Pref 



rerace 



Over the past several decades the Forest Service 

 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has periodi- 

 cally reviewed the timber supply and demand situ- 

 ation and outlook in the United States. The 

 objectives of these reviews are expressed in the 

 authorization for the nationwide Forest Survey, 

 contained in Section 9 of the McSweeney-McNary 

 Forest Research Act of 1928, which directs the 

 Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with States 

 and other agencies 



". . . in making and keeping current a comprehensive 

 survey of the present and prospective requirements for 

 timber and other forest products in the United States, and 

 of timber supplies, including a determination of the present 

 and potential productivity of forest land therein, and of 

 such other facts as may be necessary in the determination 

 of wavs and means to balance the timber budget of the 

 United States. . ." 



This report provides an analysis of the Nation's 

 timber situation as of 1970 and the outlook under 

 a number of economic and management alterna- 

 tives. It represents the latest in a series of similar 

 timber appraisals prepared by the Forest Service 

 in the past. 1 



This new study includes statistical data as of 

 1970 on the current area and condition of the 

 Nation's forest land, inventories of standing 

 timber, and timber growth and removals by in- 

 dividual States. Information is also included 

 on recent trends in forest land and timber re- 

 sources, trends in utilization of the Nation's 

 forests for timber and other purposes, and trends 

 in consumption of wood products. Data are also 

 presented on foreign sources of timber and foreign 

 markets for U.S. products. 



Projections of future demands for timber in 

 the United States indicate market potentials 

 under a range of economic and price assumptions. 

 Projections of timber supplies point to prospective 

 and potential availability of wood products with 

 alternative levels of forest management and 

 utilization, and alternative price trends. 



These projections of timber demand and supply 

 potentials from domestic and foreign sources are 

 compared to identify prospective developments 

 in timber prices, the outlook for supply problems 

 in the wood-using industries, and possible impacts 

 of changes in forestry policies and programs. 



Many changes are taking place in the use of 

 American forests. Demands for timber products 

 have been increasing rapidly, but perhaps even 



more striking has been the growth in demand for 

 recreational uses of forest areas and for manage- 

 ment of forest cover to improve the quantity and 

 quality of water yields, to improve wildlife habitat, 

 and to preserve scenic values. 



More and more areas in both public and private 

 ownerships are being used exclusively or in part 

 for such non timber purposes. A major expansion 

 in multiple-use management of forest lands, 

 particularly on public holdings, also has put 

 new constraints on traditional timber production 

 and harvesting practices. The Nation's forests 

 more than ever are being used for both com- 

 modities and services. 



1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. The 

 timber supplv of the United States. USDA Forest Serv. 

 Cir. 166, 24 p. 1909. 



Timber depletion, lumber prices, lumber exports, 



and concentration of timber ownership. Rep. on Senate 

 Resolut, 311, 66th Congr., 2d sess. 71 p. (The Capper 

 Report.) 1920. 



A national plan for American forestry. Senate 



Doc. 12, 73rd Congr., 1st sess 2v., 1677 p. (The Copeland 

 Report.) 1933. 



Forests and national prosperity. USDA Misc. 



Publ. 668, 99 p. (The Reappraisal Report.) 1948. 



Timber resources for America's future. USDA 



Forest Resource Rep. 14, 713 p. (The Timber Resources 

 Review Report.) 1958. 



Timber trends in the United States. USDA 



Forest Resource Rep. 17, 235 p. 1965. 



A partial list of related reports concerned with the timber 

 situation in the United States includes: 



U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor, Bur. Corps. 

 Summary of report of the Commissioner of Corporations 

 on the lumber industry, Pt. I, Standing timber. 38 p. 

 (The Bureau of Corporations Report.) 1911. 



Part I, Standing timber (including summary). 



301 p. 1913. 



Part II, Concentration of timber ownership in 



important selected regions. 1914. 



Part III, Land holdings of large timber owTiers 



(with ownership maps). 264 p. 1914. 



U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Forestry. Forest 

 lands of the United States. Senate Doc. 32, 77th Congr., 

 1st sess. 44 p. (The JCC Report.) 1941. 



President's Materials Policy Commission. Resources for 

 freedom, selected reports to the Commission, Vol. V. U.S. 

 Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 1952. 



Stanford Research Institute. America's demand for 

 wood, 1929-1975. 404 p. Stanford, Calif. 1954. 



Resources for the Future, Inc. Resources in America's 

 future, patterns of requirements and availabilities, 1960- 

 2000. 1017 p. Johns Hopkin Press, Baltimore, Md. 1962. 



Commission on Population Growth and the American 

 Future. Population, resources, and the environment, Vol. 

 II, Economic aspects of population change, Vol. Ill, 

 Population, resources and the environment. 337 p. 1972. 



