262 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE 



for cutting first were immediately clear cut and 

 regenerated either naturally or by planting. The 

 necessary shade to provide this decimating effect 

 on the alternate host is provided primarily by 

 species associated with white pine, such as hemlock 

 and grand fir, which are often highly defective 

 and unmerchantable on current markets. How- 

 ever, possibilities of an early demand for these 

 species as pulpwood appear good. Sales for this 

 purpose would accomplish removal of these species 

 more economically than burning them over. 

 Unfortunately, the biology of the situation is such 

 that the shade necessary to reduce direct blister 

 rust control costs prevents prompt natural regen- 

 eration of white pine. 



The long-term policy of managing western 

 white pine on the national forests, therefore, is 

 unavoidably to hold recently cut areas in a state 

 of limited productivity for a period of years in 

 order to later realize greater returns from a reduced 

 investment in direct control of blister rust. 



In contrast to this policy, most private owners 

 are not committed to a siniUar long-term policj- 

 of growing western white pine. Some of these 

 private lands receive the benefits of direct blister 

 rust control programs, but a large proportion of 

 the white pine type on private lands is not included 

 in this program. Here conversion of the white 

 pine type to other species not susceptible to blister 

 rust appears as the onty solution, and in this 

 situation these substitute species have been recog- 

 nized in the rating criteria as desirable in the 

 stocking of recently cut lands. Thus, on recently 

 cut national-forest lands in blister rust protection 

 areas, deficiencies in stocking relate to current 

 deficiencies in the stocking of white pine while 

 outside protection zones, including most private 

 land, stocking deficiencies relate primarily to 

 species other than white pine. 



Composition Deficiencies Less Concentrated 

 Than Stocking Deficiencies 



For all ownerships combined and for small 

 ownerships, deficiencies in composition occur in 

 fewer type groups than do stocking deficiencies. 

 However, the revei-se is true on the larger private 

 and on public ownerships. On small properties, 

 there are 10 type groups deficient in composition. 

 Four of these are hardwood, 5 are softwood, and 

 one is the eastern mixed type group, oak-gum- 

 cypress. 



Deductions show that composition deficiencies 

 are usually greater on small private ownerships 

 for hardwood than for softwood type groups. 

 An exception is the maple-beech-birch type group. 

 Among the softwood groups, two western types, 

 fir-spruce and ponderosa pine, show somewhat 

 higher deductions for composition than do the 

 two eastern types, white-red-jack pine and spruce- 

 fir. However, the hemlock-Sitka spruce type 



group of the West shows the smallest reduction of 

 all the type groups that are deficient in composi- 

 tion on small ownerships. 



On the larger private ownerships, five type 

 groups are deficient in composition and of these 

 four are eastern type groups. Two are important 

 eastern hardwood type groups, one is the white- 

 red-jack pine tj-pe gi'oup, and the fourth is oak- 

 gum-cypress of the South. The larch type group 

 is the only western one with composition defi- 

 ciencies on medium and large private ownerships. 



Six type groups are deficient in composition on 

 public ownerships. Two are eastern softwoods 

 found mostly in the North. They are white-red- 

 jack pine and spruce-fir. The other softwood is 

 western larch. Of the remaming three type 

 groups, one is the aspen-bh'ch of the North, and 

 the last two, ehn-ash-cottonwood and oak-pine, 

 are distributed generally in the East. 



The absence of composition deficiencies in pine 

 type groups of the South warrants special com- 

 ment in view of discussion in other chapters of 

 this report regarding the softwood area in the 

 South which has been replaced by hardwoods. 

 There are two reasons why composition deductions 

 for southern pine type groups in table 149 do not 

 exceed the national average deduction. First, the 

 standards for rating composition in several of the 

 southern subtypes recognize the better hardwoods 

 as desirable species along with the softwoods. 

 In these subtypes, a replacement of softwoods by 

 the better hardwoods could take place without 

 change in a rating for composition. Second, 

 table 149 shows that some deductions due to 

 composition were present in the three southern 

 type groups containing pine even though such 

 deductions did not exceed the national average. 

 The small percentage deductions for composition 

 applied to the large operating area in these type 

 groups involve substantial areas on which compo- 

 sition standards were not met after cutting. 



Premature Cutting Mainly Affects Eastern 

 Type Groups on Small Ownerships 



On small ownerships, eleven type groups show 

 deficiencies due to premature cutting. Eight of 

 these are native to the East. Generally, on small 

 ownerships, the eastern softwood type groups 

 show greater deficiencies due to premature cutting 

 than do the western softwood type groups. An 

 exception is lodgepole pine, which is second only 

 to the eastern spruce-fir type group in order of 

 deficiencies due to premature cutting. 



Four of the type groups identified with small 

 ownerships also show deficiencies due to prematiu'e 

 cutting on the larger private ownerships. All are 

 eastern type groups. Of these, the greatest de- 

 ficiency is in the spruce-fir type group. Others 

 which have about equal deficiency are maple- 

 beech-birch, oak-pine, and oak-hickory. 



