growth equivalent to more than 2C0 board feet per acre 

 annually. Thus, although these stands accupied only 

 41 percent of the forest area, they contributed 72 percent 

 of the total board-foot increment (fig. 27). 



It is significant from the point of view of the pulp and 

 paper industry that the net pine increment in 1937 was 

 more than 3 million cords (table 12). Not all of this 

 increment, however, is destined tor the pulp mills; it is 

 available for other industrial uses, and the pulp makers 

 must compete for it on a price basis with the lumber 

 manufacturers and the dealers in poles, piles, posts, and 

 other pine products, As a matter of tact, the demand 

 for saw timber was so keen in 1937 that there was cut 

 for this purpose alone 8 percent more cubic volume of 

 pine wood than was added through growth. 



The total net increment of the growing stock 5.0 

 inches d.b.h. and larger (excluding bark) in 1937 was 

 509 million cubic feet, fairly equally divided between 

 pine and hardwood (table 12). Net increment during 

 the year on a cubic-foot volume basis averaged 4.3 per- 

 cent, or about 31 cubic feet per acre. 



Commodity Drain 



Commodity drain, as distinguished from mortality 

 drain, is the growing-stock material cut from the forest, 

 whether fully utilized or not. In the early history of 

 Louisiana, commodity drain consisted in large measure 



of hewed timbers and rough lumber used for strictly local 

 building purposes. The economic development of the 

 State broadened the demands on the forests for timber. 

 Cross ties were needed by the railroads; industrial lum- 

 ber was needed tor use locally and in many other parts 

 of the Nation; and, particularly within recent years, 

 important amounts of wood have been required for cel- 

 lulose products. 



The total commodity drain from saw-timber growing 

 stock in 1937 was 2.3 billion board feet (table 13). This 

 includes material shipped outside for manufacture. Of 

 the saw-timber material harvested, 65 percent went into 

 lumber. Although the tact may not be commonly known 

 the second largest part ot the material suitable for sawlogs 

 is used as fuel wood; this use accounted for about 12 per- 

 cent of the drain ot sawlog material. Cross ties, veneer. 



Table 13. — Commodity drain, in sawlogs, cords, and 

 cubic feet, 1937^ 



Species 



Saw timber 



Cordwood 

 with bark 



Total volume 

 inside bark 



Pines 



Billion board 

 feet 



1.2 

 1.1 



Million cords 



3.4 

 2.9 



Million cubic 

 feet 



259 



Hardwoods 



208 







All species 



2.3 



6.3 



467 







1 Detailed data by survey units are given in tables 23-25, Appendix. 



State Total 

 (466.9 million cubic feet) 



Dafa for southeast pine 

 included in soutliwest pine 



Figure 28. — Commodity drain on the growing 

 stocli, by class of material and survey unit, 1937 



32 



