The preceding material in this study has described what 
is likely to happen to the southern timber resource, and the 
associated sectors of the economy and other renewable 
resources, if current expectations about economic growth, 
changes in timberland, timber management practices, and 
all the other factors affecting timber demand and supply are 
realized. As explained earlier, this outlook can be changed 
through the implementation of various policies, programs, 
or legislation options currently being considered. The ef- 
fects of those policies and programs presented in chapter 4 
show that if economic growth in the forestry sector—in em- 
ployment and in wages and salaries—is to be sustained in 
the South, it will be necessary to increase timber supplies 
greatly. 
The basic purpose of this chapter is to quantify the op- 
portunities to increase timber supplies through the practice 
of more intensive forestry. The analysis is divided into two 
parts: (1) the economic opportunities on timberland, and 
(2) the opportunities on marginal cropland and pasture, 
including highly erodible land, that would yield higher rates 
of return to the owners if planted to pine or allowed to natu- 
rally revert to forests. 
i) 
Ww 
i) 
Economic Opportunities To Increase Timber 
Supplies on Timberland 
Past studies and data collected as part of the inventories 
of the forest resources of each State show that there are mil- 
lions of acres of timberland in the South that are not pro- 
ducing timber at their potential. Large acreages could be 
managed to grow higher wood volumes per acre, more pre- 
ferred species, or higher valued products. Opportunities to 
increase timber supplies exist on stands that are poorly 
stocked, have competing vegetation, have offsite species, are 
overmature, or are in some other less productive condition. 
The acres that could be treated, their location and ownership, 
rates of return on recommended treatments, and the addi- 
tional volumes of timber that could be produced through 
more intensive management are described below. 
Data Base, Analytical Structure, and Assumptions 
Timberland Area Needing Treatment—The primary 
Statistical base for the analyses of opportunities to increase 
timber supplies was the data on timberland areas needing 
treatment to improve productivity compiled for each State 
by the Forest Inventory and Analysis units of the South- 
eastern and Southern Forest Experiment Stations. Though the 
most recent State data available at the start of this study 
were used, the year of collection ranged from 1976 to 1986. 
The acres needing treatment are shown in table 5.1 for 
each State, by ownership. The data in table 5.2 show the 
distribution of acres for the entire South, by forest manage- 
ment type and treatment need. 
In the Southeast, the forest inventory field crews exam- 
ined sample plots and recommended specific treatment op- 
portunities to correct stand deficiencies and improve 
productivity. They identified 43 percent of all Southeast 
timberland, about 37 million acres, as needing some 
treatment. In the South Central region, treatment opportuni- 
ties were determined by applying treatment selection criteria 
based on specific plot conditions of forest management type, 
tree size, stocking, and other stand parameters. In the 
South Central region, 46 percent of timberland, about 45 
million acres, needed treatment. Both methods produced 
comparable information on treatments needed to increase 
timber production. . 
For the purpose of analyzing the economic opportunities, 
the acres needing treatment were classified on the basis of 
nine treatment needs, four ownerships, three site classes, and 
six forest management types, including nonstocked land, 
as detailed below, and 52 sub-State regions as shown in fig- 
ure 5.1. 
