



A convenient measure of stocking or growing space 
utilized by trees is basal area.’ In 1947, the stands had 
an average basal area of 50 square feet per acre. With 
optimum stocking and a balanced distribution of tree- 
size classes *® the average basal area would be 76 square 
feet. Thus, only 66 percent of the total available 
growing space was being utilized by sound trees. 
Unbalanced Distribution of Tree-size Classes 
Contributing both to the deficiency in stocking and 
irregularity in timber yields is an unbalanced distribu- 
tion of the basal area by tree size. Optimum basal 
areas for South Carolina compare with actual as follows: 
Basal area? 


- . Actual Optimum 
Size of timber: (M ROD) (MGs. fy.) 
Sawuntimbe bese eaneraten mice ine 283,672 507,886 
Polesstimberseerine eee 190,775 289,900 
Saplingspemrtac ices treks eee 117,856 104,121 
Aligtimbercceesy tae eee 592,303 901,907 
‘In terms of basal area of all sound trees 1.0 inch and over. 
Indicated, then, is a shortage of saw timber and 
pole timber but a surplus of sapling-size trees. While 
total basal area is two-thirds of optimum, saw timber 
is but 56 percent of optimum (fig. 28). The slightly 
better showing of pole timber is due entirely to the 
better supply of hardwoods in this class of timber, a 
factor that also contributes to the 13-percent oversupply 
of saplings. Over-all figures for the State, however, 
conceal significant differences in size-class distribution of 
basal area between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont. 
COASTAL PLAIN 
In relation to the other tree-size classes, pole timber 
— both hardwoods and softwoods — is notably deficient 
in quantity in the Coastal Plain (fig. 28). The present 
pole-timber basal area is but 55 percent of the optimum. 
About 60 percent of this basal area is hardwood species, 
making the shortage especially acute among the soft- 
woods. 
Saplings are far better represented than the other 
classes of timber. However, by far the larger part 
consists of hardwood species. 
*The sum of the cross-sectional areas. at 4.5 feet from the 
ground, of all trees 1.0 inch d.b.h. and larger on the average acre, 
’ Forest management experience in the South suggests that a 
stand should start out with at least 800 2- to 4-inch trees per 
acre. By the time the trees are 10 inches in diameter, the number 
of trees required for best growth is reduced to 300, and only 
72 trees per acre would be considered optimum stocking by 
the time the trees were 16 inches in diameter. 
Timber Supply Outlook in South Carolina 
SIZE OF TIMBER BASAL AREA 
SAPLINGS 



POLE TIMBER 

SAW TIMBER 










| jewel [baa 
O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 II 120 130140 150 160 170 
PERCENT 


SAPLINGS 





COASTAL 
PLAIN 
POLE TIMBER 


SAW TIMBER 

t-— OPTIMUM 

O 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160170 
PERCENT 



SAPLINGS 








POLE TIMBER 



OPTIMUM 
Ss 
9 
SAW TIMBER 











O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100110 120 130140 150 160 170 
PERCENT 

FIGURE 28.— Comparison between present and optimum basal 
area by size of timber and region, 1947. 
Saw timber is in somewhat better supply than pole 
timber, but still a third short of the optimum amount. 
In this class of timber, however, softwoods are some- 
what better represented than in the others, accounting 
for 58 percent of the total board-foot growing stock.® 
Since today’s pole timber represents tomorrow’s saw 
timber, a deficiency in the former portends a reduction 
in the latter. From a fourth to a third of the saw- 
timber growth is represented by the volume of pole- 
timber trees growing into saw-timber sizes. Even now, 
largely because of the relatively small supply of pole 
timber, saw-timber stands are adding board-foot volume 
slower in the Coastal Plain than in the Piedmont, where 
the pole-timber supply is much better. 
If the stands contain an ample backlog of seedlings 
and saplings, pole-timber deficiencies are temporary, 
’ A smaller proportion of saw-timber hardwoods in relation 
to softwoods arises from the fact that 10-inch hardwoods are not 
included as saw timber, whereas 10-inch softwood trees are 
considered saw timber. 
23 

