.. . will help increase pine supply 
A REDUCTION OF ... 
30 percent in fire losses 
will add 71 million 
board-feet 
30 percent in disease losses 
will add 40 million 
board-feet 
30 percent in insect losses 
will add 31 million 
board-feet 
30 percent in other losses 
will add 18 million 
board-feet 
OR A TOTAL OF 160 MILLION BOARD-FEET 
TO THE ANNUAL PINE GROWTH 
Another way of making more timber 
available is to cut down on losses from 
destructive agents, such as fire, disease, and 
insects. Normally, each year these agents 
kill 131 million board-feet of pine saw- 
timber in North Carolina. 
But the sawtimber actually killed is only 
a small part of the total loss. Other losses. 
such as the killing of seedlings, destruction 
of seed source, reduction in growth, and 
introduction of rot produce a much greater 
impact upon the future timber supply than 
mortality. The total annual loss resulting 
from both mortality and growth loss adds 
up to 537 million board-feet of pine. 
Fire accounts for the smallest volume of 
pine sawtimber actually killed. But when 
the effect on growth, timber quality, and 
stocking is also taken into consideration, 
fire produces by far the greatest impact 
upon the timber supply. Fire is respon- 
sible for 239 million board-feet or 45 per- 
cent of the total timber loss. 
While it is not practical to eliminate all 
timber losses, a 30-percent decrease would 
mean a saving of 160 million board-feet of 
pine sawtimber. 
