unlikely to restock naturally for many years. Of this, 
2.1 million acres is longleaf pine type and 1.7 million 
acres 1s scrub oak type. Originally, most of this area 
was covered with merchantable stands of longleaf 
pine. 
For the most part, slash and loblolly pine, the 
species usually recommended for planting, do not 
thrive on these dry, sandy ridge soils. Although long- 
leaf pine is the species best adapted to this type of 
land, attempts to get it established have not been 
successful. Most of these areas, however, are capable 
of growing fair stands of longleaf pine. The problem 
is to find an effective way of getting them established 
again following the removal of the merchantable 
stand. A stepped-up program of research on both the 
basic and applied aspects of natural and _ artificial 
regeneration of longleaf pine on the poorer sites 
is needed. 
Florida also has 1.5 million acres of poor-quality 
slash pine land which is not restocking. Nearly a 
million acres of this nonrestocking poor-quality slash 
pine land is in South Florida. This part of the State 
needs more forest industries; it has the potential 
timber-growing capacity to support more. But until 
large parts ofthis nonrestocking land can be brought 
back into forest production, opportunities for ex- 
pansion in this region are very limited. There is 
evidence that fire protection coupled with simple 
management practices would make reforestation in 
the southern part of the State a financially attractive 
venture. A growth study in Lee County showed that 
where fire was excluded or very diameter 
growth was more than double that on areas burned 
annually or frequently. However, a thorough investi- 
gation of both the technical and financial aspects 
of reforestation and timber management in this part 
of the State is needed. 
7. Make better use of available timber. Shifts in 
the kind of timber used for various products would 
help to prevent further deterioration of forest condi- 
Tare, 
tions. There is a need to ease the commodity-drain 
pressure on the rapidly disappearing supply of large 
timber which is the base for the maintenance and 
future expansion of the lumber industry. One way 
to do this is to reduce the amount of pulpwood 
cut from large timber. In 1948, 29 percent of the 
pulpwood was cut from trees 13.0 inches and larger. 
A shift of the cut to smaller sizes would seem to be 
feasible in view of the rapidly increasing supply of - 
small timber. Another saving could be made by in- 
The Timber Supply Situation in Florida 
creasing the amount of pulpwood taken from tops 
of pine trees cut for sawlogs. In 1948, the tops. of 
pine trees cut for sawlogs amounted to about 233,000 
cords. Of this, 187,000 cords were used for pulpwood. 
About 15 percent of the total pulpwood cut came 
from tops in 1948; with better coordination between 
sawlog and pulpwood operations, it should be possi- 
ble to increase this proportion to 20 percent. 
Also, a greater amount of pulpwood could come 
from thinnings. In 1949, 860,000 acres of pine stands 
were overstocked. While most of the excess stocking 
was made up of trees too small to make pulpwood, 
these overstocked stands contained about 1.6 million 
cords of trees 5.0 inches and larger in excess of what 
is required to fully stock them. A significant increase 
in the amount of timber available from thinnings 
can be expected when the large backlog of young 
timber in these overstocked stands reaches 
mercial size. 
com- 
In 1949, there were 7.8 million worked-out trees 
in the State. A heavier cut of these low-quality trees 
would leave more round trees to grow into quality 
saw timber. The possibility of easing the commodity- 
drain pressure on the timber supply by utilizing saw- 
mill wastes for pulp also should be investigated. 
8. Guide the development of forest industries. The 
establishment of new industries that would compete 
with existing industries for timber already in short 
supply should be discouraged. Temporarily at least, 
Florida has little room for new sawmills. There is 
probably room for a moderate expansion of the pulp 
and paper industry providing the cut from thinnings, 
tops, worked-out timber, and low-grade hardwoods is 
stepped up. However, it would be desirable to keep 
the commodity drain at about the current level for 
a while to permit a substantial part of the young 
timber to grow into quality saw timber to build up 
the badly depleted supply. 
Florida has a large amount of low-grade hard- 
woods which is not being used. There are more than a 
billion and a half board feet of low-grade hardwood 
timber (Grade 3B logs) and 22.7 millions cords of 
sound cull hardwood trees. Here is an opportunity 
for the establishment of new industries able to use 
this raw material in the manufacture of such prod- 
ucts as fibre, alcohol, or molasses. Information on the 
location, amount, and quality of this type of timber 
should be made available to prospective new in- 
dustries. ; 
In spite of the adequate supply of round trees, an 
49 
