PRODUCTIVITY OF RECENTLY CUT LANDS 



261 



western type groups 



^ 



43 



^ 



17 



SMALL PRIVATE 

 (3.7 MIL ACRES) 



54 pk SMALL PRIVATE 

 ''lllP-8 (2.4 MIL. ACRES) 



79 



MEDIUM AND LARGE 

 PRIVATE AND PUBLIC 

 (3.4 MIL. ACRES) 



ALL OVI/NERSHIPS 

 (2.5 MIL. ACRES) 



eastern hardwood and mixed type groups 



ALL PRIVATE 

 (22.2 MIL. ACRES) 



ALL OWNERSHIPS 

 (10.1 MIL. ACRES) 



SMALL PRIVATE 

 (4.1 MIL. ACRES) 



SIZE OF CIRCLES PROPORTIONATE TO OPERATING AREA 

 (SHOWN IN PARENTHESIS) IN TYPE AND OWNERSHIP GROUP 



eastern softwood type groups 



SMALL PRIVATE 

 (21.6 MIL. ACRES) 



SMALL PRIVATE 

 (7.6 MIL. ACRES) 



SMALL PRIVATE 

 (2.2 MIL. ACRES) 



SMALL PRIVATE 

 (2.3 MIL ACRES) 



b^VW 



PERCENTAGE OF OPERATING AREA: 



IN UPPER PRODUCTIVITY CLASS 

 DEDUCTED FOR STOCKING 



DEDUCTED FOR COMPOSITION 

 DEDUCTED FOR PREMATURE CUTTING 



Figure 85 



national average in productivity. They show 

 further that the stocking deficiencies of small 

 ownerships are concentrated on 12 of the 19 forest 

 type groups. Eight of these are softwood type 

 groups, two are mixed hardwood-softwood and 

 two are hardwood groups. The eight softwood 

 type groups consist of all four eastern softwood 

 type groups and the western white pine, fir-spruce, 

 ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir type groups of 

 the West. Both of the mixed softwood-hardwood 

 type groups of the East are deficient in stocking 

 on small ownerships. Of the hardwood type 

 groups, oak-hickory and western hardwoods show 

 stocking deficiencies on these ownerships. 



Deductions show that stocking deficiencies are 

 usually greater for softwood than for hardwood 

 type groups and that such deficiencies are slightly 

 greater in western softwood than eastern softwood 

 type groups on small ownerships. 



Four type groups show stocking 

 the larger private and public 



in 



deficiencies 

 ownerships 

 combined. Two of these, western white pine 

 and oak-gum-cypress, are deficient in stocking 

 on both of these ownership groups. The western 

 larch and elm -ash-cot tonwood type groups show 

 stocking deficiencies on public lands only. 



The western white pine type group requires 

 special consideration. The situation shown in 

 table 149 and figure 85 is traceable primarily to 

 the Northern Rocky Mountain Region and does 

 not apply to the sugar pine phase of this type 

 gi'oup in California and Oregon. Although cover- 

 ing a comparatively restricted area, the high value 

 of this species and the specialized products derived 

 from it makes this species of much greater impor- 

 tance than its limited distribution would imply. 

 Stocking deficiencies are related primarily to the 

 serious nature of the white pine blister rust. Con- 

 trol of this disease requires special cutting methods 

 on ownerships attempting long-term management 

 of western white pine, particularly the national 

 forests. The cutting methods adopted consist of 

 a series of partial cuts spaced some years apart, 

 which stimulate germination of the wUd currant 

 and gooseberry plants that serve as alternate 

 hosts for the blister rust, but at the same time 

 provide sufficient shade and other environmental 

 conditions to decimate them after germination. 

 By thus reducing the population of the rust's 

 alternate host, the ultimate costs of digging, 

 poisoning, or otherwise removing these plants is 

 much lower than if the overmature areas scheduled 



