disposi- 

 tion of 

 input 



(.percent) 



Lumber 25. 5 



Pulpwood 19.3 



Other 7. 5 



Total 52. 3 



Fuelwood 27. 6 



Unused: 



Logging residues 10. 



Plant residues 10. 1 



Total 100. 



' Includes commercial species under 5.0 inches d. b. h., 

 tops under 4.0 inches, and trees from noncommercial and 

 nonforest land. 



There is a large opportunity in greater use of 

 salvable dead and cull trees, the volmne of which 

 was estimated as 65 billion cubic feet in 1952. 

 In that year, only 1.7 billion board-feet of such 

 timber was cut for use. Use of such trees reduces 

 the drain upon growing stock and so tends to 

 improve the relation of annual growth to timber 

 cut. 



Other opportunities lie in more complete utiliza- 

 tion of the timber cut. Logging residues amounted ' 

 to 1 .4 billion cubic feet, or 13 percent of the timber i 

 cut from growing stock in 1 952. This is equivalent i 

 to 70 percent of the country's pulpwood output. 

 Much of it is suitable for pulpwood and will be .; 

 so used if technology can work out the economics 

 of its collection and deliver}^ to tlie pulp mills. 



Plant residues, chiefly at sawmills, offer addi- 

 tional opportunities. These residues amounted to 

 3.4 billion cubic feet in 1952 — 38 percent of all raw 

 materials entering the plants as logs and bolts and 

 25 percent of the total timber input including net 

 imports of lumber and of pulpwood and pulpwood- 

 equivalent of woodpulp and paper. Although 60 

 percent of the plant residues are now used, only 

 14 percent are for purposes other than fuel. 

 Unused plant residues comprise a greater volume 

 than all the timber cut for fuelwood. 



Better markets, introduction of new timber 

 products, and development of new equipment for 



kA«> 



