Figure 36. — Good harvesting practice. An adequate residual stand of merchantable timber has been left for future growth. (Term. Conservation Dept. 



photo.) 



The Forest Future 



Most owners of small holdings that make up the 

 great bulk of Tennessee's forests are still uninterested 

 in the opportunities or uninformed as to the methods 

 of improving the timber resource. This is reflected in 

 current resource conditions: the quality of merchant- 

 able timber is low; sawtimber is concentrated in the 

 smaller tree sizes; the volume in cull timber is heavy; 

 and timber growth is far below its potential. 



But prospects for better forestry are encouraging. 

 New or expanded markets are developing for several 



products — pine pulpwood, hardwood pulpwood, pine 

 fence posts, and chipped sawmill residues. Through 

 the efforts of public and private forestry agencies, 

 many forest landowners and timber operators are j 

 taking increased interest in improved forest manage- 

 ment and utilization methods. Wide acceptance and 

 application of the constructive measures called for in 

 this section — adequate forest protection, cull hard- 

 wood removal, forest planting, better utilization, and 

 improved harvesting practices — will go a long way 

 toward bettering the overall forest situation in 

 Tennessee. 



38 



Forest Resource Report No. 9, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



