706 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE 



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Timber supply outlook 88 



Growth capacitj- 90 



Timber removal 90 



A margin is included 90 



Timber removal larger than 1952 cut 92 



Needed growth and inventory 92 



Needed growth much larger than 1952 growth. 92 

 Needed growth and timber removal unbalanced 



by species groups 93 



Adjustments in inventory are needed 95 



Page 

 Timber supply outlook — Continued 



Projected growth and inventory 95 



Projected growth far short of needs if medium 



demands are met 96 



Lower timber demands would not be met if 



growth and removal kept in balance 99 



Quality outlook 101 



Projected inventory would not conform to 



needs 101 



The outlook in brief 102 



Twenty-two highlights 102 



Forest Land and Timber 



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Forest land 113 



Distribution of forest areas and types 114 



Commercial forest land 114 



Noncommercial forest land 116 



Nonforest land 119 



The ownership pattern 119 



Commercial forest land mostly private 119 



Noncommercial forest land mostly public 121 



Condition of commercial forest land 122 



Sawtimber and poletimber stands occupy 



nearljf equal areas 122 



Old-growth sawtimber on 10 jiercent of com- 

 mercial forest land 122 



Large share of commercial forest land is under- 

 stocked 123 



Trends in forest land area 124 



Forest land area now greater than in 1945 125 



Timber use competes with other land uses 126 



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Timber volume 127 



Volume on commercial forest land 127 



Two-thirds of sawtimber volume is in the West. 127 

 Softwood species comprise four-fifths of saw- 

 timber volume 128 



Nearly 10 percent of all timber volume is in cull 



trees 132 



Additional volume on other land 133 



Ownership of timber 134 



Accessibility of timber 135 



Timber quality 136 



Log grades measure tree quality 137 



Small trees lack quality 138 



Cull trees numerous 139 



Better quality species diminishing 140 



Trends in timber volume 140 



Data adj usted for comparability 141 



Apparent overall changes show no discernible 



trends 141 



Growth and Utilization 



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Annual timber growth and mortality 145 



Annual timber growth 145 



The South leads in annual timber growth 146 



Southern yellow pine dominates annual 



growth 147 



The oaks dominate eastern hardwood growth. . 148 

 Douglas-fir dominates annual growth in the 



West 148 



Annual growth is increasing 149 



Quality of present growth is declining 150 



Annual mortality 151 



Timber products output and timber cut 153 



Timber products output 153 



More timber harvested for saw logs than for 



all other products combined 154 



Timber cut 154 



Major dependence is on sawtimber 155 



The West leads in timber cut for saw logs and 

 veneer, the South for pulpwood and fuel- 

 wood 156 



Timber cut is predominantly softwoods 157 



Page 

 Timber products output and timber cut — Con. 

 Timber cut — Continued 



An increasing proportion of the Nation's saw- 

 timber cut has come from the West 160 



Comparison of growth and cut 161 



Softwood growth exceeds timber cut in the East. 162 

 The more desirable species generally have the less 



favorable growth-cut relations 163 



An excess of growing-stock growth over cut is 



important for continued sawtimber balance 164 



Other significant aspects revealed in sawtimber 



analysis by regions 165 



The relation between growth and cut is generally 



improved over 1944 167 



Logging and plant residues 168 



Logging residues 169 



Quantity, source, and location of logging 



residues 169 



Woods utilization improved since 1944 170 



Plant residues 170 



Quantity, source, and location of plant 

 residues 171 



