The trends in regeneration on the national forests in the 
South are shown in appendix table 2.24. During the 1930’s 
and early 1940’s, when the Civilian Conservation Corps 
was active, substantial acreages were regenerated. Regenera- 
tion surged again in the mid-1950’s, reaching 129,000 
acres in 1957. In most years since then, it has fluctuated be- 
tween 50,000 and 100,000 acres a year. The largest part 
of the regeneration has been in the South Central States. 
Trends in stand improvement—intermediate stand treatments 
such as prescribed burning and thinning to increase timber 
growth and/or timber quality—on the national forests are 
also shown in appendix table 2.24. In 1951, the first year 
for which data are available, some 158,000 acres were 
treated. This figure increased to nearly 400,000 acres in 
1959 but has since declined to below 100,000 acres a year. 
In response to management, the national forests in the South 
have gradually become more productive. The volume of tim- 
ber cut, for example, has increased from 45 million board 
feet in 1923 to 1.4 billion in fiscal year 1985 (fig. 2.10, 
app. tables 2.25 and 2.26). The value of the timber has fol- 
lowed similar trends. The peak came in fiscal year 1984, 
when it totaled $104 million. Most of the timber cut since 
harvesting began has come from the national forests in the 
South Central region. 
In the last few decades, a series of legislative acts has sig- 
nificantly affected the management and use of the national 
forests in the South. For example, the Multiple Use and 
Sustained Yield Act of 1960 required that the national for- 
ests be managed for outdoor recreation, range, timber, 
watershed, and wildlife and fish purposes. 
68 
National forests had long been managed under multiple-use 
guidelines, but coordination between timber management, 
wildlife, recreation, and grazing interests became increas- 
ingly difficult. In the 1960’s, for example, increasing con- 
flicts led to litigation over clearcutting on the Monongahela 
National Forest, and new legislation. The National Envi- 
ronmental Policy Act of 1969 required the Forest Service 
(and all other Federal agencies) to assess and document the 
environmental impacts of their decisions. The National For- 
est Management Act of 1976 provided new guidelines for 
land management and use, including the requirement that the 
Forest Service prepare detailed management plans for each 
national forest every 10 to 15 years. These laws afforded the 
public increased opportunities to participate in management 
decisions. 
