96 



THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER IN THE UNITED STATES 



There still appear to be important opportunities, 

 however, to further reduce fire losses and costs 

 through development and use of improved technol- 

 ogy in fire prevention, presuppression, and sup- 

 pression — including better understanding of ways 

 to reduce numbers of fires, development of im- 

 proved fire detection systems using airborne 

 infrared equipment, for example, and develop- 

 ment of techniques for more effective control of 

 fires. Through such means fire suppression, 

 particularly of large fires that characteristically 

 result in most fire damage, could be more efficient 

 and losses correspondingly reduced. 



Fire losses also might be cut by reducing fuel 

 accumulation on cutover areas through develop- 

 ment of markets for logging residues and/or 

 improved cleanup of cutover areas. Further 

 improvement of techniques for use of prescribed 

 fire in hazard reduction could also help reduce the 

 intensity of and losses to wildfires. 



The focus of improved protection efforts by 

 fire control agencies is also suggested by data on 

 areas burned annually, by cause. During the 

 period 1966-70 the largest areas of forest land 

 burned in the United States resulted from in- 

 cendiary fires, followed by debris burning, light- 

 ning, and smokers. 



THE ROLE OF RESEARCH 



Much can be done to increase timber growth 

 and harvests by utilizing existing technology. 

 But investments in intensified management and 

 utilization could be made more effective by im- 

 proving the technological base for such efforts. 

 More information is needed, for example, about the 

 responses of forest stands of different types, ages, 

 and sites to treatments such as thinning. Before 

 the most effective tree fertilizing programs can be 

 achieved more knowledge must be obtained on 

 the response of trees on various soils, and effects of 

 fertilizers on the environment. Research on genetic 

 improvements in timber growing should include 

 improved methods of progeny testing to detect 

 natural resistance to insects and diseases. 



There are substantial areas of poorly stocked 

 forests, and areas where planting costs are high, 

 where lower cost techniques for site preparation 

 and planting would improve returns from forest 

 investments. Better knowledge of spacing control 

 in precommercial thinning and subsequent inter- 

 mediate cutting could help increase output of 

 both timber and non timber values. 



In many forest types development of more 

 effective methods of timber harvesting that will 

 insure natural regeneration of desirable timber 

 species is of key significance in order to assure 

 prompt and low-cost establishment of new stands 



and to protect aesthetic or other nontimber 

 values. Improvement of aerial logging techniques 

 using sk}dine systems, or helicopters, for example, 

 could increase timber harvests as well as enhance 

 environmental values. 



It is not possible to quantify the impacts of 

 accelerated research efforts, nor rates of subsequent 

 extension and application of new technologies. 

 However, it is believed there are substantial 

 potentials for increasing timber growth and for 

 extending timber supplies beyond projections in 

 this chapter by development and application of 

 improved technology. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF FOREST OWNERSHIP 



While there are many technical and economic 

 opportunities for increasing timber growth and 

 harvests in the various regions of the United 

 States, a number of ownership constraints tend to 

 limit practical increases in timber supply. The long 

 investment period for most forestry practices is a 

 significant barrier to intensified management by 

 most private owners. Rates of return from timber 

 growing investments usually are relatively low. 

 And land use objectives and other factors also 

 have a marked influence on the actions of forest 

 owners. 



Farm and miscellaneous private owners. — About 

 59 percent of the Nation's forest lands are owned 

 by several million nonindustrial private owners — 

 farmers, businessmen, housewives, power com- 

 panies, mining companies, and numerous other 

 occupational groups. A number of studies have 

 shown that these owners have many objectives in 

 owning forest lands, widely differing characteris- 

 tics and attitudes, and varying willingness and 

 capacity to invest funds in timber growing. 1 



In reporting on their objectives in owning forest 

 lands, a minority of the nonindustrial private 

 owners sampled stated that timber growing was 

 their principal objective. Most of these owners, 

 rather, held forest land for various nontimber 

 goals such as recreation, wildlife protection, 

 aesthetics, or speculation, with timber production 

 a secondary goal at best. Most had little interest 

 in making sizable investments in timber growing, 

 and many owners were reluctant to harvest timber 

 for environmental or other reasons. In the latter 

 case, however, changing circumstances, such as 

 need for income or change in tenure at time of 

 death, have tended at some time in the life of most 

 stands to result in willingness to harvest the timber 

 that nature has provided. 



Growing concern about future timber supply 

 has led to adoption of a variety of institutional 



1 McClay, T. A. Rating private nonindustrial owner- 

 ships for increased timber productive and supply. U.S. 

 Forest Service. (Processed.) 1971. 



