The oak-hickory ecosystem covers over 43 milHon 

 acres, more forest land than any other ecosystem in 

 the region. This ecosystem takes on different charac- 

 teristics depending on where it is found; in fact, there 

 are eight separate associations under the broad oak- 

 hickory ecosystem — post, blackjack oak, black or 

 bear oak; chestnut oak; white oak-red oak-hickory; 

 white oak; northern red oak; yellow poplar-white 

 oak-northern red oak; sweetgum-yellow poplar; and 

 mixed hardwoods. 



The commercial value of the oak-hickory forest is 

 as variable as the ecosystem itself. Associated with 

 many oak-hickory communities is black walnut, the 

 most valuable native tree species in North America. 

 White oak is important to the tight cooperage indus- 

 try, and has been a perennial favorite for furniture 

 manufacture. Yellow poplar is important for uphol- 

 stered furniture and container veneers. However, a 

 major deterrent to management of oak-hickory 

 forests has been the lack of adequate markets for less 

 desirable hardwoods, which are a part of most stands. 



There are 20.3 million acres of aspen-birch forest 

 land in the North and over 80 percent is found in the 

 North Central region. This ecosystem is usually a 

 pioneer. If ecological succession is not interrupted by 

 fire, logging, or windstorm, it will gradually give way 

 to one of the other ecosystems because aspen, and, to 

 a lesser degree, the birches, are incapable of repro- 

 ducing in their own shade. 



For upland and big game wildlife species, the 

 aspen-birch ecosystem is a particularly valuable plant 

 community. These forests provide a highly desirable 

 source of food and shelter for ruffed grouse, and 

 young seedling-sapling stands are an important 

 source of browse for deer and moose. 



The white-red-jack pine ecosystem covers 1 1.8 mil- 

 hon acres in the North. The ecosystem has two dis- 

 tinct subsystems. In the Northeast, it is usually east- 

 ern white pine-eastern hemlock; in the North Central 

 region, red and jack pine are more important. If natu- 

 ral succession is permitted to continue, this ecosystem 

 eventually evolves to maple-beech-birch or fir-spruce. 



Eastern white pine was a mainstay of the softwood 

 lumber industry in the late 1800's and early 1900's. It 

 is still highly prized for its fine working qualities. Red 

 pine has a coarser texture and is used mostly for 

 rough construction lumber. Jack pine, a relatively 

 small rough tree, is used mainly as a source of soft- 

 wood puplwood. The white-red-jack pine ecosystem 

 is also significant to wildlife. Whitetailed deer and 

 black bear are the most common larger mammals in 

 this ecosystem and the jack pine subsystem provides 

 habitat for Kirtland's warbler, an endangered species. 



The aspen-birch forest type provides prime ruffed grouse habitat. 



Trends in area — Across the North as a whole, 

 forest land area increased slightly during the 25 years 

 from 1952 to 1977. However, a decline of about 

 5 percent is expected over the next 50 years. 



The two regions of the North have had different 

 trends in the past and this is expected to continue. In 

 the Northeast, forest land area increased 8 percent 

 during the 1952-1977 period. This increase was 

 attributable almost entirely to the abandonment of 

 marginal crop and pasture land. In the North Central 

 region, forest land area has declined about 6 percent 

 during the past 25 years due almost entirely to land 

 clearing for agriculture. The current trends are 

 expected to continue over the next 50 years, although 

 at a more modest rate. 



Ownership — Of the 162.4 million acres of forest 

 land in the North, 92 percent is in non-Federal, 

 mostly private, ownerships (table 2.3). In the north- 

 eastern States, the percentage of non-Federal owner- 

 ship is even higher; 96 percent of the forest land is in 

 private or non-Federal public ownerships. 



The non-Federal forest lands in the Northern sec- 

 tion of the country are predominantly private lands 

 held by many owners whose individual holdings are 

 small in size. Maine, where half of the private land is 

 owned by forest industries, is an exception to this 

 ownership pattern. 



Although non-Federal public forest lands are scat- 

 tered throughout the States in the North, the largest 



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