206 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE 



Table 127. — Mortality from disease compared with 

 growth loss, by section, of the United. States and. 

 Coastal Alaska, 1952 



GROWING STOCK 



Section 



Mor- 

 tality 



Growth 

 loss 



Growth 

 impact 



North - - - _- _ 



Million 



cu. ft. 



461 



73 



190 



49 



Million 



cu. ft. 



1,738 



1, 774 



660 



103 



Million 

 cu. ft. 

 2, 199 



South . __. _ _ -. 



1.847 



West 



Coastal Alaska 



850 

 152 







Total, United States 

 and Coastal Alaska- 



773 



4,275 



5,048 



SAWTIMBER 







North 



South 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 914 

 233 

 891 

 204 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 7,069 

 6, 720 

 3, 432 

 426 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 7, 983 

 6,953 



West 



Coastal Alaska 



4,323 

 630 







Total, United States 

 and Coastal Alaska. 



2, 242 



17, 647 



19, 889 



Many Kinds of Disease Cause Major 

 Losses 



Some of the more important diseases, on the 

 basis of sawtimber loss, are discussed in the fol- 

 lowing paragraphs. These diseases are arranged 

 in a decreasing order of importance according to 

 growth impact that resulted from damage they 

 caused in 1952. 



Heart rot can take place in any tree exposed to 

 infection as a result of injuries, old age, or natural 

 pruning. It occurs in all tree species and in all 

 regions. The cull that the rots cause limits the 

 optimum rotation age for manj^ species, becoming 

 critical, for example, in aspen in the Lake States 

 at about 50 years, balsam fir at 70 years, scarlet 

 oak at 100 years, white fir at 150 years, and Site II 

 Douglas-fir not until 300 years. In eastern hard- 

 woods, 45 percent of the monetary damage 

 following the average fire results from heart rot 

 that develops from the basal scars. It was com- 

 mon practice in the past, but to a lesser extent 

 today, to leave badly decayed trees standing 

 following logging, thus increasing the proportions 

 of rotten cull trees occupying the sites. Our past 

 high heart rot losses have been in part related to 

 this practice of "high-grading." 



Table 128. — Growth impact of damage by disease on commercial forest land in the United States and 



Coastal Alaska, 1952 







Impact 



on growing stock 





I 



mpact ( 



on sawtimber 





Disease 



North 



South 



West 



Coastal 

 Alaska 



Total, 

 United 

 States 



and 

 Coastal 

 Alaska 



North 



South 



West 



Coastal 

 Alaska 



Total, 

 United 

 States 



and 

 Coastal 

 Alaska 



Pro- 

 por- 

 tion 

 of 

 total 

 impact 



Root: 



Douglas-fir root rot 



Mil- 

 lion 

 cu. ft. 



Mil- 

 lion 

 cu. ft. 



Mil- 

 lion 

 cu. ft. 

 96 



Million 

 cu. ft. 



Million 

 cu. ft. 

 96 

 43 



3,369 



149 



180 



97 



152 



16 

 9 



216 

 14 

 13 

 48 



646 



Mil- 

 lion 

 bd.-ft. 



Mil- 

 lion 

 bd.-ft 



Mil- 

 lion 

 bd.-ft. 

 454 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 454 

 146 



14, 505 

 623 

 580 

 281 

 186 



59 

 46 



494 



61 



47 



42 



2,365 



Per- 

 cent 

 2. 3 



Littleleaf .. _ 





43 

 1,487 



'""97" 



6, 405 



349 



3 



"186' 







146 

 5,840 



'"281" 



. 8 



Stem: 



Heart rots 



1,511 



103 



9 



309 



46 



171 



62 



1,928 

 274 

 577 



332 



72. 9 



Blister rust _ . _ 



3. 2 



Dwarfmistletoe ... 



2. 9 



Fusiform rust- - 



1. 4 



Hardwood cankers 



152 











. 9 



Foliage: 



Brown spot - - _ 



16 







59 







. 3 



Elytroderma needle cast 





9 





46 





. 2 



Systemic: 



Birch dieback 



216 





494 





2. 5 



Pole blight... 





14 







61 







. 3 



Oak wilt 



13 



1 



194 





47 



1 

 498 





. 2 



Sweetgum blight. . . 



47 



157 







41 

 586 







. 2 



Miscellaneous. . . .. 



205 



90 



983 



298 



11. 9 







Total, all diseases 



2, 199 



1, 847 



850 



152 



5,048 



7, 983 



6, 953 



4,323 



630 



19, 889 



100.0 



