This shift is especially desirable in view of the need 
for an adequate supply of pole timber to maintain and 
build up the saw-timber growing stock. 
While overcutting of saw timber in the Piedmont is 
especially serious in view of the present low supply, the 
surplus of pole timber here offers an excellent oppor- 
tunity to ease the drain on saw timber. The pulpwood 
drain on at least the larger saw-timber trees should be 
shifted to the pole timber. Cutting the small 9- and 
10-inch trees into pulpwood instead of sawlogs would 
result in a saving through better utilization. Not only 
do these small trees yield mainly low-grade lumber, but 
an especially large part of the total cubic volume goes 
into sawdust and slabs. 
Throughout the State a saving could also be made 
by using less pine and more low-quality hardwoods and 
sawmill wastes for fuel wood. 
Guide Development of Forest Industries 
Until growth balances drain, it will be desirable to 
discourage expansion of any forest industries that would 
increase the drain pressure on pine or soft hardwood. 
New industries should be directed toward the use of the 
oaks and hickories, the tremendous volume of cull hard- 
woods, and manufacturing wastes, such as shavings and 
sawdust. For instance, the establishment of plants that 
would manufacture short-length, packaged oak lumber 
would make it possible for small mills to cut oak instead 
of pine. The manufacture of molasses from hardwoods 
would provide a market for the growing amount of 
low-grade material in the stand. Further refinement of 
lumber and veneer now exported from the State would 
permit an expansion in the wood-using industry without 
putting more drain on the timber supply. 
Improve Timber-Growing Practices 
Building up the growing stock will take more than 
adjustments in the drain pattern and guiding forest 
industrial development. Easing the drain on timber 
overcut and in short supply may serve to stop further 
deterioration, but this will not improve the stocking 
and quality of forest stands. To do this, additional 
measures are necessary. 
First of all, the area burned by uncontrolled fires 
should be reduced to a practical minimum in order to 
eliminate the annual destruction of large numbers of 
Timber Supply Outlook in South Carolina 
seedlings and saplings. During recent years great progress 
has been made in protecting South Carolina’s forests 
from fire. Organized fire control has been extended 
from 2.5 million acres in 1936 to the entire area of 
11.9 million acres of forest lands in the State. More 
intensive protection can further reduce timber losses. 
Special steps should be taken to assure natural regen- 
eration of desirable species, and established stands should 
be improved through cultural measures such as thinning 
and removing the undesirable trees. The area of. forest 
lands under fair to high standards of management has 
been steadily expanded, particularly on the part of pulp 
companies and the larger wood-using firms. There 1s 
much room for improvement of management practices, 
however, particularly on the part of the smal! owners. 
In many instances further study of the best timber- 
growing methods is needed. Guides for classifying pine 
and hardwood sites should be developed to prevent 
costly and unsuccessful attempts to grow pine on sites 
better suited to growing hardwoods. The economics and 
silviculture of growing timber on each of the principal 
kinds of forest land should be worked out to permit 
landowners to make the best use of their timberland 
and thereby realize the greatest returns on their invest- 
ment. Also, efficient ways of curbing hardwoods to 
permit reliable and cheap control of species composition 
need further study. 
Plant Idle and Poorly Stocked Land 
Natural regeneration should be supplemented by 
planting about 1,349,000 acres to pine in the next 20 
years in order to build up the necessary backlog of 
young pine timber. Most of the planting should be con- 
centrated in the Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills, 
where young pine is not only in short supply but is 
increasing very slowly. For the most part, natural regen- 
eration is adequate in the Piedmont, but planting is 
desirable on some areas to prevent further deterioration 
of the site, or to assure prompt restocking with more 
desirable species. 
Tree planting in Sorth Carolina has shown a marked 
upward trend in recent years. Currently production of 
forest tree nursery stock is about 32 million trees 
annually or sufficient to plant approximately 36,000 
acres. However, accomplishing the job in 20 years would 
mean planting 67,000 acres annually, almost twice the 
area that is now being planted. 

