No acute shortages likely 



Volume Holding Its Own 



The Nation has about the same volume of wood 

 today as it had in 1945, when the last timber 

 appraisal was made. This volume includes all 

 sizes of the so-called growing stock (trees 5 

 inches in diameter at breast height — d. b. h. — 

 and above) and all kinds of trees: Pine, fir, and 

 other softwoods as well as oak and other hard- 

 woods. Fortunately three-fourths of this volume 

 is sawtimber consisting of the larger trees. This 

 class of timber furnishes over 80 percent of the 

 wood products used in this country. 



Timber Growth Increasing 



Annual sawtimber growth, nationwide, is 9 per- 

 cent more than in 1944. Growth of eastern soft- 

 wood sawtimber (trees 9 inches d. b. h. and 

 above) and of eastern hardwood sawtimber (11 

 inches d. b. h. and above) is definitely up, with 

 the greatest increase occurring in the South. 

 These growth increases more than offset a slight 

 decrease in western sawtimber (all trees 11 

 inches d. b. h. and above). As the old, slow- 

 growing timber which is now being cut in the 

 West is replaced promptly by young, faster 

 growing trees, western growth should also in- 

 crease. 



Growth Cut 



2' ^Figures in billion bd.-ft. 



Growth Cut 



Eastern Growth Exceeds Cut 



With the growth of yellow pines in the South 

 setting the pace, the growth of eastern saw- 

 timber currently surpasses the amount of east- 

 ern sawtimber being cut. In effect, the East is 

 growing one-fifth more softwood sawtimber 

 than it cuts, and nearly three-fifths more hard- 

 wood. All of the preferred kinds of trees, how- 

 ever, do not have a favorable growth-cut bal- 

 ance. Nevertheless, the growth-cut picture in 

 the East indicates a good possibility of strength- 

 ening and improving the timber resource. 



