This would appear to be the case among hardwood 
species where sapling stocking now exceeds optimum 
requirements. However, a large proportion of these 
hardwood saplings hardly qualify as potential crop 
trees (fig. 29). Hardwood species, being shade-tolerant, 
become established as an understory in older stands 
where, in their overtopped position, they just manage 
to stay alive. Upon release, some of these saplings will 
begin to grow and assume dominance in the stand, but 
a good many of them will continue to grow very slowly 
and for many years occupy space that could be given to 
young, fast-growing seedlings. Suggesting the extent 
to which saplings are found as an understory is the 
fact that 73 percent of all 2- and 4-inch hardwood 
trees are in pole and saw-timber stands. Further, as was 
noted earlier, many of the trees in the sapling stands 
were understory residuals in former old-growth stands. 
Not only are many hardwood saplings poor in form and 
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quality, but they are frequently of low-value species — 
especially those hardwoods now invading pine stands. 
PIEDMONT 
Saw-timber basal area in the Piedmont is but 39 per- 
cent of the optimum amount (fig. 28). Compensating 
to some extent for this exceedingly short supply is the 
substantial backlog of young timber in the Piedmont. 
Here, pole timber is within 11 percent of the optimum 
amount; saplings exceed optimum by 68 percent. 
Pines are better represented here than in the Coastal 
Plain. Two-thirds of the saw-timber basal area consists 
of pine. However, as in the Coastal Plain, hardwood 
species are much better represented in the smaller size 
classes than in saw timber. 
The relatively good supply of young pine timber in 
the Piedmont is an outgrowth of past large-scale crop- 
land abandonment. Declining farm prices, coupled with 
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FicuRE 29.— A large part of the hardwood saplings are found in the understory of older stands, and are frequently of poor quality 
and of undesirable species. 
24 Forest Resource Report No. 3, U. S. Department of Agriculture 
