cubic feet—nearly two and a half times the cut from com- 
pany lands in 1952 (app. tables 3.21 and 3.22). In the case 
of hardwoods, forest industry lands in 1984 provided 534 
million cubic feet—about 1.7 times the cut from company 
lands in 1952 (app. tables 3.49 and 3.50). 
Although the southern forest industries have thus signifi- 
cantly increased timber harvests on company lands, most 
firms still rely primarily on other private owners, who hold 
about 67 percent of all timberlands in the region, for the 
bulk of the wood required for plant operations. In 1984, 
other private ownerships supplied 2.9 billion cubic of soft- 
wood roundwood and 1.8 billion cubic feet of hardwood 
roundwood, close to 60 percent of total softwood round- 
wood supplies and over 70 percent of total hardwood 
roundwood supplies. 
In recognition of the continuing need for wood supplies from 
the other private ownerships, the southern forest industries 
have supported Federal and State efforts to assist private tim- 
berland owners and have carried out special industry pro- 
grams in forest establishment and management. 
Owners in the other private class hold timberlands for a wide 
variety of reasons. Some engage in farming, holding for- 
ests as an incidental part of farm operations, and may or 
may not be interested in improving forest management. Min- 
ing companies, public utilities, and other corporations hold 
land for specialized business purposes. Numerous individu- 
als have acquired land by purchase or inheritance and use 
their timberlands primarily for hunting, other recreation, or 
uses in lieu of or in addition to timber production. 
For various reasons, most of these other private timberland 
owners have been reluctant to invest significant amounts 
of capital in reforestation or other management practices. 
Both State and Federal legislatures and the forest industries 
consequently have adopted a variety of forestry programs as 
the only practical way to assure an increasing flow of tim- 
ber and related economic and social benefits from these 
southern forests. 
Industrial Foresters 
Many industrial foresters were hired to carry out intensive 
management programs on forest industry lands, including 
prevention and control of wildfires, prescribed burning, 
establishment of extensive pine plantations, stand improve- 
ment, and timber harvesting. By 1940, southern forest indus- 
tries were employing an estimated 220 trained foresters. By 
1953, more than 750 professionally trained foresters were at 
work on industry lands, and by 1976, this number had in- 
creased to more than 2,200. The International Paper Com- 
pany alone employed more than 500 foresters between 
1940 and 1970 and other forestry technicians in programs 
of land management, assistance to other landowners, and 
research. 
Some industry foresters were assigned to work directly with 
timberland owners in the other private class in providing 
assistance in forest management. Typically, company for- 
esters first consult with timberland owners on their land- 
use goals and next develop forest management plans and fur- 
nish timber marking services and overviews of silvicultural 
operations. These services are provided in exchange for the 
right of first refusal to purchase timber at the time of har- 
vest or some other consideration. 
Forestry Associations 
In addition to the efforts of individual companies to improve 
forest protection, management, and utilization, the forest 
industries have also worked through a number of associa- 
tions or other groups. Thus the Southern Pulpwood Conser- 
vation Association (SPCA) was organized in 1939 to 
advance educational and forest assistance programs on non- 
industry lands. This organization was preceded by the 
American Pulpwood Association, formed in 1934, but the 
work of this group was initially centered on legislative af- 
fairs such as wage and hour provisions and subsequently on 
development and use of harvesting equipment, safety, and 
better logging practices. 
The work of the Southern Pulpwood Conservation Associa- 
tion stressed demonstrations of good forestry practices 
including “‘pilot forests,’’ and technical assistance by ‘‘con- 
servation foresters’’ to individual landowners in such mea- 
sures as reforestation, and specification of minimum stan- 
dards for timber harvesting. By 1953, there were some 126 
conservation foresters providing such assistance; they repre- 
sented 17 percent of the foresters employed by southern for- 
est industries at that time. 
In 1968, the Southern Pulpwood Conservation Association 
was merged with the southern office of the American For- 
est Institute and renamed the Southern Forest Institute. 
Landowner assistance programs were continued under this 
new arrangement. More recently this group has become 
part of the American Forest Council. 
Another regional forestry group, the Forest Farmers As- 
sociation, was formed in 1941 by private forest landowners 
