and progress was often 
much slower than anticipated 
or desired. 
The postwar era also saw 
the movement of major forest 
industries to the South, 
continuing the trend that 
had started in the thirties 
with the construction of 
several pulp and paper mills. 
Development has been 
continuous to the present. 
New and modern sawmills 
have replaced the small, 
portable operations, southern 
pine plywood has been 
perfected and is a major 
product for the South, new 
pulp and paper mills have 
been built and old ones 
modernized and expanded, 
and new processes for the 
manufacture of composite 
boards have led the most 
recent developments. The 
creation of new and more 
competitive markets has 
encouraged the practice of 
forest management. The 
acquisition of large land 
holdings by major 
companies, though some 
are now divesting, has placed 
millions of acres of southern 
forests under relatively good 
management. Some of the 
most intensive forestry in the 
world is now practiced in the 
South. The presence of that 
high level of industrial activity 
and the increasingly 
important role the South is 
playing in the Nation’s timber 
supply picture have 
enhanced the importance of 
the State forestry programs. 
Aviation in Fire and Pest 
Control 
Another important step in 
postwar development and 
expansion is the 
mechanization of forestry 
practices. In fire control, 
aerial detection replaced fire 
towers, providing better 
observation and, in particular, 
on-the-scene observations to 
help direct ground crews. 
Aerial observers can often 
determine that spotted 
smokes are from fires under 
control or located where 
they do not pose a risk to 
forests. This saves the 
mobilization of a fire crew to 
check out the situation. 
The use of aircraft in dropping 
retardant on fires to assist in 
controlling them has 
progressed greatly from the 
first "water bombers," 
modified military aircraft from 
World War Il. Multiengined 
aircraft adapted for fire attack 
are available for large fires. 
55 
