482 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AJVIERICA'S PTJTURE 



1975 will be less than 1952 growth, but by 2000 

 an increase of 15 percent will be necessary. In 

 1975 needed growth of eastern softwoods will be 

 44 percent more than growth in 1952. and in 2000 

 the required increase will be 90 percent. Needed 

 increases in sawtimber growth of western species 

 will be 66 percent in 1975 and 121 percent in 2000. 

 Consequentl}^, even with increases in price and 

 declines in per capita consumption and the relative 

 use of wood, demands resulting from increases in 

 population and from a gromng economy will re- 

 quire substantially more growth in future years 

 than was available in 1952. 



If total projected demands for timber products 

 are to be met and sustained, needed growth must 

 not only be sufficient but it must be balanced with 

 respect to demands for species. This is partic- 

 ularly important for eastern softwoods and western 

 species which are primarily softwood, because 

 hardwood and softwood species are not readil}" 

 interchangeable for many important uses. 



Realizable growth of sawtimber exceeds the 

 lower level of needed growth in 2000 for each 

 species group. And for all species combined, real- 

 izable growth of 100.7 billion board-feet exceeds 

 needed growth of 79.3 billion board-feet. Even 

 so, this means that nearly 80 percent of realizable 

 growth of sawtimber will be required to sustain 

 the lower level of needed growth in 2000. 



For growing stock, the 1952 growth of 14.2 

 billion cubic feet exceeds needed growth in 1975 

 by 1.2 billion cubic feet. This surplus growth, 

 however, is based on totals of all species groups 

 and is due to a 1952 growth of 7.0 billion cubic feet 

 of eastern hardwoods compared to needed growth 

 of 4.1 billion cubic feet for that species group in 

 1975. To attain the lower level of needed growth 

 for other species groups in 1975, increases of 14 

 percent for eastern softwoods and 39 percent for 

 western species will be needed. 



By 2000, a 27-percent increase will be required 

 to attain the needed growth of growing stock for 

 all species groups. Growtli of eastern hardwoods 

 in 1952 is somewhat larger than needed growth in 

 2000, but increases of 55 percent and 86 percent 

 will be needed for eastern softwoods and western 

 species, respectively. 



Realizable growth of growing stock for each 

 species group exceeds needed growth in 2000 for 

 each group. The needed growth of 18.0 billion 

 cubic feet for all species groups in that 3^ear indi- 

 cates that about two-thirds of realizable growth 

 will be required to sustain the lower level of needed 

 growtli of growing stock. 



Needed Growth and Timber Removal 

 Unbalanced by Species Group 



Changes in tJie proportion of total national re- 

 moval of sawtimber contributed by each of the 

 species groups are not large enough to materially 



alter the relative importance of each group (table 

 284). Thus, western species with 70 percent of 

 the national sawtimber inventor}'^ in 1953 would 

 account for more than 40 percent of the total na- 

 tional removal of sawtimber during the rest of this 

 century. 



Realizable growth of western species, however, 

 is only 30 percent of total realizable growth (table 

 281). Moreover, neither the old-growth timber 

 that remains uncut nor the young timber that will 

 be established on areas of old growth harvested 

 after 1952 can contribute materially to needed 

 growth during the rest of this century. So, if 

 either medium or lower levels of demand for saw- 

 timber are to be supplied until 2000, timber re- 

 moval of western species will necessarily exceed 

 needed growth (table 286). 



In contrast to western species, eastern softwoods 

 are rapidly growing young timber with 12 per- 

 cent of the national sawtimber inventorj^ in 1953 

 and about 40 percent of realizable growth. By 

 2000 ih.ey would be in a position to produce about 

 30 percent of timber removal and 40 percent of 

 needed growth at either level of demand. 



Table 286. — Needed growth and correspondmg 

 timber removal, 1975 and 2000, by levels of de- 

 mand and species groups 





Sawtimber 



Growing stock 



Item 



Tim- 

 ber 

 re- 

 moval 



Need- 

 ed 

 growth 



Tim- 

 ber 

 re- 

 moval 



Need- 

 ed 

 growth 



Aledium level demand: 

 1975: 



Eastern hardwoods.. 



Eastern softwoods 



Western species 



Billion 



bd.-ft. 



18:4 



18. 1 



31.7 



Billion 

 bd.-ft. 

 18. 3 

 28. 2 

 21.7 



Billion 



cu. ft. 



4. 6 



4.6 



5.4 



Billion 



cu. ft. 



4 5 



5.7 



4. 4 



All species 



68. 2 



68.2 



14.6 



14. 6 



2000: 



Eastern hardwoods.. 



Eastern softwoods 



Western species 



29. 4 

 33.2 

 42. 8 



29. 1 

 43. 1 

 33. 2 



7.4 

 7.6 

 7.0 



7.3 

 8.3 

 6. 4 



All species 



105. 4 



105. 4 



22.0 



22.0 



Lower level demand: 

 1975: 



Eastern hardwoods. . 



Eastern softwoods 



Western species 



15. 7 

 15.7 

 27.4 



15. 6 

 24. 4 

 18.8 



4. 2 

 4. 

 4.8 



4. 1 

 5.0 

 3.9 



All species 



58.8 



58.8 



13. 



13. 



2000: 



Eastern hardwoods.. 



Eastern softwoods 



Western species 



22. 2 

 24.9 

 32.2 



22. 

 32.3 

 25.0 



6. 1 

 6.2 

 5.7 



6.0 

 6. 8 

 5. 2 



All species 



79. 3 



79.3 



18. 



18.0 



