cally achieve the kind of forest desired. It also provides the 
information necessary for assessing public and private op- 
tions for increasing timber supplies. 
The Forest Service has for a long time prepared periodic 
national studies of the timber situation that have included 
analyses for the South and the other major timber-producing 
regions. The last such study, ‘““An Analysis of the Timber 
Situation in the United States, 1952—2030,’’ was prepared in 
the late 1970’s (USDA Forest Service 1982). In the early 
1980’s, new survey data and research on projection methodol- 
ogy indicated that the changes in the timber resource situation 
in the South were likely to be significantly different from 
those shown in this latest national analysis. The next national 
analysis of the timber situation will be prepared in the late 
1980’s. In view of the importance of the timber resource in 
the South and after discussions with representatives of Federal, 
State, and private forestry organizations, it was decided that a 
comprehensive new analysis—this study—was needed. 
Representatives of Federal and State forestry organizations, 
forest industries, forestry schools, and other major interests 
concerned with the timber situation in the South have pro- 
vided advice, guidance, and technical and financial assis- 
tance for the study. The intent in making this a collaborative 
effort was to reach a broad consensus on the major timber 
resource problems and opportunities. It is hoped that with 
this consensus, the study can serve as an effective basis for 
guiding public and private timber policies and programs in 
the South during the rest of the century. 
' This work, with respect to timber, is in compliance with Section 3(b) of 
the Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978, which directs the Secre- 
tary of Agriculture to **. . . make and keep current a comprehensive survey 
and analysis of the present and prospective conditions of and requirements 
for the renewable resources of the forest and rangelands of the United States 
and of the supplies of such renewable resources, including a determina- 
tion of the present and potential productivity of the land, and of such other 
factors as may be necessary and useful in the determination of ways and 
means needed to balance the demand for and supply of these renewable 
resources, benefits and uses in meeting the needs of the people of the 
United States.” 
Literature Cited 
Southern Forest Resources Analysis Committee. 1969. The South’s third 
forest . . . How it can meet future demands. [Place of publication 
unknown]: Southern Forest Resources Analysis Committee. 111 p. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1982. An analysis of the 
timber situation in the United States, 1952-2030. For. Resour. Rep. 
23. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 
499 p. 
