Historic, archived document Do not. assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. 1 De a my pe A ro Hea % ; ¥ FOREST SERVICE United States Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 326 CANIM EDs iS AeA a Eo) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION NO. 820 WASHINGTON, D. C., FEBRUARY 1939 Forest Resources of Southeastern ‘lexas by J. W. CRUIKSHANK, associate forest economist and 1. F. ELDREDGE, Chief, Field Division, Forest Survey SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION FOREST SERVICE a7 2 Sw Computations in charge of P. R. WHEELER, associate forest economist UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE - WASHINGTON © 1939 FOR SALE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, WASHINGTON, D. C., PRICE 20 CENTS The Forest Survey FFECTIVE rehabilitation and constructive management of this country’s forest resource require not only protection against neglect and destruction but, with equal urgency, provision for permanent and wise use of that resource. Wisdom in forest land use planning must rest on a long-time economy backed up by reliable facts as to supply and requirements for wood and other forest products, production and consumption, drain and growth, and the location, area, and condition of existing and prospective forest lands. ‘This requirement for dependable and comprehensive technical information is now being trans- lated into action through the provisions of the McSweeney-McNary Forest Research Act of May 22, 1928, authorizing a Nation-wide forest survey. The Forest Survey, as constituted under that act, is obtaining essential field information and, through interpretation thereof, is aiding in the formula- tion of guiding principles and policies fundamental to a system of planned management and land use for each forest region and for the Nation. The fivefold purpose of the Forest Survey is: (1) To make a field inventory of the present supply of timber and other forest products; (2) to ascertain the rate at which this supply is being increased through growth; (3) to determine the rate at which it is being diminished through industrial and domestic uses, windfall, fire, disease, and other causes; (4) to determine the present consump- tion and the probable future trend in requirements for timber and other forest products; and (5) to interpret and correlate these findings with existing and anticipated economic conditions, as an aid in the formulation of both private and public policies for the effective and rational use of land suitable for forest production. It is planned to publish the results of this investigation as they become available. These publications apply to large areas and should not be inter- preted as portraying correctly the forest situation for small sections, the condi- tion of which may be either better or poorer than the average for the entire unit. They supply the general framework upon which to base intensive studies of critical situations. The investigation is conducted in the various forest regions by the forest experiment stations of the Forest Service and in the South by the Southern Forest Experiment Station with headquarters in New Orleans, La. II F SO" U Contents THEAS TERN DE as SASS Introduction and explanation of terms used Summary of findings . Description of unit , Physical conditions . . . .. . Economic and industrial conditions Description of the forest . Forest-type groups Forest conditions Stocking Volume per acre . Age Site ‘ Reproduction Fire Volume estimates Saw-timber volume . Cordwood volume Cubic-foot volume Forest increment versus drain Increment per acre Annual volume increment Forest industries and commodity drain Comparison of increment and drain Special-use resources . Pulpwood Poles and piles Gum naval stores Wood naval stores Outlook for the future Ill FORES ES°O URC ES O F Ss 0O.U THE AS TE RON iE eX! HE forests of this unit are formed _pre- dominantly of three associations of species. Best known is the longleaf pine forest, which extends westward from the Sabine River through Newton, Jasper, Tyler, and Polk Coun- ties, with small disconnected areas in adjacent counties. Bordering the longleaf (and often merg- ing into it) is the shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood forest, which covers the entire western and north- ern parts of the unit, and on the south forms a belt between the longleaf area and the coastal prairie. Third is the hardwood association, occurring as bottom-land hardwoods along the main rivers, such as the Sabine, Neches, and ‘Trinity, and as upland and scrub hardwoods in scattered tracts throughout the pine stands. For convenience in description, the forest has been classified (1) as to forest type on the basis of association of tree species, and (2) as to forest condition on the basis of stand, age, and cutting history. Forest- Type Groups The longleaf pine group includes pure longleaf, longleaf-loblolly, longleaf-shortleaf, and longleaf- hardwood types (see map at end of report). Of these, the pure type is most common, domi- nating 9 percent (table 2) of the forest area, or approximately 600,000 acres, located mainly in the rolling uplands of Newton, Jasper, ‘Tyler, and Polk Counties. The mixed types are a result of full or partial cutting of longleaf followed by an influx of other species and are often composed of a residual stand of longleaf in mixture with second- growth shortleaf, loblolly, and hardwoods. ‘These mixed types are common along the western and northern boundaries of the longleaf belt. Ke The shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood group includes pure shortleaf pine, pure loblolly, shortleaf- loblolly, shortleaf-hardwood, and_loblolly-hard- wood types. This group of types covers 60 percent of the forest area of the unit, or approxi- mately 4 million acres. Loblolly, pure or in mixture with hardwoods, is the prevailing type in southeastern Montgomery County, in Liberty, in the western part of Hardin, and in Orange County. In the western and northern counties of the unit, shortleaf pine takes a more important place in the association. All of the types in this group occur on all topographic situations. Both the shortleaf and loblolly types are common in the rolling hill country, but loblolly seems to thrive best in the flatwoods along the coast. Adaptable to all sites and reproducing abundantly, this group is des- tined to have an increasing acreage in this unit. The hardwood group consists of the upland- hardwood, bottom lJand-hardwood, scrub-hard- wood, and cypress-tupelo types. Combined they make up about 26 percent of the forest area. Most important is the bottom land-hardwood type, totaling slightly over 1 million acres. It occurs along the Sabine, Neches, ‘Trinity, and smaller rivers. Red and black gum, red and white oaks, magnolia, ash, and cypress are commonly found in these bottoms. Approaching the coast, these species are sometimes replaced by stands of the cypress-tupelo type, which terminates at the marshes. This type covers about 50,000 acres, mostly along the Sabine and Neches Rivers. ‘The upland-hardwood type is composed of mixed hardwoods, such as post oak, southern red oak, black oak, red and black gum, and hickory. ‘This type occurs in small areas scattered throughout the unit, probably achieving its best development in the ‘‘redlands”’ belt of Sabine and San Augustine Counties. The scrub-hardwood type is a mixture of stunted, low-quality hardwoods of little com- mercial value, occurring where soil or moisture conditions do not favor rapid tree growth. Such stands are found in western Houston and Walker Counties as well as in the eastern part of Liberty County. A transitory form of this type also oc- curs on some of the clear-cut longleaf land, particularly in the northern part of Tyler County. Less than 200,000 acres were typed as scrub hardwoods. Table 2 shows the area of the different forest types by topographic situations and also the percent of the total forest area in each type. Tasie 2.—Forest area } classified according to forest type and topographic situation . Swamps and Forest type Flatwoods ua ae stream bot- All situations rene toms Longleaf pine group: Acres -leres Acres Acres Percent Woonpleat222 22 oe ao ee ee eee ee 75, 100 544, 000 800 619, 900 9.4 Mongleaf-loblolily- 222 222 = 22 oe eae se ss ee eee ee 25, 800 94, 700 800 121, 300 Ls Gongleat-shortlealsseseee aaah ee a8 ee ee eee 3, 900 130, 700 800 135, 400 21 Thonwleat hard wood’: 2.22... 2 22a ase eee ces ogee eee se asa-cnae= | 1, 600 52, 400 800 54, 800 iS Totals. sees De ee ee a ree ete eee eee ner ae a ae ee eee ae 106, 400 821, 800 3, 200 931, 400 14.1 nn a | Shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood group: Shortleaf___- ees seee ase eenes 20, 300 550, 300 3, 900 574, 500 8.7 Loblolly__---------- 439, 900 449, 300 102, 600 991, 800 15.0 Shortleaf-loblolly—___ 109, 600 608, 200 25, 100 742, 900 11.3 Shortleaf-hardwood__ 27, 400 428, 200 28, 100 483, 700 7.3 Toblolly hardwoods sess ss aos oa eee se wens a eee ene 369, 500 512, 000 303, 600 1, 185, 100 17.9 Total cf Bese eae Soe ee ee ses Se oe ete eee s ans Se astereesore nese 966, 700 2, 548, 000 463, 300 3, 978, 000 60. 2 Hardwood group: Upland hardwood. 22222ses222-- 2-525 -22 Ss eens eS 8 aan eee eee cea 9, 300 305, 300 1, 600 316, 200 4.8 Bottom-land hardwood_____- ae es a ee ae ee 214, 500 30, 500 926, 000 1, 171, 000 17.7 Scrub hardwood-_--------- She eo neo het see eee esa ne es aos 11, 000 152, 600 4, 700 168, 300 2.5 (G@yIDTESS“UULOG] O es mee 8008 |beeseceeoeee-= 43, 800 44, 600 aie ‘Totals sso-22 Peveehee gone of at atacand ee ee ea ae Sees enter 235, 600 488, 400 976, 100 1, 700, 100 25.7. TotalallgroupsS._ ...2.cs=-+-:--- 1, 308, 700 3, 858, 200 1, 442, 600 656095500) || Be eee = 1 The 11,700 acres of nonproductive forest area shown in table 1 are not included. Flatwoods cover 19.8 percent of the area; rolling uplands, 58.4 percent; and swamps and stream bottoms, 21.8 percent. Tape 3.—Species composition of the forest type groups, showing proportion of net cubic volume in various species nS . ae Longleaf Braise Hardwood All we pine hardwood group groups group group Percent Percent Percent Percent Longleaf pine-_---- = 67.5 0.4 0.1 4.5 Loblolly pine- -------- : 10.5 47.8 4.8 35.1 Shortleaf pine-__-_--_------ 13.4 25.3 sla 18.7 Redigum=-22_ =. 22222 = ee 5.4 15.4 7.6 Black and tupelo gums_ - 8 2.2 10.6 4,2 Red oaks_-_-------- 17 6.3 22.2 9.9 White oaks- ------- : idl 4.9 13.0 6.6 Serulb Oaks... .ss2.<2-2- 2.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 AS cccenestoeeae esse : (*) 5 3.7 1.2 (Cy presSaan=- saa s-e—= = oil 2.3 6 Other hardwoods_--.___--- .8 5.1 24.8 9.6 Total _- Z 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 EE ! Negligible. Table 3 presents the composition of the forest type groups and the percentage of the net cubic volume of the type group in each species. Forest Conditions On the basis of stand, age, and cutting history, the forests fall into three broad conditions—old growth, second growth, and clear-cut, as already defined. For precision in classification these con- ditions are subdivided in the following manner: (1) Old-growth uncut and old-growth partly cut; (2) second-growth sawlog-size uncut and _ partly cut, second-growth under-sawlog-size uncut and partly cut, and reproduction; and (3) clear-cut. The respective areas falling in the three type groups are given in table 4. Tasie 4.—Forest area classified according to forest condition and forest type group | Shortleaf- | are Ae Longleaf loblolly- Hardwood . . : Forest condition pine group | hardwood group All type groups group Old growth: Acres Acres | Acres | Acres Percent UMCut its e See ee an es reas teens oe tee SS ee ee ee 25, 900 155, 000 324, 000 | 504, 900 7.6 Partly cubs 2-2 ee Fh Ee ER PITS AE a pe 2 aa REN! eas Been =| 102, 400 120, 700 340, 500 563, 600 8.6 MA DX ON FEST Ls 9 rs eke a aa a eS eg ee eae ne a a 128, 300 275, 700 664, 500 1, 068, 500 16, 2 Second growth: | Sawlog size: | Uneut=-=_- es Peco seeee cate =a a ee Ne | 175, 400 1, 889, 400 428, 200 | 2, 493, 000 37.7 Partly cut.____ cl CM Reh eee a Se Ramee a | 39, 800 | 679, 500 | 176, 900 | 896, 200 13.6 Under sawlog size: | | Uneut.-_ = a Js 3 Ba ee - sen 287, 300 1, 008, LOO 353, 800 | 1, 649, 200 24.9 Partly cut__ - ae Bas conse soe 11, 000 43, 100 | 28, LOO $2, 200 12 Reproduction______- = ze Soest eee 2 94, 000 64, 900 45, 400 204, 300 | 3:1 = SS ee ee a ee r - Totalsz. _=2 aed as eRe aE tee nea 5 Seb eseest = 607, 500 | 3, 685, OCO 1, 032, 400 , 900 | 80.5 @loar:cuteeeees doe ew eS eee a aa ees SPE eaTe 195, 600 17, 300 | 3, 200 216, 100 | 3.3 | 931, 4C0 | 3, 978, 000 1, 700, 100 6, 609, 500 | pa PAN iCOMMItIONS Set loa te 3 oe tL Sas cel Ste tedss eee assesaces aWher : Percent Percent Percent | 14.1 60. 2 20:0 bliss . 100.0 1 Includes 1,600 acres of fire-killed condition F303865-67 Figure |.—Second-growth shortleaf pine stands, in which the larger trees were saplings at time of logging in 1907 9 The various type groups in the old-growth condition occupy about 1 million acres, or 16 percent of the total forest area, divided into long- leaf pine, 2; shortleaf-loblolly-hardwoods, 4: and hardwoods, 10 percent. Most of the old- growth uncut longleaf pine is found in large tracts, some of which are several thousand acres in extent. Partly cut stands more often exist as small acreages of residual trees, scattered through- out the second-growth stands. Old-growth stands of shortleaf-loblolly-hardwoods usually occur in scattered patches of a few acres each; continuous bodies are rarely found. The old-growth hard- woods prevail in large, unbroken areas along the main stream bottoms. The second-growth condition includes all ages of second-growth stands, from reproduction through F 303859 FiGuRE 2.—A Uppical clear-cut longleaf tract with scattered clumps of young growth LONGLEAF 1S 20 0 HARDWOOD 3) 10 ite, 20 Sal Tl SHORTLEAF - LOBLOLLY - HARDWOOD 10 15 SEESEEEEE OLD GROWTH GfHz REPRODUCTION 20 HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRES SECOND GROWTH SAWLOG SIZE CLEAR-CUT (30) 30 39 40 Rises ioe oe ees TOTAL FicuRE 3.—Forest area in the various type groups and forest conditions the sapling stage up to and including saw timber (fig. 1). These stands occupy about 81 percent of the forest area, totaling over 5 million acres (table 4). By forest type groups, in terms of proportion of the total forest area, this condition is classified as longleaf pine, 9 percent; shortleaf-loblolly-hard- IO woods, 56 percent; hardwoods, 16 percent. Sec- ond-growth stands occur throughout the unit in areas ranging from a few acres to blocks of thousands of acres. ‘These second-growth stands, forming an almost continuous cover over a great part of the unit, characterize the forests of east Texas. Only 3 percent of the forest area, or slightly over 200,000 acres, is clear-cut. Practically all of this is found in areas originally stocked with longleaf pine. Extensive acreages occur north- west of Jasper in the rolling uplands bordering the Neches and Angelina Rivers, while smaller tracts (fig. 2) are scattered through Jasper, Newton, Hardin, and Tyler Counties. Figure 3, contrasting the relative proportion of forest conditions in each type group, brings out important differences in the forest cover. The greater portion of the clear-cut area is in the long- jeaf pine group, while the hardwood group has the largest proportion of old growth. The short- leaf-loblolly-hardwood association has 93 percent of its area in second growth; and this is gradually taking over areas that once were longleaf pine. Stocking Uncut old-growth pine stands generally are stocked with 20 to 50 mature trees per acre, con- taining 4,000 to 15,000 board feet. Undergrowth is seldom present. Where these stands have been partly cut, wide variations exist in the degree of stocking, and second-growth trees may occupy the larger openings. Second-growth longleaf pine stands uniformly stocked; dense clumps alternate with open or sparsely stocked stands. Widely scattered residual trees from the original old growth may be present to create a two-storied appearance. The shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood areas, however, are stocked more uniformly with many trees of all ages. The heaviest stocking occurs on old abandoned fields; stands observed in San Jacinto County supported 130 merchantable trees per acre, with a volume of 15,000 board feet, in addition to the saplings. With the exception of the scrub-hardwood stands, the hardwood types are well stocked. Young trees of varying sizes and ages are intermingled with the colder merchantable trees, and when the latter are logged, necessarily by a rough selection system, there is always sufficient advance growth remaining to provide for the continuance of well-stocked stands. Openings provided by removal of the mature trees are soon restocked with seedlings. Since, however, the common practice is to remove the best trees and especially the more valuable are not second-growth 96709°—39——3 Il species, the hardwood types must eventually deteriorate in commercial value, unless improved cutting methods are followed that will insure the perpetuation of the more valuable material. In figure 4 the number of trees in the 2-inch class seems out of proportion to the number in the other 700 = 35 w °o 600 i) a 500 iw) fe} APPROXIMATE DISTRIBUTION OF DIAMETER CLASSES (PERCENT) 400 a 300 TREES (MILLIONS) ) 200 a 100 fe) Aid A PA ral fe) 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20+ 2 4 6 B 10 12 14 16 18 20% TREE DIAMETER CLASSES (INCHES) p pees PINES «Li HARDWOODS Ficure 4.—Total number of trees in the various diameter classes. Pines total 903 million, or 45.9 percent, and hardwoods 1,065 million, or 54.7 percent diameter classes. According to table 4, 80.5 percent of the forest area is in second-growth stands. Such stands are generally all-aged and have sufficient seed trees so that young seedlings rapidly fill in the openings, forming a complete understory beneath the larger trees. With the intensification of fire control during the past few years, the loss of seedlings by fire has been greatly reduced, with the result that the number of trees as shown in the 2-inch class may represent the natural restocking of the forest when the fire hazard is at least partly controlled. It is not to be ex- pected that all of these 2-inch trees will grow to useful size, as natural mortality is ever present; but if fire control accomplishes its purpose, each succeeding 2-inch diameter class should have more trees, until maximum density is reached. Good trees below sawlog size form 93 percent of the forests of the unit, of which pines account for 41 percent and hardwoods 52 percent (fig. 4). Many of these small hardwoods are partially defective or of inferior species; their removal would greatly improve the productive capacity of the forest. Trees 17 inches and larger in diameter, which yield the highest grades of lumber, make up only 1 percent of the total stand. In figure 5 the age-class and volume distribution of the present forest in the longleaf- and shortleaf- GROSS VOLUME PER ACRE (CUBIC FEET) 3000 61-70 YEARS | 51-60 YEARS [77 Vif , YY bibs LISSSS SO Wt: 31-40 YEARS yyy Uf, CLE Wu YH YW Uff Z Y 2900 - LLLYLL, a / 41-50 YEARS 21-30 YEARS Z 4 11-20 YEARS 0-10 YEARS 10 CUBIC FEET YEARS YEARS YEARS (8%) (8%) (14%) Jf, THE SAME AREA UNDER MANAGEMENT Ficure 5.—Prevailing age class and volume distribution (1935) compared with those on the same area under management. Gross volume per acre is measured inside bark on trees 5 inches d. b. h. and larger, turpentine butts not included. Under management, each age class occupies 14.3 percent of the total loblolly-hardwood types are compared with those on a managed forest of the same general type handled on a rotation of 70 years. The portion of the figure showing the prevailing age classes and volumes represents a rough division of the 4,909,400 acres of the present forest in these types into areas characterized by the respective age classes. “The volume per acre and extent of occur- rence of each age class is based upon the actual stand as it existed at the time of the survey. In the managed forest the area is divided into seven equal areas, each containing one age class. The per-acre volumes are the averages of the best stocked 10 percent of the uncut stands on the weighted average site in each age class of the pres- ent pine and pine-hardwood stand. Inspection of this figure reveals several important facts about the present forest. (1) The average stand is understocked, in that its present volume is only 48 percent of that of the managed stand. (2) The distribution of age classes by area closely approximates that of the managed stand, the chief discrepancies being in the two age classes below 21 years, which together occupy only about half of the area desirable in a managed forest. (3) The ideal distribution of age classes could be attained theoretically by a gradual cutting of a small percentage of the area in each of the four oldest age classes during the next 10-year period, so that the areas in stands below 21 years of age would be increased proportionately. Volume per Acre Tables giving the average volume per acre do not show the extremes within a particular type and condition but they do indicate the range in volumes of the various conditions in a given type or type group, and in addition they portray the relative abundance of the various species groups. A better conception of the make-up of the forest may be obtained from table 5, which gives average board-foot and cordwood volumes per acre of the shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood group, constituting more than 60 percent of the forested area. The board-foot volume is expressed in the Inter- national \-inch rule and includes only saw- timber material; the cordwood volume is of all sound trees at least 5 inches d. b. h., including the saw-timber material expressed in board feet.! 1A more complete and detailed presentation of the average volumes per acre of forest land can be found in Southern Forest Survey Release No. 26, Volumes on an Average Acre in the Various Units of the Pine Hardwood Region West of the Mississippi, issued July 12, 1937. re Tape 5.—WNet board-foot (International \4-inch rule) and cordwood volume per acre of the shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood group, classified according to species group and forest condition Forest condition Shortleaf-loblolly pines ! Pulping hardwoods | Nonpulping hardwoods All species groups Old growth: Board feet Cords Board feet Cords Board feet Cords Board feet Cords inn Gu Gee oe ce ere eae Mewes oN 8, 160 20. 4 740 3.9 1, 140 5.1 10, 040 29.4 Rarthyeuti so. f20 ssc eo coe ae ste s weaee oe 3, 660 10.3 580 2.7 850 3.9 5, 090 16.9 Second growth: Sawlog size: OT CULL seen eee eer eee eee a eee Bee Se 3, 830 13. 6 280 We7 440 vii 4, 550 18.0 Partlyicut+.22-s2-222-- 22-2225 2-- 22-252 : 2, 250 9.1 210 1.4 360 2.4 2, 820 12.9 Under sawlog size-_-_--- Heeadees sipesasacsnses : 300 2.8 30 5 60 1.0 390 4.3 Reproductlonss. a2 S22. 2s ee eee ee 120 |e 1 20 vat 140 6 (GQlear=Cutee saat ee eee ee ae eee nen aes : 80 CO) Sesseeaoaeas | eeeesossscee 20 aol 100 4 Weighted average-__-_------------------ : 2,710 9.9 220 1.4 350 2:2 3, 290 13.5 1 Includes a negligible quantity of longleaf. Age The old-growth timber stands are characterized by trees varying in age from 70 to over 150 years. The typical trees in sawlog-size second-growth pine stands are 30 to 70 years old (average about 45). Hardwood stands of the same condition are somewhat older, averaging about 70 years of age. Second-growth stands under sawlog size of both pine and hardwood are characterized by trees 10 to 50 years old, but most of these stands are 20 to 30 years. Most of the trees of both pine and hardwood in the reproduction condition are less than 10 years old. Szte Differences in the productive capacity of forest land are dependent upon many factors, such as topography, soil, moisture, and drainage. The term “‘site’’ is used to include the combination of these many factors and is a valuable measure of possible productivity. In pines, the site index is the height of the average dominant trees at 50 years of age. A site on which dominant trees of the prevailing species grow 80 feet or more the first 50 years will produce the maximum volume per acre in tall, well-formed trees in a shorter time than poorer sites with a lower site index. Figure 6 compares the approximate percentage of site classes in each of the three pure pine types. The sites are designated as ‘50 feet and _ less,” **60 and 70 feet.”’ and ‘‘80 feet and over.” The hardwood area was segregated into three se broad site classes (good, fair, and poor), based upon height, form, and general thriftiness of the trees. In figure 7, giving the percentage of the sites in each hardwood type, the cypress-tupelo type with 96 percent of its area in fair or good AREA ( PERCENT) 100 : a x 2 “0.8 wate 50, 1% rene 5 Se S585 > “8 50,0.8, a art KON paces KX ree <6 rene : oe wotee ROIS telatetetetetets oe 0% <> Soe x .% 0.2, ons ates see iC. WW °>F'>FBF87Fp.FFEp I' oE.G ."°"7FEEEFAFN}FTFNwW( me Bo, ORTLE LONGLEAF PINE WHA oe Ficure 6.—Percent of area in pine types in three site classes F PINE 80 FEET AND OVER 50 FEET ANDO LESS sites, 1s in marked contrast to the scrub-hardwood type with 98 percent of its area in poor sites. These two types illustrate the difference in site quality that obtains on two entirely distinct topographic situations; the cypress-tupelo type occurs in the deep, fertile soil of the river bottoms, while the scrub hardwoods are found on _ the dry, sterile soil of the rolling uplands. Reproduction The seedlings and sprouts under 1 inch d. b. h. constitute the forest reproduction. Data on dis- tribution and density of reproduction were recorded throughout the unit. In the shortleaf-loblolly- hardwood types the reproduction is similar to the parent stand in species association. Where fire has been absent over a period of years the pine repro- duction forms a dense stand beneath the older trees. Seedling counts in 1-year-old reproduction in unburned areas in several counties showed an average stand of 24,000 seedlings per acre. Where 80 = = — ae eee 60 es oe este otets ees ve 05 tceseee Bo 9: es eatetet inet % % Resieens CYPRESS - TUPELO BOTTOM-LAND HARDWOOD UPLAND SCRUB HARDWOOD HARDWOOD Ficure 7.—Percent of area in hardwood types in three site classes fires have occurred, the reproduction is in dense patches up to several acres in extent, but is con- fined to the spots that escaped the flames. This is typical of large areas in the shortleaf-loblolly- hardwood types. In the longleaf pine types, reproduction is irreg- ular. Along the northern and western edges of the longleaf belt, shortleaf and loblolly are restock- ing former longleaf land. Partly cut longleaf stands often have an understory of these two species, either pure or mixed. Much of the long- leaf reproduction occurs in dense groups in open- ings in the older stands. Where the longleaf has been clear-cut, there are many barren areas with few seedlings, caused doubtless by the fact that only 27 percent of this clear-cut acreage has Field obser- vations of hog damage and of brown spot, a disease that attacks longleaf seedlings, disclose that they are not generally serious throughout the long- leaf area. Heavy brown-spot damage was found on only 5 percent of the longleaf plots observed, while hog damage was recorded on only 3 percent of the longleaf plots. If protected from fire and allowed an adequate number of seed trees, the pine forest of eastern Texas will reproduce itself as fast as it is cut over. In the hardwood types, the reproduction found in all openings is sufficient to perpetuate the stands without noticeable change in species composition. Although proper silvicultural measures will insure the prompt restocking of newly cut-over forest land, older cuttings still remain a problem. In 1935, about 150,000 acres of clear-cut longleaf lands were so deteriorated as to show no promise of restocking by natural means within a reasonable time. It will be necessary to employ artificial reforestation, the technique of which is yet in its infancy, to return this jand to early productivity. In the selection of trees to be planted, careful consideration should be given to the advantages and disadvantages of slash pine. Its advantages over longleaf are chiefly the possible economies in seedling production and planting, its rapid growth, and its high yield of naval stores. Experimental planting by the Texas Forest Service has demon- strated that slash pine will grow well for at least the first 10 years after planting. These advantages are not to be lightly dismissed; but on the other hand, recent studies indicate that slash pine is highly susceptible to rust infection. Given favor- able conditions for dissemination of the rust dis- eases during the early life of a plantation, a large proportion of the trees may be killed or seriously deformed. Also the exclusion of fire, which is necessary for the early development of slash pine, favors the rust, as fire prevention encourages the development of the oaks on certain areas where rust is endemic. Another disadvantage is that slash pine is out of its natural range in Texas, and its behavior here throughout its life span is not definitely known. Since data are lacking on the possibility of growing slash pine to maturity in Texas, it is recommended that this species if used should be planted with longleaf rather than in pure stands. as many as three seed trees per acre. Fire Fires, chronicled in charred stumps and scarred trees, have occurred at irregular intervals on 62 percent of the forest area. Prevalence of fire varies with the forest type. Ninety-five percent of the longleaf pine land has been burned by fires of varying degrees of intensity. In the shortleaf- loblolly-hardwood types, 70 percent of the acreage shows evidence of past fires. Fires originating in the pine types often continue into the hardwood areas, of which 25 percent showed evidence of fires. The common fire is a ground fire that advances slowly through the underbrush along an irregular front, seldom reaching the tops to form crown fires. The shortleaf-loblolly-hardwood types are most susceptible to fire damage; reproduction and young second growth often are killed outright. Once established, longleaf pine is very resistant to fires, damage being mainly limited to scars on the lower stem. Fire damage to merchantable pines accounts for about 10 percent of the volume deducted for woods cull. Fires in hardwoods generally kill the reproduction and some of the young second growth. A large proportion of the 15 woods cull of hardwoods is due to fire and the resulting decay. The fire danger is greatest in the spring and summer, continuing into the late fall if rainfall is below normal. Before a fire-protection system was inaugurated in east Texas, it was the general custom of the local inhabitants to burn over the woods every year. The protective system estab- lished by the State under the Clarke-McNary Act, with the assistance of Federal and private funds, has as one of its functions the education of the citizenry concerning the damage caused by woods burning. In 1935, of the 3,500 fires recorded by by the Texas Forest Service, 35 percent were of incendiary origin, and 39 percent were caused by careless smokers. The protection system has recently been extended and greatly improved through the addition of new towers, telephone lines, forest roads, and additional personnel and equipment. By the end of 1935, 77 percent of the forest area of the unit was under protection by the State and Federal Forest Services. In the pro- tected territory, the area burned annually and the damage caused thereby have been reduced to very small amounts. There is still, however, need for expansion of the intensive protection measures, and this should be carried out. FOREST RoE S OU RZECE ss O F Ss OUT? Ho A Seb ReaN TEX AS Volume Estimates HE volumes of sound wood in the unit are estimated in three forms: saw-timber volume, cordwood volume, and these two combined in a cubic-foot volume. The saw-timber estimate includes all the material that has the size and quality to make lumber, while the cordwood estimate includes material not considered usable for saw-timber but which is convertible into such low-grade commodities as pulpwood, fuel wood, and fence posts. These two volumes do not over- lap and when added together represent the total resource. The table giving the volume in cubic feet inside bark shows the sum of the volumes of the two previous classes of material, expressed in a measure common to both. Saw-timber Volume To: be estimate, pine and cypress trees must have a diam- eter at breast height of at least 9 inches outside bark, and hardwoods must be at least 13 inches in diameter. In addition, merchantable trees must contain either one sound butt log 12 feet or more in length, or 50 percent of their gross volume in sound material. The estimates are based on current utilization practice as to stump heights, minimum top diameters, and woods cull. Volume was included to the upper limit of usable material in the tops rather than to a fixed top diameter, but no pine logs less than 5.5 inches in diameter at the small end or any hardwood logs less than 8.5 inches in diameter at the small end were included. The top diameter of pines actually averaged 9.9 inches. The total net saw-timber volume as of January 1, 1935, expressed in the Doyle rule, is 12% billion board feet. Table 6 presents this volume by included in the saw-timber volume 16 Ke species, and also the International-rule (44-inch kerf) volume of nearly 19% billion board feet, which closely approximates green lumber tally, and the Scribner-rule volume of about 17 billion feet. About 90 percent of the total net saw- timber volume occurs in stands of more than 2,000 board feet per acre. Stands of this density occur on 50 percent of the forest area. TaBLe 6.—Wet volume in Doyle, Scribner, and International 14-inch rules classified according to species group Species group ! Doyle Scribner International Pines: M board feet | M board feet | M board feet Ibonglesfi:-2--2=-252 228 726, 600 1, 020, 000 1, 175, 600 Shortleaf__------------- 1, 883, 600 3, 003, 300 3, 601, 200 Loblolly__-.__-______- a 4, 482, 300 6, 513, 400 7, 633, 000 otal assesses eee ee 7, 092, 500 10, 536, 700 12, 409, 800 Hardwoods: Redigumi._--22-22-2<- 1, 011, 200 1, 231, 800 1, 353, 700 Black gum ___--------- 558, 600 685, 600 787, 700 Redioaks 2222222222222 1, 424, 200 1, 728, 200 1, 891, 400 White oaks: =2-2---=-.- 1, 070, 100 1, 290, 000 1, 409, 100 IN Sie eee eo ee ene 117, 800 153, 400 167, 500 Other hardwoods-_-_-_-___- 977, 000 1, 253, 900 1, 381, 700 TRotalvees = see eee 5, 158, 900 6, 342, 900 6, 991, 100 AN Species. 22a eenens <= -asee 12, 251, 400 16, 879, 600 19, 400, 900 1 Volumes of scrub oaks and special-use species are not included. Table 7 distributes the board-foot volume by the Doyle rule into species groups and forest con- ditions. The pine species account for about 58 percent of the total board-foot volume and amount to over 7 billion board feet. About 4% billion feet of this is loblolly pine, the largest share of any single species in the unit. The pine volume, ex- pressed in percent of the total volume, is divided into longleaf, 6 percent; shortleaf, 15 percent; and loblolly, 37 percent. Tasie 7.—WNet volume in Doyle rule classified according to species group and forest condition Old growth Second growth Species group Sawlog size All forest conditions Uncut Partly cut See Uncut Partly cut Pines: M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | Percent Nongleaf see sh2 22222 2-22 l 222 ee es eee ee 195, 000 264, 200 191, 300 34, 700 41, 400 726, 600 5.9 Shortleafi22e2 S228 seers oe aaa ee nee eee se 290, 600 121, 300 1, 184, 500 278, 800 58, 400 1, 883, 600 15.4 1760} 0} (a) Us eye eee SE ee eee eee 692, 200 229, 600 2, 963, 400 505, 300 91, 800 4, 482, 300 36.6 Motel eee ee see eee ec eee eee 1, 177, 800 615, 100 4, 289, 200 818, 800 191, 600 7, 092, 500 57.9 ——— Hardwoods: MReCv ome tase: fhe ae sae See eee ease eesotcs 348, 000 188, 000 347, 100 100, 900 27, 200 1, 011, 200 8.2 IBIAGKo Wisse a esc Be ee ee ee ee 171, 800 133, 600 203, 800 42, 600 6, 800 558, 600 4.6 Red oaks___- 408, 300 268, 500 538, 300 177, 700 31, 400 1, 424, 200 11.6 Wihitei0aks mess 2 es 22 ee eee de- oo zs cee cee 318, 600 220, 300 376, 600 130, 300 24, 300 1, 070, 100 ey / UA\S niet nee Se oe eee nae ge eet o Se eee ate 42, 500 23, 500 42, 400 6, 700 2, 700 117, 800 1.0 Other-hardwoods:.---...._-_..-:--..-----.----=-- 341, 200 243, 200 284, 800 82, 400 25, 400 977, 000 8.0 Motley ewees Bia Shp a8 oe a eae es beoedesseuss 1, 630, 400 1, 077, 100 1, 793, 000 540, 600 117, 800 5, 158, 900 42.1 2, 808, 200 1, 692, 200 6, 082, 200 1, 359, 400 309, 400 12, 251, 400 }|_.----___. Alllispeciesmu staat ho alee Se ee es oecteckae Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 22.9 13.8 49.7 yp ioe | 2100 | Sosa ese se ecaes 100.0 1 Includes uncut, partly cut, reproduction, and clear-cut. Hardwood species contain 42 percent of the total board-foot volume, or more than 5 billion feet. Red gum, red oaks, and white oaks, with over 1 billion board feet each, make up two-thirds of this volume. Of the volume in the various forest conditions, 97.5 percent, or nearly 12 billion board feet, is in sawlog-size stands, and these occupy 67.5 percent of the forest area. They have an average volume of 2,680 board feet per acre. Second-growth saw- log-size stands contain nearly 7} billion board feet, or 61 percent of the total volume. The uncut stands of this condition average 2,440 board feet per acre, and the partly cut stands 1,520 board feet. The combined volume of old-growth stands amounts to about 37 percent of the total volume in the unit. Old-growth uncut stands average 5,560 board feet per acre, and partly cut stands 3,000 board feet. Owing to the topography, continuous working seasons, and cheap transportation to the mill, virtually all parts of the unit can be logged. Of the total volume of saw timber, over 86 percent is in stands of 600 feet or more per acre and under prevailing market conditions could be operated at a profit. In addition, 11 percent is in partly cut second-growth sawlog-size stands, with a mini- 17 mum volume in 1935 of 400 feet per acre; the average pine increment per acre of these stands in 1935 was nearly 160 board feet. In table 8, the board-foot volume of pine and hardwood is shown in the several diameter classes and forest conditions. More than half of the pine volume is in the 10- to 16-inch diameter classes. The hardwood volume is about equally divided between trees 20 inches d. b. h. and larger, which include most of the highest grade material, and trees below 20 inches, containing most of the lower grade material. In the pines there are about 1% billion board feet in the old-growth condition in trees 14 inches d. b. h. and larger, in which is found the bulk of the high-grade pine saw timber and 22 percent of the total pine saw timber. Hardwoods at least 20 inches d. b. h. in the old- growth condition contain a volume of 1% billion feet, or 35 percent of the total hardwood volume. To obtain a better concept of the general quality of the timber, 4,000 representative sample trees were graded. The merchantable pine trees were graded on a tree basis and were classified as to general grade (smooth, limby, or rough). The hardwoods were handled by individual logs, and each log was assigned to grade 1, 2, or 3, depending upon its quality (see description of grades, p. v). Taste 8.—WNet volume in Doyle rule classified according to diameter class and forest condition Old growth Second growth Species and diameter (inches) Sawlog size All forest conditions . Under saw- Uncut Partly cut log size ! Uncut Partly cut Pines: M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | Percent 110, 300 94, 500 1, 520, 400 428, 800 143, 600 2, 297, 600 18.8 223, 900 175, 800 1, 622, 900 269, 000 42, 500 2, 334, 100 19.0 TSian e203 a. scales ae ea ee 289, 100 149, 800 745, 100 80, 600 5, 500 1, 270, 100 10. 4 D2 andmores $2 .2¢ 28 oo Soe ees 554, 500 195, 000 400, 800. 40):400))\| 2. 222 essen 2s 1, 190, 700 9.7 PISO GENE = ae Sen Lee an oe 1, 177, 800 615, 100 4, 289, 200 818, 800 191, 600 7, 092, 500 57.9 Hardwoods: DOM tose Fe ce one ee ee ee 3, 200 4, 100 2, 900 800 1, 200 12, 200 vk 14, 16, and 18. 501, 900 407, 400 1, 052, 700 316, 300 99, 500 2, 377, 800 19.4 2iand | Mores2sssssecn sae ae see cone ae 1, 125, 300 665, 600 737, 400 223, 500 17, 100 2, 768, 900 22.6 VOtel 2 eenee oe eee eee eee ccm 1, 630, 400 1, 077, 100 1, 793, 000 540, 600 117, 800 5, 158, 900 42.1 IMIUSDOCIES Seca ae esase eas een eee 2, 808, 200 1, 692, 200 6, 082, 200 1, 359, 400 309, 400 12, 251, 400 100. 0 Summary: Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Pines Seek ae ee oan ae Se ee ey en Se 16.6 8.7 60.5 11.5 Zt les cee eee eee 100.0 ard WOOdS = aeeee = seers rk ae ee eee 31.6 20.9 34.7 10.5 Sioyloe aoete cose ee 100.0 1 Includes uncut, partly cut, clear cut, and reproduction. Figure 8 indicates for the pines and three selected hardwoods combined (red gum, red oak, and white oak) the percent of tree and log grades occurring VOLUME { PERCENT) 100 HARDWOODS 80 60 40 ZA OLD GROWTH SECOND GROWTH GG, GRADE 2 GRADE 3 Figure 8.—Percent of tree grades (pines) and log grades (hard- woods) in two forest conditions OLD GROWTH SECOND GROWTH in the old-growth and second-growth conditions. This figure represents observations on a relatively small number of trees and should be used as a general index rather than as an exact portrayal of grades existing within the unit. 18 2 Cypress only. Cordwood Volume The total cordwood volume in the unit is 98 million cords, of which 44 million cords are saw- timber volume found in merchantable trees. The remaining sound non-saw-timber volume, which is suitable for pulpwood, fuel wood, distillation wood, and other miscellaneous uses, but of little or no value for saw timber, is expressed in table 9 in terms of cords of standard size (4 by 4 by 8 feet), including bark. It is found in the stems of sound trees under sawlog size, in the tops of sawlog- size trees, and in the sound portions of trees classi- fied as culls. Volume of trees under sawlog size is that of the stem only, taken to a flexible (mini- mum 4-inch) top. Volume in the tops of trees of sawlog size includes the upper stem only of pines but the upper stem plus lumbs (4-inch and larger) of hardwoods. Similarly, in the pines the volume in sound and rotten cull trees includes only the sound material in the stems, while in the hard- woods it includes that in both stems and limbs. Table 9 shows this net volume of sound material to be 53% million cords, of which about 54 percent is in sound trees under sawlog size, 27 percent in tops of sawlog-size trees, and 19 percent in sound and rotten culls. Although there are 29 million cords of material in sound trees under sawlog size, it is highly desirable that cutting be limited to that part of the stand not needed to build up and maintain an ample growing stock for a future supply of saw timber. The 24 million cords in tops and in sound and rotten culls, if used at all, may find its chief use as fuel wood. Increased utilization of this class of material would improve the quality of the stands and satisfy some of the requirements of the cordwood industries, and at the same time would conserve the growing stock for the production of saw timber. Utilization possibilities of the total timber stand from the pulpwood standpoint is discussed in the section on special-use resources. TABLE 9.—WNet volume of sound material not suitable for sawlogs, expressed in cords LS Sound trees Species group aes saw- eee come oe All classes of material og size Cords Cords Cords Cords Percent PIN OG ae ae he anon saeco seca oseacan en neanesase ss sersenosene ae anseen=s—= 12, 221, 100 4, 828, 600 186, 300 17, 236, 000 32. 1 == —— = Hardwoods: LEAT Dy On aN ep ea 8 ee eee 6, 574, 200 3, 599, 700 3, 019, 800 13, 193, 700 24.6 Nonpulping 10, 552, 000 5, 886, 800 6, 871, 000 23, 309, 800 43.3 Ota ete as ee ee cca ec aw aa seacacccnsacaencesennconasaanessssenses-5-552 17, 126, 200 9, 486, 500 9, 890, 800 36, 503, 500 67.9 = 29, 347, 300 14, 315, 100 10, 077, 100 53 739, 500 |__-...--.._..- LUSTER Aa ae le a Percent Percent Percent 54.6 26.6 1S Se S2tose case eee 100.0 Cubic-Foot Volume The total forest resources, including both saw timber and cordwood, expressed in cubic feet inside bark are given in table 10. The total sound volume, excluding bark, of all trees above 5 inches d. b. h. is 6,886 million cubic feet, about evenly divided between pine and hardwood. The 6,231 million cubic feet in sound trees alone is 90 percent of this total resource. The remaining 10 percent in sound volume of sound and rotten cull trees amounts to 655 million cubic feet, of which only 14 million is in pine. TasLe 10.—Summary of forest resources in cubic feet (inside bark) Sound sawlog-size trees s ound trees Species under saw- peace poe Here Total sound volume Sawlog ma- - log size ’ terial Upper stems ! Pines: M cubic feet | M cubic feet | M cubic feet | M cubic feet |M cubic feet |M cubic feet |M cubic feet | Percent Wongleaf/ seem teu 2.22 scaceesees 194, 210 32, 240 43, 790 270, 240 310 410 270, 960 3.9 Shortleaf ed 628, 850 119, 150 360, 170 1, 108, 170 3, 480 750 | 1,112, 400 16.2 WMoblollyieecire ees e she else eee se 1, 336, 800 220, 870 467, 430 2, 025, 100 7,040 2, 150 2, 034, 290 29.5 HA Ro rl [ach ON ale ee 2, 159, 860 372, 260 871, 390 3, 403, 510 10, 880 3, 310 3, 417, 650 49.6 Hardwoods: eG ours oes eee sae ees cece seencs 220, 360 111, 280 208, 150 539, 790 22, 610 57, 280 619, 680 90 Blackie ums see ee ss os es Lt sale cee 139, 380 64, 030 96, 260 299, 670 17, 680 40, 340 357, 690 5.2 Other pulping hardwoods-_-_-.------------ 97, 490 49, 870 104, 390 251, 750 24, 260 33, 970 309, 980 4.5 Redigagkeae ae hee Sats SS eee cilee 310, 460 162, 310 247, 840 720, 610 39, 700 90, 990 851, 300 12.3 IWiNiteOskaveee ues tact BSS be Slo 231, 450 121, 820 1438, 960 497, 230 21, 050 42, 430 560, 710 8.1 Pe are | ed are |S ieee 144, 220 11, 130 155, 350 2.3 28, 540 14, 300 40, 090 82, 930 9, 110 8, 020 100, 060 1.5 Special-useispecieswasa sakes. Se re So et tee ae 2 28, 270 28, 270 6, 470 5, 130 39, 870 6 Other nonpulping hardwoods_-_-_-___-_- 137, 860 70, 140 198, 960 406, 960 32, 340 34, 250 473, 550 6.9 TRO ta. eae at eR eS Oo 1, 165, 540 593, 750 1, 067, 920 2, 827, 210 317, 440 323, 540 3, 468, 190 50. 4 3, 325, 400 966, 010 1, 939, 310 6, 230, 720 328, 270 326, 850 6,885,840: ||-2- 222255 CNN EISSRESS esc cr EE eg Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 48.3 14.0 28. 2 90. 5 4.8 r ST fa baci eS 100. 0 i In hardwoods this volume includes limbs 4 inches in diameter and larger. 4 Includes 1,094,000 cubic feet of upper stems. 19 FO RES: £ RESOURGCGES O F S O°-U TH EA S TLE. RON TEXAS Forest Increment Versus Drain => Increment per acre HE increment or the volume growth of a forest stand is the balance between growth and the combined effect of death and decay. Individual trees will increase their net sound volume only when their growth exceeds loss that may occur through decay. Likewise stands of timber increase in volume only when the net growth of the individual trees plus the volume added by trees that move up into the stand from the seed- ling sizes exceeds the loss of volume in trees that die or decay during the period. Table 11 shows the net growth rates of pines and hardwoods in the various forest conditions during 1935, assum- ing no cutting during the year. In the under- sawlog sizes the conspicuously high rates are due to the large volume of trees recruited into the stand during the year from trees that were too small to include in the inventory at the beginning of the year. tion of recruited volume from the small trees in the stand is less, contributing to a lower rate of increment. In sawlog-size conditions the propor- TABLE 11.—Percent of annual increase of stands in the various forest conditions, 1935 Pine Hardwood Forest condition Board feet |Cubic feet | Board feet| Cubic feet Old growth: Percent | Percent | Percent | Percent WMCUbs = sos ee 2.2 2.5 2.5 2,2 Partly cut__----- eee 4.0 4.7 3.0 2.4 Second growth: Sawlog size: Wmeut= 2-2-8222 8.4 6.5 4.3 3.8 Partly:cub-=--*-2-2.2 8.8 6.3 5.2 Sarl Under sawlog size________ 38. 3 18.1 13:5 7.0 Reproduction, clear-cut, and fire-killed=.-=-;..--.=---- iS 7.7 cae 9.7 3.5 Weighted average_____- 8.3 6.9 3.8 3.0 20 ences The results of multiplying the average volumes per acre by the percents given above are shown in table 12, in which the increment per acre is ex- pressed in board feet (International }-inch rule), cubic feet inside bark, and cords. The pine and hardwood components should be added for the total growth per acre. TasLe 12.—Jncrement on the average acre in the various forest conditions, 1935 \- Forest condition Pine component Hardwood component Board | Cubic Board | Cubic Old growth: feet feet | Cords | feet feet | Cords Wineutz2=s 222 eeeese= 72 16 0. 21 104 22 0232 Partly: cut: 222-222-222 66 17 . 22 76 15 23 Second growth: Sawlog size: Wneut=-=22 22222 s2 262 55 42 43 14 . 21 Partly cut...-=-==- 159 35 -47 44 11 17 Under sawlog size___- 88 27 . 36 14 8 m2) Reproduction, clear-cut, and fire-killed___-_----- 5 1 02 1 Lae | eee Weighted average-_- 155 35 . 46 40 12 -18 1 Cubic-foot increment is measured inside bark. Annual Volume Increment In applying the increment rates shown in table 12 to the growing stock in order to find the volume increment for the year, suitable deductions were made for the growth on trees that were removed from the stands in the course of logging and other utilization operations. The increases shown in table 13, therefore, represent an estimate of the actual amount of wood added to the volume of the inventory during 1935, before utilization drain was deducted. The increment expressed in board feet in both pine and hardwood is the increase in volume of saw-timber material only. The incre- ment expressed in cubic feet includes both saw timber and material in trees under sawlog size, as well as upper stems in merchantable pines. ‘The material in upper stems and limbs of merchantable hardwood trees is not included. Increment in board-foot material is expressed in the Interna- tional (44-inch) rule, the equivalent of mill tally, in order that it may be compared later with com- modity drain, which is expressed in this unit of measure. Taste 13.—Forest increment in board feet 1 and cubic feet 2 in the various forest conditions, 1935 Forest condition Pine increment Hardwood increment Total increment M board feet | M cubic feet | M board feet | M cubic feet | M board feet | M cubic feet WldierouGlic =: -c2esencs costes noe cnelheues elect escceeesiuseesacns 67, 900 16, 380 93, 200 18, 740 161, 100 35, 120 Second growth: Sawl0r Sizosmesee seen. eeeen aan eee Nae eT fe 783, 700 165, 550 146, 700 43, 530 930, 400 209, 080 \iidemEswilOe SIZ... a aa wa Semen ene oe eae ceemubewtaasends 150, 500 45, 800 23, 800 12, 750 174, 300 58, 550 Reproduction, clear-cut, and fire-killed__--_---------------------- 2, 300 440 300 50 2, 600 490 ANILCONGITONS 222) deen 2 cas eoe as ceased ei dede manner aecuewcneeosnd 1, 004, 400 228, 170 264, 000 75, 070 1, 268, 400 303, 240 1 International 14-inch rule. Forest Industries and Commodity Drain Although the development of forest industries in southeastern Texas began as early as 1830, very little expansion occurred until after 1880, when the short-line railroads began extending their lines to connect with the larger roads that had traversed the unit and penetrated the West. This gave an outlet for forest products to the new and growing markets in the western prairies. At this time production began to rise gradually, reaching its highest level in 1907, but from that date to 1929 there was a gradual decrease, and in 1932 the volume of forest products marketed was the lowest in 40 years. The trend from 1933 through 1935 was upward and has undoubtedly continued in this direction through 1936 and 1937. According to the 1930 census, forest-products industries rank third in number of people employed in the unit, agriculture being first and oil second. LUMBER As shown in table 14, there were 175 active sawmills in the unit in 1935, 72 percent of which 2 Excluding bark. were cutting pine only. The lumber industries are well distributed throughout the unit (fig. 9). Lumber production in 1935 was 644 million board feet, of which 81 percent was pine and the re- mainder mixed hardwoods, such as magnolia, ash, beech, gum, and red and white oak. All but 24 million board feet of the lumber produced came from logs cut within the unit. Mill capaci- ties range from 2,000 to 210,000 board feet per day. Mills cutting over 40,000 feet per day (fig. 10) produced 78 percent of the total lumber cut. More than half of the lumber produced in the unit came from old-growth timber. The portable and semiportable mills, which cut less than 20,000 feet per day, were using second- growth timber entirely. About 65 percent of the lumber produced in this area was sold within the State, and another 5 percent elsewhere in the South. The lumber industries in the unit fur- nished about 2 million man-days of employment in that year, about half of the employees being whites and the rest Negroes. Judging from the 1936 increase in cut for the whole State, the cut in this unit for 1936 was about 788 million feet. Tasie 14.—Number of sawmills of the various size-classes, productive capacity, production ratio, and employment provided, 1935 , 2 Total annual ee Mills cutting : F Labor provided Daily 10-hour capacity of mill eee many ot (M board feet) - - Gamiber fo ca acit Pine | Hardwood| Mixed | Total tally) pacity | Woods Mills Total 1,000 man- | 1,000 man- | 1,000 man- Number Number Number | Number | M board feet Percent days days days Wd er52 i ee he soe ease See eneh ai 5 9 21 11, 200 20 2 4 6 5 SCONO setae ern ee So Ee esa 35 4 2 41 58, 800 17 10 15 25 1 O;GORLO iueae dis SABI RE he ta Wea 2 eke 42 2 6 50 193, 200 18 31 60 91 AG ORSD are Ae cone a seu cee 23 8 3 34 246, 500 38 89 191 280 AOC On Qa se ae Soe F2 kn els 6 5 3 14 213, 700 55 164 287 451 BOfandloversets so aet so ees sea 13 Vs | earn 15 623, 400 62 422 647 1, 069 Motalioriaverdge =. 2/222 234 3h a 22 126 26 23 175 1, 346, 800 48 718 1, 204 1, 922 21 Ficure 10.—A large pine sawmill. F258178 The 620 million board feet of lumber produced from local timber, augmented by some 16 million feet of saw timber cut in the unit and supplied to outside mills, made a total saw-timber drain occa- sioned by the lumber industry of 636 million board feet, or, including incidental waste, 103,390,000 cubic feet. This accounts for 69 percent of the total commodity drain in the unit, which differs from the actual production of sawmills and other wood-using plants and activities by the amount of woods waste incidental to manufacture. CROSS TIES During 1935 there were produced within the unit 1,423,000 cross ties, of which 66 percent were pine and the remainder mixed hardwoods. About 85 percent of the pine trees used for ties were as small as 12 and 14 inches d. b. h. Hardwood trees used for ties ranged from 12 to 24 inches in diameter. Most of the ties were sold to local rail- roads and treating plants. Cross-tie operations furnished 213,000 man-days of labor. The requirement of the cross-tie industry in saw timber was 69,800,000 board feet, which, includ- ing incidental waste, was equivalent to a drain of 22) 11,940,000 cubic feet against the good-tree inven- tory, or 8 percent of the total cubic-foot drain. POLES AND PILES In all, 144,000 poles and piles were produced in the unit in 1935, all of which came from pine timber. This industry furnished about 26,000 man-days of labor in the woods. Sawlog-size trees used in the production of poles and piles in this area in 1935 contained 8,000,000 board feet. Under-sawlog-size trees used during the same period contained 250,000 cubic feet. Total cubic- foot drain of sawlog- and under-sawlog-size mate- rial, including incidental waste, was 1,780,000 cubic feet, or 1 percent of the total cubic-foot drain of all forest industries operating in this area. PULPWOOD In 1935 there were no pulp mills operating in the unit. No pulpwood was cut and none has been included in the utilization drain. The new pulp mill at Houston, completed early in 1937, will cause an estimated annual drain of 100,000 cords of pine pulpwood from the unit. A pulp and paper mill at Orange has been idle for several 3, z a 2 C. WwW CHEROKEE YO ANDERSON \ ‘\ ) "J } < t { AUGUSTINE SAN { A UGUS) INE } JBHEMPHILL z \ LU ee he o SABINE / NATIONAL ‘tz ANORLINA : ceri WH ae: M); s NATIONAL ~ ° ee : FOREST bf PINELAND e & c LOvELAoy® By Uo L T ORGY -_— Ee 6 ) WIERGATEP CORRIGAN \ \ \ CHESTER ‘ \ Ze | OOUCETTE ° BASHILLIsTeR uN amy STATE fly, | FOREST =! Boar’ vO" x re \ STATE ma FORESTE | ey i BBQVILLAGE MILLS ® %) t 7 goo 4 > j acme e : oo ee Le MQNTGO\MERY \ LC ! yt J BESSMAYO | i 1 bewervel amo LEGEND PINE SAWMILLS HARDWOOD) « MIXED “ Be VENEER PLANTS FS CREOSOTING « Bh vesron STAVE PULP - OTHER - AUSTIN @ THE COMPARATIVE SIZES OF SAWMILLS WITH A CAPACITY OF 20M BOARD FEET PER DAY ARE INDICATED AS FOLLOWS: 20-39 40 & OVER WU bad EY LOCATION OF AREA IN THE 12 MILLS OF 1-19 M BOARD STATE OF TEXAS FEET CAPACITY PER DAY ARE NOT SHOWN. STATUTE MILES je e_ 86s ee ] 10 ° 10 20 30 LOCATION WITHIN COUNTIES APPROXIMATE ONLY Ficure 9.—Wood-using plants in southeastern Texas. 23 years but is now making paper from purchased pulp and is expected to resume the production of pulp in 1939. VENEER AND CONTAINERS Located within the unit are four veneer and package plants, while two more north of the unit The capacity of the individual plants ranges from 12,000 to 16,000 board feet per day. size log cut during 1935 was 15 inches in diameter. Of the species cut, 19 percent was pine; the rest, gum, beech, and magnolia. In this same year these plants used 12,600,000 board feet of pine and hardwood material for veneer; and this in- dustry furnished 65,000 of labor. Southern markets buy 70 percent of the produc- draw a portion of their timber from it. The average man-days tion, while most of the remainder is shipped to markets in the Northeastern States. The veneer industries caused a total drain, in- cluding incidental waste, of 1,860,000 cubic feet, or 1 percent of the total cubic-foot drain occa- sioned by all forest industries operating within the unit. COOPERAGE One cooperage plant within the unit, and another to the west draw all their timber from the These two plants consumed 3,400,000 board feet of pine and hardwood material during 1935. in diameter and above for bourbon staves and similar products. The other is cutting only second-growth pine for staves and heading for slack cooperage. These two plants furnished 13,000 man-days of employment in 1935. Southern markets consume about 4 percent of the products, other States 33 percent, and the export trade 63 percent. Merchantable material (plus incidental waste) used for the production of cooperage in 1935 totaled 520,000 cubic feet. Cooperage drain was less than 0.5 percent of the total cubic-foot drain in the unit. unit. One plant is cutting white oak 14 inches FUEL WOOD Even though there is a bountiful supply of gas in the unit, a large demand for fuel wood bids fair Figure 11.—Utilization of scrub oak stands for fuel wood. 24 << to continue. During 1935 there were nearly 658,000 cords of pine and hardwood used for fuel, of which 344,000 came from dead or cull material (fig. 11) and 314,000 were drain on the Of the total volume con- sumed for domestic purposes, 75 percent was used in rural farm homes, 13 percent in rural nonfarm homes, and 12 percent in urban homes. The commercial users are country stores, cotton gins, schools, and laundries. Almost all of the fuel wood is cut by farmers, and it is estimated that its production furnishes 987,000 man-days of labor in the unit each year. In 1935 the volume of fuel wood cut from sawlog- size trees approximated 66 million board feet. The sound under-sawlog-size timber used for the same purpose exceeded 11 million cubic feet. The total cubic-foot drain of fuel wood on the good-tree inventory (plus incidental waste) for 1935 was estimated to be 23% million cubic feet, or 16 percent of the total commodity drain. Precise data on which to base such estimates were difficult to obtain, even though a sampling study was carried on for that purpose. The volumes good-tree inventory. as stated must be considered as approximations only. FENCE POSTS Very little of the forest land is under fence. Pastures and cultivated areas make up the bulk of the fenced acreage. Practically all of the fences are of wire with wooden posts, most of which are red or post oak, although some sap pine posts are used. It is estimated that 3% million fence posts were cut and placed in 1935, of which two-fifths were considered to be from good trees. A volume of nearly 3 million board feet was cut from saw timber and 680,000 cubic feet from under-sawlog-size timber in the production of these posts. ‘Total drain from good trees in 1935, including waste, was more than a million cubic feet, or 1 percent of the total commodity drain. Cutting of fence posts furnished to farmers 43,000 man-days of labor anually. MISCELLANEOUS USES There are 10 industrial plants in this group, scattered throughout the unit, with individual consumption capacities of 1,000 to 10,000 board feet per day. The excelsior mills use pine only, 25 the greater percentage of the trees cut being under 10 inches d. b. h. One handle plant is using second-growth pine, averaging 10 to 14 inches d. b. h. Another handle plant uses ash only and requires trees larger than 14 inches d. b. h. Shingle mills are cutting heart cypress, a large percentage of which is taken from dead and down material. Most of the dunnage wood used is a very low grade of hardwood lumber. The mine-prop operations confine their use to young second-growth pines 6 to 8 inches in diameter. ‘The pieces are peeled and are used untreated in Mexican mines. Domestic farm use includes all round and split material taken directly from the forest for general construction and repairs. The land-clearing drain includes the estimated volume of timber felled or girdled each year through the conversion of forest to cropland. This volume is not included in other classifications. During 1935 the miscellaneous uses caused a drain of 15 million board feet of material from sawlog-size trees and more than 2% million cubic feet from under-sawlog-size trees. The total drain from good trees was 5 million cubic feet, which includes incidental waste, or 4 percent of the total commodity drain. Exclusive of land clearing and farm use, 11,000 man-days of labor were expended in these operations in 1935. TOTAL COMMODITY DRAIN Table 15 summarizes the total commodity drain from good trees in 1935 as close to 150 million cubic feet. This volume includes all material cut and utilized, as well as the incidental drain in sound volume left in the forest as a result of cutting. Of this drain, the volume coming from sawlog-size material was 814 million board feet. The best available estimate indicates that the capacity of the forest industries now installed, if all were operating full time for an entire year, would be approximately 1% billion board feet, exclusive of the demands for cross ties, poles and piles, fuel wood, and fence posts. Should economic condi- tions warrant operation at full capacity, the drain would exceed the increment as shown for 1935 by at least a quarter of a billion feet. Past records indicate, however, that industrial capacities are seldom reached and never maintained for any length of time, while the unused increment in less-than-capacity years accumulates to help meet the requirements of peak years. TABLE 15.—Commodity drain from good trees, 1935 Commodity Saw timber ! All material 2 Pines Hardwoods Total Pines | Hardwoods Total M board feet | M board feet | M board feet | M cubic feet | M cubic feet | M cubic feet qua Ones se ns aS ae ee 506, 200 130, 300 636, 500 84, 770 18, 620 103, 390 Oross:ties.... = ---- 2-2 47, 600 22, 200 69, 800 8, 700 3, 240 11, 940 Poles and piles___--__-___- 8; 000s|P2eeescesaeee= 8, 000 1180) |S soneoe ee ae 1, 780 Veneers.._.__----------- 2, 500 10, 100 12, 600 420 1, 440 1, 860 Coopetages. = 228 sea ee eee eee son ee eee 1, 100 2,300 3, 400 200 320 520 UGE WOOU = eee ees eee ee ee ea 2 ee eee 42, 800 23, 400 66, 200 11, 820 11, 730 23, 550 Henceiposts2 2 222 as aes es 2 See oe es a ce eee 2, 500 400 2, 900 690 490 1, 180 NVUISCOMANCOUS sa SP Ce ee ae ee em Saas 7, 800 7, 300 15, 100 2, 930 2, 600 5, 530 ED Gta] Sow eee te ae See ee hs ee oe 618, 500 196, 000 814, 500 111, 310 38, 440 149, 750 1 Expressed in International 14-inch rule, which is used as the equivalent of green lumber tally. 2 Expressed in cubic feet excluding bark. EMPLOYMENT IN FOREST INDUSTRIES In table 16 is shown the production of the various forest industries and the man-days of employment provided in the woods and mill. The production listed is based on the actual cut of the various plants and activities and includes logs and other material brought in from other survey units. drain which is part of the commodity drain It does not include the incidental from good trees shown in table 15. The figures for man-days of labor employed in mills are based upon actual production rather than upon drain; those for man-days of woods labor are based upon material cut from the unit only. TABLE 16.—Production and employment data, 1935 | Employment Kind of industry Quantity produced in or commodity 1935 Woods|} Mill Total 1,600 1,000 1,000 man- man- man- days days days Treating plants._--| 5,730,000 cubic feet__-_-_|--_---- 102 102 Fuel wood--------- 658,000 cords_-_---------- An eee 987 Naval stores- ---_-- L000units =. 2222-22-52. 14 2 16 Cross tiesto. 2 = 22 1,423,000 pieces_-___--__-- 1 213 Poles and piles_-.__ | 144,000 pieces-_--_-------- 26. < ses ess | 26 Fence posts__-----. | 3,293,000 pieces -__-_.----- AS jesece=s 43 Sawmills_-_____ 644,200,006 board feet ___- 718 | 1, 204 1, 922 Veneer--_------- 11,400,000 board feet ____- 19 46 65 Cooperage-- ------- 3;600'cords..2 == 22 s22.- 8 5 13 Miscellaneous !-__-| 7,000 cords- ------------- 8 3} 1 Motaleesas406|_2 2.2 eee en eee 2,036 | 1,362 3, 398 1 Does not include domestic farm use or land clearing. 26 Comparison of Increment and Drain In table 17 the net annual increment of timber in the saw-timber sizes is compared with the annual commodity drain. The total net incre- ment of good trees in 1935, as given in table 13, was 1,268 million board feet by the International ¥-inch rule. This exceeds the commodity drain by 454 million board feet. In the pines, the commodity drain was 62 percent of the net incre- ment, while in the hardwoods it was 74 percent. The growing stock of pine saw timber was in- creased by 386 million board feet and the hard- wood of the same classification by 68 million board feet. Figure 12 shows the relation between the net increment and the commodity drain (a rough estimate) in the various forest conditions. Taste 17.—Balance between increment and drain in board feet (International ¥,-inch rule) Item Pine Hardwood Total Net growing stock, Jan. 1, | Af board feet | M board feet | M board feet 1A fs pe ee epee ee pa 12, 409, 800 6, 991, 100 19, 400, 900 Forest increment, 1935_____- 1, 004, 400 264, 000 1, 268, 400 Commodity drain, 1935____- 618, 500 196, 000 814, 506 Net growing stock, Jan. 1, 19862 2222-2 =2 s2esusss-e 12, 795, 700 7, 059, 100 19, 854, 800 Net increase in grow- ing stock, 1935. -___-- 385, 900 68, 000 453, 900 The rate of cutting in the old-growth stands greatly exceeds the annual increment, with the e result that the growing stock is being rapidly reduced. The majority of the larger pine mills report that their supply of original-growth timber will be practically cut out within 10 years. Since nearly all the pine mills in the section, however, have for some years been cutting second growth as well as old growth, the exhaustion of the old- growth supply does not necessarily imply a closing down of mills or a reduction in the cut of the unit. The annual increment in second-growth pine MILLION BOARD FEET 800 600 400 "J ne <4 QI Wooo dd 2X on S ~ ?. mone ro% “o ~ or <> Sch <= OO eM <> ne 52 SS a es Ss 4 > x “a % < CS eats “ore, o "a ron y & re or oe or . 2 "at es ~ ~~ oO Se > 4 o Y vesenes "SECOND GROWTH SAWLOG SIZE PINES GZ FOREST INCREMENT Ficure 12.—Comparison of forest increment and commodity drain in 1935 in various forest conditions ZA ALL OTHER CONDITIONS ALL OTHER CONDITIONS SECOND GROWTH SAWLOG SIZE HARDWOODS stands is sufficiently large to compensate for the drain on old-growth stands. It will not, however, be equal in quality to the increment on old-growth timber. Eventually there will be a reduction in the output of export timbers, dense-grain flooring, and similar products that are necessarily produced from high-quality old-growth stands. In hardwood stands, the supply of old growth plus its increment will meet the drain against it longer than in old- growth pine stands, but the present increment of high-quality material in second-growth hardwood stands does not compensate for the drain on the old growth. 27 In 1935, the net increment of good trees was 303 million cubic feet (table 18), exceeding the com- modity drain by 153 million. Twenty-nine million feet of this increment was in upper stems of sawlog- size pines and, owing to its inferior quality, will probably be little used by the forest industries; fuel wood, which caused a drain of 24 million cubic feet against the good-tree inventory, would be a suitable use for this class of material. The remaining 274 million cubic feet represents the increase in volume of the under-sawlog-size trees and the saw-timber portion of sawlog-size trees. Approximately 80 percent of this volume increase was in saw-timber stands averaging 2,680 board feet (Doyle) per acre. TasLe 18.—Balance between increment and drain in cubic feet Item Pine Hardwood Tctal | |M cubic feet |M cubic feet | M cubic feet Net growing stock, Jan. 1, 1935___| 3,403,510 | 2, 232, 370 5, 635, 880 Forest increment, 1935_._________- | 228, 170 75, 070 303, 240 Commodity drain, 1935_-_----___- 111, 310 38, 440 149, 750 Net growing stock, Jan. 1, 1936__ 3, 520, 370 2, 269, 000 5, 789, 370 Net increase in growing | | | stock, 1935......--.--.-_- 116, 860 | | 153, 490 36, 630 In addition to the sound volume in good trees there is a considerable volume of sound material in both sound and rotten cull trees. It is estimated that the sound volume in cull pine trees increased by half a million cubic feet during 1935, and that similar material in the hardwoods increased by 10 million cubic feet. It should be realized that this sound volume in cull trees can be utilized only for products in which quality is not essential. Fuel wood, which now takes about 12 million cubic feet of good pines each year, is undoubtedly its best use. As more of the higher quality wood is reserved for use by the wood-using industries, it seems possible and desirable that the use of this sound volume for fuel wood should materially increase, and should take the whole half million feet of increment in cull pines. During 1935 about 8 million cubic feet of cull hardwoods were used for fuel wood— an amount equal to 80 percent of the annual increment of this cull volume. FOREST RE 5:0 U RCE S O F SOM, 2he EE AG Shei Shake SN: aE aexer AGS Special-Use Resources Ss > given are supplies of timber of especial value for certain uses which are either as yet unde- veloped or at present supplied from timber of a [Teves are in the timber estimates already higher quality than is justified. Prominent among these uses are pulpwood, poles and piling, and gum and wood naval stores. This section is ° designed to point out additional facts about these special-use resources. It should be remem- bered that the volumes given are not in addition to the total volume estimate but are included in it. Pulpwood Table 19 shows the cordwood volume—in standard stacked cords (4 by 4 by 8 feet), con- taining 90 cubic feet of pine and cypress and 80 cubic feet of hardwood, including bark—classified according to species groups, diameter classes, and forest-type groups in all live sound trees (except scrub oak) of which the diameter outside bark at breast height is at least 5 inches. In pines and under-sawlog-size hardwoods, the stem wood is included to a minimum 4-inch top, while in sawlog-size hardwoods and cypress, merchant- able material is included to a minimum top diameter of 8.5 inches. The volumes in upper stems of sawlog-size hardwoods, in limbs of all species, and in woods cull have been deducted. 28 Ke Of the 79 million cords in live, sound irees, about half is in loblolly and shortleaf pine, one-quarter in nonpulping hardwoods, one-sixth in pulping hardwoods, and the remainder in longleaf pine. The pine types make up 77 percent of the total pulping volumes. Sixty-three percent of the pine volume and 51 percent of the pulping hardwood volume are in trees less than 13 inches in diame- ter—material of the size most suitable for pulp- wood. This abundant supply of timber in the smaller diameter classes has a double signifi- cance. If the industries of the unit should swing in the near future predominantly toward pulp production, a portion of these smaller sizes imme- diately will be in demand for pulpwood. If, on the other hand, the lumber industry at present in the area adopts the policy of growing high-quality saw timber, these small trees can be developed into high-value timber. Actually there is suffi- cient volume and increment in these smaller trees to provide for a reasonable pulpwood cut in addition to the reserve necessary for the produc- tion of more valuable saw timber. The total volume of pulping woods, expressed in cords, includes not only the sound material in the live good trees but also some of the volume in the tops and limbs of merchantable trees and all the sound material in cull trees. Table 20 shows that this total cordwood volume in pines and pulping hardwoods is 64% million cords. TasBLe 19.—Net cordwood volume in pine and hardwood species groups, classified according to tree diameter class and forest type group Forest type group Species group and tree diameter (inches) Shortleaf- All groups Longleaf lobloll Hardy ina oblolly- Tardwood I hardwood Longleaf: Cords Cords Cords Cords Percent Git0; 8 eee = ee es a ements wonton Sansone soa han aoa ee Pook ase re eee 547, 800 62, 500 4, 800 615, 100 0.8 DOP On 28s see ree oasao ees geese ccee ates sees eeeceoes deta sateecanaspeaneeu 1, 049, 200 74, 100 5, 300 1, 128, 600 1.5 V4 tO Gea oe Se as ee ae ee oe es a a Sas oe ew seen sees oasntee vay 849, 800 44, 700 3, 000 897, 500 i ar SCO: 20 eee «ae ort ae ae = ee eee nS oct Se one Ao adesesces 472, 400 15/200)| 42-64 S222. == 487, 600 6 Q2andvmnore: S22) ease ao aes a nace ek eben eee ee sea eoee feiss es 385, 800 Ss (00i eee eee os. 394, 500 x5 Ota See eee eee een meee een eat ee ne ee SaaS cae 3, 305, 000 205, 200 13, 100 3, 523, 300 4.5 | Loblolly and shortleaf pine GiUO Gaetan wee as bene cad, Soe s on a peeks een w eee kneae can deeeeashanees 332, 900 10, 669, 100 603, 800 11, 605, 800 14.7 TROVE) Be ga et a sea 406, 300 14, 136, 100 337, 400 14, 879, 800 18.9 Tait Oul Oita sie Soe ease a Sesentesn scattessee season sc seassassceee esse 250, 800 8, 512, 000 95, 300 8, 858, 100 1:2 SiG 0120 seen sees ie ae eee ee oe ea ee eae ane 83, 200 3, 316, 300 32, 500 3, 482, 000 4.4 D2ANGRN OVO wee era ee eee ae eee cee eee eee See o nee 73, 100 2, 358, 600 29, 800 2, 461, 500 3.1 FYE toni Carraroe ets Sh en ns Seen ee ee eae ne ane eee eeee oss J, 146, 300 38, 992, 100 1, 098, 800. 41, 237, 200 52.3 Pulping hardwoods: CUO LE StS a a a a ee 64, 600 1, 529, 200 1, 222, 500 2, 816, 300 3.6 OFC OLD stem terse reece ete Me ee ee eee sens tenes ee een 52, 300 1, 937, 100 1, 861, 700 3, 851, 100 4.9 AGC Onl 8 Gemeente OMe 5 a Deo soe ese} Soe 22 5 oa eae sean es eea ce 33, 000 1, 623, 200 2, 021, 500 3, 677, 700 4.6 POLE CAV UR 000) ose pe Sel eee 4, 000 630, 800 2, 196, 400 2, 831, 200 3.6 Ota Mee eee raee a. ae ee oe oe estate tecsaceeos act lecsesietan 153, 900 5, 720, 300 7, 302, 100 13, 176, 300 16.7 Nonpulping hardwoods: Gil Ol Shree tet Die See Lee ec areal venp ocas cee beac cneaetecenebennsace 70, 700 2, 385, 400 1, 922, 900 4, 379, 000 5.6 LOM OWL2 2 eshte tee eae tr Pe See ie ot Seb Sea Se oa sheaeeen ose 47, 600 3, 047, 600 3, 023, 100 6, 118, 300 iene VALOIS Bae eens os So oe = Se eo oe stake sence seston eases yaaa 38, 600 2, 383, 100 3, 372, 100 5, 793, 800 13 20landim Orewa weer 26 eee ee set So eas Se ste es sec ese ose sasee 23, 100 1, 148, 800 3, 449, 100 4, 621, 000 5.9 PL Ota ree ert nt hd cope cal aden cases ewe nasi ebaaeasereeeaenceeaces 180, 000 8, 964, 900 11, 767, 200 20, 912, 100 26.5 4, 785, 200 53, 882, 500 20, 181, 200 78, 848, 900 |_.--____----_- MAY SPOCIOS ate een ne LAs Le ee Slee oe oo cot adnan sc sesce- Sateen a eens Percent Percent Percent 6.1 68. 3 PL 6 | er 100.0 Taste 20.—Net cordwood volume of pulping species classified according to species group and quality class Quality class Pines Ree a Total pulping species Good trees: Cords Cords Cords Percent Under 13 inches--_-- 28, 229, 300 6, 706, 500 | 34, 935, 800 53. 9 13 inches and larger: Sawlog material_| 14, 720, 200 6, 508, 900 | 21, 229, 100 32.8 Upper stems1__] 1,811,000 | 3,560,600 | 5,371, 600 8.3 Sound and rotten culls__ 186, 300 | 3,019,800 | 3, 206, 100 5.0 44, 946, 800 | 19,795, 800 | 64,742, 600 |--.-____- All classes_-_-------- Percent Percent 69. 4 SONG Sees seee sea 100.0 1TIn hardwoods this volume includes limbs 4 inches in diameter and Jarger. The volume in stems of sound trees (56 million cords) constitutes the major part of the pulpwood growing stock of the unit and should in general be held intact. Only its annual increment under the of principle sustained yield should be considered for possible utilization; and a considerable part of this will be needed to support the present and future requirements of the lumber, pole, tie, and other wood-using industries. Some part of the increment, however, can be used most advan- tageously for pulpwood, and to this volume can be added a portion of the 8,577,700 cords of sound material in cull trees and in the upper stems and limbs of sound trees that are cut for other pur- poses. Under present utilization practices, very little of this material is so used, the only demand made upon it being for fuel wood. Future use is problematical, except as local scarcity or ma- terially increased prices may create a larger de- mand. ‘The possibilities in salvage of this sound material are indicated in table 20. The heaviest stands occur in the shortleaf- loblolly-hardwood type, which averages 13% cords per acre. Some stands in the southwestern portion of the unit contain as high as 40 or more cords per acre. The hardwood types average about 12 cords per acre, more than half of which is nonpulping material. The longleaf types, con- taining most of the clear-cut acreage, average > only 5 cords per acre. Figure 13 shows the average cordwood volume | corps PER ACRE 14 SS tatotetetetat retatetetetere Stee ee sees > EXAS is the largest State in the Union, but it ranks among the lowest in the South in the proportion of its land area occupied by commercial timber stands. Approximately 10% million acres of commercial forest land in the State are within the 36 easternmost counties. These forests are the nearest and most logical source of timber supply from which to meet the growing requirements of a population that has more than doubled since 1900. If conservatively handled, they can meet these requirements for material and in so doing furnish needed employ- ment to about 25,000 of the State’s population. The forest resource is of outstanding significance to the population, industries, and utilities of this survey unit, since agriculture cannot be expected to assume any larger place than it now occupies. The petroleum industry, at present of great im- portance, must eventually decrease in importance as the supplies of oil are reduced. From the standpoint of the State as a whole as well as from that of the southeast portion, there is every justi- fication for a strong and sustained effort to bring these forests up to their maximum production and to encourage the development of wood-using industries of such size and diversity of output as to utilize fully the forest products on a permanent basis. Southeastern Texas has long been an important center for forest industries. Until recently, large double-band sawmills, such as that at Diboll, with a daily capacity of 120,000 board feet, were the characteristic plants throughout the unit; but as the supply of old-growth timber declines, the large mills are reducing their operations or are being replaced gradually by smaller mills which utilize second-growth timber. With the change in size of mills and character of the timber cut, 35 22g there have come marked changes in methods of logging and transportation. The prevalence of steam skidders involving clear-cutting is decreasing, whereas the use of animal and tractor logging with a degree of selective cutting has grown to large proportions. Also trucks are rapidly taking the place of railroads for transporting logs from woods to mill. The production of poles, piles, and railroad ties is increasing. Established mills and operations are now using only a small part of the large volume of low-grade pine and hardwood material avail- able throughout the forest. This large volume of inferior wood is not only a positive hindrance to optimum forest increment, but also represents an economic waste of material that might help main- tain new industries of great value to the region. Although the forest stands in southeastern Texas are among the best in the South in volume and growth per acre, they can be materially improved and their value increased. In the past, largely through lack of diversified markets, it has seldom been possible to apply fully integrated utilization in harvesting this timber; but this situation is changing for the better, in that profitable outlets for more low-grade commodities are becoming available. The development of the pulp-and- paper industry in the South has improved the opportunity for more intensive forest management and should continue to do so. If the growing stock is to achieve its full development and con- tribute its full share to the economic life of the section, there must be a recognition of the defi- ciencies of the stand, an understanding of what measures are necessary to cure these ills, and a conscious, regionwide movement to put such measures into execution. About 200,000 acres, mostly in the longleaf pine type in Newton, Jasper, Angelina, and ‘Tyler Counties, are virtually denuded of trees, as a result of the skidder logging of past decades. Large areas of second-growth stands contain a heavy pro- portion of hardwood species that may never produce the high-grade lumber now required by the hardwood-lumber industry. While the average timber stand, all types and conditions combined, contains 2,900 board feet per acre, there are many scattered areas throughout the unit in which the density of stocking varies from far above to far below the average. Over extensive areas of second growth, for instance, in the “Big Thicket’ of Hardin and Liberty Counties, the stands are tco dense and would be greatly improved by the removal of surplus trees. Because they are so largely second growth, the stands are generally deficient in large trees that produce high-grade lumber, and this situation has a strong tendency to become more marked and widespread as the saw-mills depend more and more on_ second growth and as pulp mills begin to compete for small timber. To remedy these conditions, the first essential is effective protection from fire over the entire forest area. If fires are prevented, the number of trees per acre will increase, mortality will be materially reduced, and the loss in volume and quality on standing trees will be greatly decreased. Fire protection on the cut-over longleaf pinelands will result in the natural restocking of a part of the area, thus reducing the area that must be artifi- cially restocked through planting. Another essential step is the removal of cull trees, trees of inferior species, and surplus stems (in over- crowded stands). In order to preserve or improve the present balance between hardwood and pine in several of the widely prevalent forest types, some means must be found for removing and utilizing, if possible, the hardwood as well as the pine. If this is not done, great areas now predominantly pine may become predominantly hardwood in_ the course of a few decades. Broadly speaking, the 36 introduction of measures io correct the present deficiencies in the stands will depend very largely upon the opportunity to market low-grade all- size material, both pine and hardwood. With the promise of a growing demand for this class of mate- rial, more intensive handling of the stands seems to be justified. It is not expected that the improvement in forest practices outlined here will be instituted through- out the area immediately. There are, however, a considerable number of individual timber owners with a large aggregate acreage who can profitably put their timberlands under full fire protection and engage in sustained-yield operations based upon selective cutting and integrated utilization. Also the several National and State forests within the unit should demonstrate to private owners the best methods of handling their forest property. Public ownership and management seem the logi- cal solution in the larger blocks of denuded long- leaf pineland, where at least 150,000 acres probably will have to be planted if they are to be restored to productivity within a reasonable time. Much study and experimentation in silviculture, in utili- zation, and in marketing are required to solve the many problems of forest management, and these researches should be started at once and vigorously carried forward as a distinct project of the United States Forest Service,” in a number of small experi- mental forests suitably located in the several major forest types. The growing awareness of the people of ‘Texas that the forest resource must play an important part in the future development of the State augurs well. Timber owners in southeastern Texas should likewise appreciate that realizable profits are ahead for those who manage their properties with con- scious intent to grow consecutive crops of timber on the same land, since this section ranks among the best in the South in opportunities for prac- ticing sustained-yield forestry for profit. 2 The logical place for such a project would be the South- ern Forest Experiment Station. Organization of the United States Department of Agriculture When this publication was last printed DIKES SeCretanycOfASTICUltUre. s & ikiraeiee a uin rw Hse velost ee oe senses wh RSE wae Henry A. WALLACE. OTA PIE Te acre UA ORS CRE CR o eee e garse eee M. L. Wison. PASS ¢ SEATED SECT ELAN Paco ccs iW ace ay oret (ois Aces ab Sys reigio cals ine sysyeiieheicaise se: sve ueeaps arenete es Harry L. Brown. Coordinator of Land Use Planning and Director of Information................ M. S. EtsENHOWER. D)irectoraojalextens10n WV OTe ese. yee aes ota ey Ae thee Ae cies we Pe see eee C. W. WarRBURTON. LD inecl oro PLAIN Gnce; aa mea wnati RE Ee eee eter: wines SO eee eens W. A. Jump. DDiTECLOTAO FPL ETSONNEL his wees aie Sie ei Se ae tee PTE Sera ote ne Ge Saves ae Roy F. HEnpRICKSON. Di PeClOTO PA RESCATCN Gaia cians cig So tane Ook & es GaSe ia see Poe on ee wae ee et James T. JARDINE. ISOLLGUL OMEN MM saat Mcafee Nay eM aie cer uahes ye easy colic as,