burned each year. By 1950, 
the annual percentage of 
forest land burned had been 
reduced to 4.7 and by 1960, 
forO!S: 
Grazing of forest land was 
gradually controlled and 
reduced from 30 percent of 
the forested area in the 1930's 
to about 12 percent in 1960 
and 7 percent in 1978. 
Each of these three 
programs —tree planting, fire 
control, and control of 
grazing — helped to reduce 
soil erosion and loss of fertility 
and at the same time helped 
to improve the quality and 
growth rate of the valley’s 
forests (Tennessee Valley 
Authority 1983, Seigworth 
1968). 
The more than 500,000 acres 
of Government land 
surrounding the 6,000 miles 
of shoreline on lakes under 
the Authority's control have 
made this area an important 
recreation destination for 
millions of people. The 
management and protection 
of the forest resource 
contributes greatly to the 
quality of the recreation 
environment. Forests in the 
valley have increased and 
now occupy about 21.2 
million acres. Of this, about 
800,000 acres are in parks. 
The private nonindustrial 
landowners hold 15.6 million 
acres (74 percent), and 
industry owns about 1.7 
million acres (8 percent). 
Timber growth per acre has 
more than doubled since 
1933, and the volumes of 
sawtimber and growing stock 
are up substantially and still 
increasing. The forests 
provide a resource base for 
numerous industries and 
room for additional industrial 
development (Tennessee 
Valley Authority 1983). 
The Authority has maintained 
a forestry and wildlife 
research staff over the years 
to help solve resource 
management problems and 
improve resource utilization. 
Research accomplishments 
have been made across the 
range of forest management 
problems from nursery to 
harvesting. Recent efforts 
have given emphasis on the 
use of wood for energy and 
the development of 
genetically improved trees 
for the continued 
reforestation of valley lands. 
Recognizing that the 
Authority's lands lie in several 
States, and that each State 
45 
