Hardwood timber is an important resource 
in the South: it accounts for a third of the 
timber harvested each year. Over half the 
region’s timberland is classified as 
hardwood forest. 
1984, bottomland hardwood types made up only 28 percent 
of all hardwood supplies. This reduction is consistent with 
the conversion of bottomland hardwood forests to cropland. 
Upland hardwoods, mixed pine—hardwoods, and natural pine 
types now supply much more hardwood roundwood than 
in the past. This trend corresponds with increased stocking 
in the upland hardwood type, strong fuelwood demand, and 
increased conversion of natural pine and mixed pine— 
hardwood to pine plantations. 
Most of the projected increase in hardwood roundwood 
supplies comes from hardwood management types. Sup- 
plies from upland hardwoods will continue to dominate total 
hardwood supplies, rising to 2.1 billion cubic feet, about 
double current levels. Supplies from bottomland hardwoods 
will increase about 91 percent to 1.3 billion cubic feet. 
Hardwood supplies from natural pine stands will decline 
following acreage reductions in this management type. 
Appendix tables 3.63—3.76 show the historic trends in 
hardwood supplies by forest management type, along \ 
the projections, by region and State. 
Trends in the Southeast 
Between 1952 and 1976, the Southeast supplied from 0.6 
to 0.8 billion cubic feet of hardwood roundwood each year 
165 
