VI 



PREFACE 



In this study an effort consequently has been 

 made to view timber supply and demand in re- 

 lation to use of forest resources for nontimber 

 purposes. Only limited evaluations of demands 

 for and supplies of these related uses of forest 

 resources and users are currently available. 

 Nevertheless, rising demands for nontimber pur- 

 poses are important considerations in evaluating 

 the current and prospective timber situation. 

 Thus on National Forest lands, for example, 

 future availability of timber has been estimated 

 within the context of multiple-use plans which 

 provide for balanced programs of development 

 and use of all resources. Some allowances have 

 been made for continuing transfers of timber- 

 producing lands to other uses. On much of the 

 forest land in farm and miscellaneous private 

 ownerships it has been recognized that owners' 

 objectives are primarily for purposes other than 

 timber production and that timber harvests on 

 such lands consequently may be limited. 



In view of the many changes in both economic 

 and environmental factors that have been occur- 

 ring, a new look at timber supply and demand 

 prospects is considered essential. This appraisal 

 is designed to provide some of the basic input 

 required for appraising the effectiveness of existing 

 forestry programs, to indicate opportunities for 

 economic development of timber resources, and to 

 help evaluate the desirability of new or different 

 action relating to timber production. 



Specific recommendations for forestry programs 

 — for forest development or for improving the 



economy of rural America, for example — lie 

 beyond the scope of this study. This report is 

 designed, rather, to identify and appraise changes 

 occurring in the forest situation, and to provide 

 some indication of the outlook for timber with 

 and without changes in the way forests are man- 

 aged and used. 



Information on the Nation's timber situation 

 and outlook is of far-reaching economic and envi- 

 ronmental importance. Timber products make up 

 nearly one-fifth of all industrial raw materials 

 consumed in the United States. Processing of 

 timber products supports thousands of establish- 

 ments and millions of workers, many in rural 

 areas and cities where timber is the principal 

 support of the local economy. 



Growing concern over prospective depletion of 

 nonrenewable mineral resources, and the higher 

 energy requirements and pollution impacts result- 

 ing from use of nontimber resources in lieu of 

 wood products, also emphasize the growing impor- 

 tance of timber in the U.S. economy. Unlike most 

 competitive products, wood is a renewable indus- 

 trial raw material. 



The analysis of resource supplies and demands 

 presented in this report pertains only to the next 

 few decades. For the longer run, well within the 

 span of time it takes to grow trees, shortages of 

 natural resources could become an increasingly 

 serious issue. In appraising today's needs for for- 

 estry programs, some consideration therefore 

 needs to be given to the probable situation beyond 

 the period covered by this report. 



