PRODUCTIVITY OF RECENTLY CUT LANDS 



245 



Table 140. — Productivity of recently cut lands ^ in the United States and Coastal Alaska, by section and 



region, 1953 



Section and region 



Commercial forest area 



Proportion of operating area by 

 productivity class 





Total 



Operating ^ 



Upper 



Medium 



Lower 



North: 



New England 



Million acres 

 31 

 42 

 53 

 42 

 6 



Million acres 

 15 

 14 

 24 

 11 



Percent 



63 

 66 

 77 

 54 

 13 



Percent 



29 

 23 

 20 

 35 

 36 



Percent 



8 



Middle Atlantic . - . 



11 



Lake States _ _ 



3 



Central _ _ _ _ _ _ 



11 



Plains 



51 







Total or average 



174 



64 



67 



26 



7 



South: 



South Atlantic 



47 

 95 

 52 



18 

 47 

 23 



64 

 57 

 46 



26 

 23 

 34 



10 



Southeast 



West Gulf . 



20 

 20 







Total or average 



194 



88 



55 



27 



18 







West: 



Pacific Northwest: 



Douglas-fir subregion 



26 

 20 



18 

 13 



83 

 79 



13 

 18 



4 



Pine subregion . 



3 







Total or average _ _ - 



45 

 17 

 34 

 21 



31 



9 



25 



14 



81 

 77 

 62 



78 



15 

 22 



27 

 19 



4 



California 



1 



Northern Rocky Mountains 



11 



Southern Rocky Mountains _ _ _ _ 



3 







Total or average 



117 



79 



74 



21 



5 



United States 



485 

 4 



231 



4 



65 



89 



24 

 11 



11 



Coastal Alaska _ _ _ 









Total, all regions 



489 



235 



65 



24 



11 







' During period January 1, 1947, to date of examination 

 in 1953 or 1954. 



2 Operating area of an individual ownership is the 

 combined area of the forest types, in the ownership, in 

 which some recent cutting was done. The operating area 

 of any size class or type of ownership is the sum of the 



recently cut lands on farms exceed the national 

 average. Table 142 shows that fai'm ownership 

 in these below-average regions contains 31 percent 

 of all commercial forest land in the United States 

 and Coastal Alaska, and from table 143 it is 

 apparent that this area represents 92 percent of 

 all forest land on farms. The major portion of 

 this weak area is concentrated in the Central 

 States, Southeast, and South Atlantic Regions. 

 Here the forest ownership of farms with below- 

 average productivity of recently cut lands com- 

 prises 21 percent of all commercial forest land 

 (from table 142) and 61 percent of all farm forest 

 ownerships in the United States (from table 143). 

 The Lake States and West Gulf Regions are also 

 important and, if added, the weak areas on farms 

 in these five regions contain 27 percent of all com- 

 mercial forest land in the United States and 79 

 percent of all such land on fai'ms. 



operating areas on individual ownerships in that size class 

 or type of ownership. The figures exclude operating area 

 on some large private ownerships to which access was 

 denied. 



3 Less than }{ million. 



Other private lands constitute the second most 

 important weak areas. However, in contrast to 

 farm ownerships, the productivity of recently cut 

 lands on other private ownerships exceeded or 

 approximated the national average in several 

 regions (table 141). 



Ownerships of this type with productivity of 

 recently cut lands below the national average 

 contain 18 percent of all commercial forest area in 

 the United States (from table 142) and 67 percent 

 of all such area in other private ownership (from 

 table 143). Similar to farm ownership, the other 

 private lands constituting weak areas are concen- 

 trated in a few regions. These are the Middle 

 Atlantic, Central, Southeast, and West Gulf 

 Regions, where other private ownerships with 

 recently cut lands of below-average productivity 

 contain 17 percent of all commercial forest area 



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