Table 6. — Annual cut in Tennessee, by Survey region, 1949 





Growing stock 



Sawtimber 



Survey region 



All 

 species 



Soft- 

 wood 



Hard- 

 wood 



All 

 species 



Soft- 

 wood 



Hard- 

 wood 



West - - 



Million 

 cu. ft. 

 50.2 

 30.6 

 45.8 

 51.7 

 74.0 



Million 



cu. ft. 



3.0 



3.0 



3.5 



17.4 



35.9 



Million 

 cu. ft. 

 47.2 

 27.6 

 42.3 

 34.3 

 38.1 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 193.2 

 124.8 

 169.7 

 221.1 

 304.3 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 13.7 

 15.2 

 14.6 

 85.4 

 165.8 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 179.5 



West-central 



109.6 

 155.1 





135.7 





138.5 







State 



252.3 



62.8 



189.5 



1,013.1 



294.7 



718.4 



respectively. The regional distribution of the cut is 

 thus roughly in proportion to the growing stock 

 available. 



Sawlogs represent the largest single item of the 

 annual cut of growing stock — they make up 48 per- 

 cent. Fuel wood accounts for 34 percent; pulpwood 

 3 percent; all other products 15 percent (fig. 30). 



Timber Volume Trends 



Growth on all merchantable timber in Tennessee 

 exceeds the total annual cut on the timber resource — ■ 

 by about 13 percent in 1949, when the latest cutting 

 statistics were compiled. While this superficially sug- 

 gests a considerable improvement in the resource, it 

 masks the fact that sawtimber — both softwood and 

 hardwood — is being cut faster than it is growing. The 

 harvest of sawtimber trees exceeds growth by about 

 136 million board-feet or 15 percent. Because of the 

 heavy market demand for southern pine, softwood 

 timber is being more seriously depleted than hard- 

 wood. 



Cutting intensity varies locally, of course, and in 

 some sections sawtimber growth exceeds the annual 

 cut. In western Tennessee the volume of sawtimber 

 appears to be slowly increasing because of an excess of 

 both hardwood and softwood growth over the annual 

 cut; the softwood increase, however, is mainly small 

 second-growth cypress of limited commercial value. 

 In the Cumberland Plateau, hardwood sawtimber is 

 likewise increasing although softwood is declining; 

 this seems to indicate that hardwoods are replacing the 

 more desirable pine. 



Analysis of hardwood sawtimber volume trends 

 must be tempered by a consideration of grade and 

 species. Much of the sawtimber is cut from good- 

 quality logs whereas most of the growth is on low- 

 quality logs (grade 3 and tie and timber logs), some of 

 which have little prospect of improving in grade. 

 Moreover, this downgrading is intensified by species 

 selection. Distinctly high-value species as such yellow- 

 poplar and white oak are being cut more heavily than 

 low-value species — hickory and blackgum, for 

 example. 



These trends, should they continue, will result in an 

 even tighter supply of high-quality timber and pose a 

 serious problem to the State's wood-using industries. 



Tennessee's Timber Needs 



How much timber should Tennessee grow to meet 

 its long-range needs? Although an immediate goal is 

 to grow enough to satisfy the demands of the present 

 wood-using industries, a more foresighted objective is 

 necessary to anticipate the future demands of the 

 State's growing population and expanding industrial 

 economy. Attaining an increased level of growth 



; : : : ; : : : : : ; : ; : ; : ; : ; : ; : 



;■;■;■;■;■;■;■■■;■;■;;■;■;■;, ■:■;■;■;■;■; ■:■:■;■,■;■:•:■;■;■:■: ■:•;•:■;■,-;■:■: :■;■: 



. : t . i 



40 60 



MILLION CUBIC FEET 



100 



120 



HARDWOOD 



SOFTWOOD 



30 



Figure 30. — Annual cut of growing stock, 7949. 



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



