Soils are well suited for forests. Most soils are acid 

 and strongly leached, and have an upper layer of 

 organic matter. Soils with high water tables are 

 common in many areas. 



The mid- and southern portion of this section has 

 cold winters and warm summers. Precipitation is 

 greater in the summer months and ranges from 35-60 

 inches. Most of the area is rolling or nearly flat, but 

 the Appalachian Mountains have high relief up to 

 3,000 feet. Much of the area has been glaciated. Soils 

 are generally productive and are well suited for 

 deciduous forests and grassland. 



Forest Land 



Of the 467.8 million acres in the North, 162.4 mil- 

 Hon acres are forested (table 2.1). This is the second 

 most densely forested section in the country with 39 

 percent of its land area in forest. Much of the forested 

 area in this densely populated section of the country 

 is in close proximity to large numbers of people. 



Forests are the natural or climax vegetation on 

 nearly all the land in this section. Only scattered 

 areas, mostly in Missouri, are natural grasslands. 

 Thus, much of what is now open land in the North 

 would soon revert to forest without man's inter- 

 vention. This has already happened in many places. 

 During the early settlement, forests were cleared for 

 crop and pasture land. However, some of this land is 

 poorly suited for these uses. As better land was devel- 

 oped, much of the land originally used for crops and 

 pastures was abandoned and reverted to forests. 



The spruce-fir ecosystem covers 21.2 million acres 

 of the North (table 2.7). This forest is a mainstay of 

 the section's woodpulp industry. Spruce studs, white- 

 cedar fencing and siding, maple and birch furniture 

 stock, veneer, and turned products are also products 

 of these forests. The more remote spruce-fir forests 

 are also popular with recreationists. The numerous 

 lakes and streams found in these forests are famous 

 for trout, salmon, and other cold water sport fishing. 



The maple-beech-birch ecosystem covers 36.9 mil- 

 lion acres of the North section of the country. It con- 

 tains some of the most valuable hardwood species for 

 wood products in the North including sugar maple, 

 yellow birch, white birch, and basswood, as well as 

 less valuable species such as red maple and beech. 

 Most maple-beech-birch stands have been logged for 

 their most valuable trees. As a result, they often con- 

 tain more red maple and beech and a higher percent- 

 age of rough or rotten trees than would be found in 

 either natural or managed stands. 



In addition to providing valuable timber for a wide 

 range of finished products, the maple-beech-birch 



Beech-birch-maple forests have become estabUshed on large areas 

 previously used for crops or pasture. Typical of this forest type, this 

 pole-sized stand needs a commercial thinning to release crop trees. 



ecosystem provides other resource values. This eco- 

 system is primarily responsible for a profusion of fall 

 color; in much of the North, the fall foliage display is 

 a highly valued asset to millions of tourists and resi- 

 dents. Because the maple-beech-birch ecosystem con- 

 tains a large variety of plant species existing under 

 variable conditions, it also has a great variety of wild- 

 life species. 



Elm-ash-cottonwood is another major forest eco- 

 system in the North. In recent years, the area of this 

 ecosystem has substantially increased from less than 

 16 miUion acres in 1962 to 17.8 million in 1978. One 

 reason is that this is often the first ecosystem to estab- 

 lish itself on abandoned crop- and pastureland, par- 

 ticularly on wet fields and pastures. Another reason 

 has been the past high-grading of maple-beech-birch 

 stands, leaving the elm and ash. 



Elm-ash-cottonwood is not a highly desirable eco- 

 system for timber production. Through most of the 

 North, elm, though noted for its superior bending 

 qualities, toughness, and strength, is seldom found in 

 commercial quantities or sizes because of Dutch Elm 

 disease. But ash, particularly white ash, is still much 

 in demand for such products as baseball bats, hockey 

 sticks, tennis rackets, and tool handles. This eco- 

 system also provides the bright crimson and yellow 

 fall foliage of the low-lying swamps and meadows in 

 the North. 



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