Foreword 



This report on the Nation's timber supply and 

 demand situation and outlook relates primarily to 

 the 500 million acres of commercial timberland in 

 the United States that are suitable for production 

 of timber crops. Although limited primarily to 

 timber, the report recognizes that these lands 

 must also provide recreation, water, wildlife, and 

 other similar products for the American people. 

 Achieving a balance between rapidly rising demands 

 for timber and these other goods and services is 

 a challenge for American forestry that must be 

 met. 



The implications of comparisons of prospective 

 timber supplies and demands presented in this 

 report are clear — demands for lumber, plywood, 

 woodpulp, and other products are increasing more 

 rapidly than available timber supplies. This can 

 only mean rising prices of timber and timber 

 products. 



Growing needs for raw materials for housing 

 and other economic development in the United 

 States might be met in part by greater use of 



substitutes for timber such as steel, aluminum, and 

 plastics. But this alternative involves problems of 

 high energy requirements, pollution impacts, 

 balance of payments problems, and accelerated 

 depletion of nonrenewable resources. Timber 

 imports also might be expanded but this option is 

 limited by rising demands for timber throughout 

 the world. 



The better alternative, in my view, is to improve 

 the utilization of available timber supplies in the 

 United States, and to increase timber growth and 

 harvests in the longer run by accelerated tree 

 planting, stand improvement, protection, and 

 other forestry measures. This alternative will 

 require substantial investments and balanced 

 management of forest lands to assure adequate 

 supplies of timber and other forest goods and 

 services. But the opportunities are large and 

 the prospective benefits to the Nation will be 

 substantial. 



John R. McGuire, 

 Chief, Forest Service. 

 m 



