Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. _ FOREST RESOURCES of Northeastern Florida FOREST SERVICE United States Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 313 SUN Dr swt Ah Es “DEPARTMENT OF AGRIGULTURE MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION NO. 313 WASHINGTON, D.C; AUGUST 1938 Forest Resources of Northeastern Florida 97? ° KE by F. A. INESON, forest economist and 1. F. ELDREDGE, chief, Field Division, Forest Survey SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION FOREST SERVICE 77° KE Field work in charge of M. M. LEHRBAS, si/viculturist and E. B. FAULKS, associate forest economist Computations in charge of P. R. WHEELER, associate forest economist UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE . WASHINGTON . 1938 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 E, 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 prod- ucts, production and consumption, depletion 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 McSweehey-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 formulation of guiding principles and policies fundamental to a system of planned management and land use for each forest region and for the Nation. The five-fold 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 consumption 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 interpreted as portraying correctly the forest situation for small sections, the condition 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 ele Omher i mls Re rs hOMmURR Cer Si Ock NWR Ut BA Sot ER IN BIO) RL DA Contents 272 KE Page imtroduetionvand, explanation of terms used . . fyi ee ke ke a I General Land-use classes Forest types ‘Topographic situations Forest conditions Turpentine tree conditions Species groups Tree classes Log rules Summary of findings ae Area and general conditions The forest Naval stores Wood products . Forestry measures essential General description . Land use Topography Climate Transportation Ownership . ‘Taxation Agriculture BoOpulation ..6 4s. 2. Ocala National Forest . Forest description Forest types Forest conditions Stocking of forest stands Site quality Reproduction Fire damage Naval stores aspects Gum naval stores industry Gum naval stores resources . Future outlook for gum naval stores ee NYNovWnytannrhnoddwv @®woonrnntnnrnrarvrFH BPA AWHWWNN NY Wood naval stores industry and resources . bo b III Wood-products aspects Saw-timber volumes . Cordwood volumes Cubic-foot volumes Poles and piles . Pulpwood resources . Forest increment Wood-products industries Commodity drain. .... Comparison of increment with commodity drain Future needs Gt as Hee se, ee Dominant forest types in northeastern Florida (map) IV HOM Ret Salar SO URE YS: Ok N ORM eT E CA S 4 ER N 1g ab, XO) RYAN IDE TAN Introduction and Explanation of Terms Used oe IN serene ont any Florida is distinctly dif ferent from any other section of similar size in the United States. As soon as one crosses the State line from Georgia, he finds owner- ship of land in larger tracts, a different tax situation, and less intensive management of forests. Over three-fourths of the survey unit is in forest, and most of the sites here are better than those to the south and west. usual in that the principal transportation systems focus on a single point, Jacksonville, to which tur- pentine, rosin, and the other forest products are brought for redistribution throughout the world. In planning for the development of northeastern Furthermore, this section is un- Florida, it must be recognized that forests have long been the most important source of its basic raw ma- terials. A knowledge of the kind, character, and quantity of these materials and of the industries en- gaged in their utilization is essential to the formula- tion of sound forest policies that will benefit both present and future generations. present knowledge of these factors is presented in this report, together with their significance and their relation to the industries and communities de- pendent upon the forest resources. Certain lines of action in regional planning can be suggested now, but the solution of the general problems of forest land use and industrial development must wait until the whole southern pine region, of which this survey unit forms a part, is analyzed. This report on northeastern Florida, or Florida Unit No. 1—one of several key units in the South covered by the Forest Survey—is based on a survey conducted between the latter part of November 1933 and the end of July 1934. A number of trained three-man crews recorded the conditions on 11,956 quarter-acre plots distributed at -mile in- tervals along lines 10 miles apart, running approxi- A summary of —_ KE mately east and west. corded the class of land use; and on forest plots they recorded the forest type and condition, tallied the trees by species and diameter classes, and deter- mined the rate of growth of the timber during the past 10 years. The data obtained, when used as a statistical sample, indicate that the larger figures for the major classifications are reliable to within 5 For each plot the crews re- percent. For relatively small figures in a given classification the reliability may be less, however, and such figures should be regarded only as indica- tive. Also, data concerning industrial conditions and forest depletion were obtained on all of the naval stores still operations and on a large number of the wood-products industries. tion and probable future trends in national require- Present consump- ments for timber and other forest products are being studied on a Nation-wide basis and will be treated in a separate report. The following definitions of the technical and un- usual terms used in this report are given below to facilitate easy grasp of the forest situation discussed herein. General Forest Survey Unit.—The term “‘forest survey unit” means an area of 2 to 10 million acres in which forest, economic, and industrial conditions are reasonably homogeneous. The division of a State in this manner facilitates analysis and dis- cussion of the forest situation. Naval stores unit—This unit is equivalent to one 50-gallon barrel of turpentine and three and one-third 500-pound (gross) barrels of rosin. Land-use Classes Productive forest land—Forest land that has the qualities essential for the growth of commercial timber. Nonproductive forest land.—Forest land that does not have the qualities essential for the growth of commercial timber. Cultivated agricultural land.—Land being used for the pro- duction of farm or orchard crops, or that shows evidence of having been so used during the preceding 2 years. Idle agricultural land.—Cultivated land that has been idle for 2 years or more but has not reached the abandoned stage. Abandoned agricultural land.—Formerly cultivated land that shows distinct signs of having been abandoned for agricul- tural crop production; no attempt has been made to main- tain it as improved pasture. Improved pasture —Cleared or open land that is under fence, used primarily for grazing’ and upon which an attempt has been made to maintain a sod. Other areas —Areas included within the corporate limits and suburban or industrial sections of cities and communi- ties; power, rail, and highway rights-of-way; marsh; non- meandered waterways; and prairie. Forest Types Longleaf pine.—Longleaf pine constitutes at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under- sawlog-size stands. ‘This type is found on the drier soils of both the flatwoods and rolling uplands. Scrub oak areas that show promise of coming back to longleaf pine are in- cluded in the longleaf type. Longleaf-slash pine-—Longleaf and slash pine together con- stitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in saw- log-size stands and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands, neither species alone accounting for 75 percent. This type is found in a few areas in the flatwoods that are dry enough for long- leaf pine, and that have escaped fire for a sufficient length of time to permit the slash pine to become established. Slash pine.—Slash pine constitutes at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under- sawlog-size stands. This type is confined largely to the flatwoods and adjacent ponds and swamps—that is, to moist situations where sufficient time elapses between fires to permit the establishment of slash pine. Scrub oak areas that show promise of coming back to slash pine are included in the slash pine type. Slash pine—cypress.—Slash pine and cypress together con- stitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlogesize stands, neither species alone accounting for 75 percent. This type is found principally in low depressions in the flatwoods, and in deeper swamps and ponds than the pure slash pine type. Turpentine pine—hardwood.—Neither pines nor hardwoods alone constitute 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, nor 75 percent of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands; but at least half of the pine consists of longleaf and slash pines. Nonturpentine pine.—Loblolly, shortleaf, pond, sand, or spruce pines, alone or in mixture, constitute at least 75 per- cent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands. Scrub-oak areas that show promise of coming back to nonturpentine pines are included in the nonturpentine-pine type. Nonturpentine pine—hardwood.—Neither pines nor hardwoods alone constitute 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, nor 75 percent of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands; but more than half of the pine consists of nonturpentine pines. Scrub pine.—Sand or other scrub pines constitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands. Bottom-land and swamp hardwood—Hardwoods constitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, and 75 percent or more of the dominant and co- dominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands. This type is characteristic of the larger stream bottoms, and swamps, bays, and branch heads. Upland hardwood.—Hardwoods of good form and quality constitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands. Scrub oak—scrub hardwood.—Scrubby or stunted oaks and hardwoods that have come in after fire or cutting character- ize this type, which usually occupies areas originally stocked with longleaf pine and is ordinarily found in the rolling uplands. Cypress —Cypress constitutes at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, and 75 percent or more of the dominant and codominant trees in under- sawlog-size stands. Topographic Situations Flatwoods —Low, flat topography with resulting poor drainage; the soils are generally sandy and usually support a stand of mixed pines. Rolling uplands.—Rolling or hilly topography, well- drained, with light soils (a small sand-dune area is included with the rolling uplands in this report). Swamps, bays, ponds, river bottoms, branch heads.—These topo- graphic situations are grouped because of the similarity in their physical features and in the timber species they support. They are low, wet, poorly drained areas, frequently under water, or alluvial forest land subject to inundation, bordering rivers and their tributaries, supporting mixed stands of cypress, pine, and some hardwoods. Forest Conditions Old-growth uncut.—Old-growth stands from which less than 10 percent of the volume has been cut. Old-growth partly cut.—Old-growth stands from which 10 percent or more of the volume has been cut, but in which the remaining old-growth sawlog-size timber contains at least 1,000 board feet of hardwood or hardwood and pine mixed, or 600 board feet of pine per acre. Second-growth sawlog-size uncut.—Second-growth stands from which less than 10 percent of the sawlog-size trees have been cut, and in which the remaining sawlog-size timber contains at least 600 board feet per acre. Second-growth sawlog-size partly cut.—Second-growth stands from which 10 percent or more of the sawlog-size trees have been cut, but in which the remaining sawlog-size timber contains at least 400 board feet per acre. Second-growth under-sawlog-size.—Second-growth stands com- posed predominantly of under-sawlog-size trees at least 1 inch d.b.h. In uncut stands the sawlog-size timber present contains less than 600 board feet per acre. In partly cut stands there is less than 400 board feet per acre of sawlog-size timber. Reproduction.—Areas not falling into any of the other classi- fications and bearing per acre more than 80 seedlings less than 1 inch in diameter. Clear-cut.—Cut-over areas on which insufficient young growth has come in to classify as either second growth or reproduction. Turpentine Tree Conditions Round.—Longleaf and slash pine trees that have never been worked for naval stores. Working.—Longleaf and slash pine trees that are now being worked for naval stores. Front-faced (or front-cupped).—Longleaf and slash pine trees on which a first face is now being worked. Back-faced (or back-cupped).—Longleaf and slash pine trees on which at least one turpentine face has already been worked and on which a back (second or third, etc.) face is now being worked. Resting.—Previously worked longleaf and slash pine trees that are now resting prior to the working of back faces. Worked-out.—Longleaf and slash pine trees on which as many faces have been worked as the trees will stand. ‘These trees have served their purpose in the production of naval stores and are now available for other uses. Species Groups Pines.—Turpentine: Longleaf and slash pines. Nontur- pentine: Loblolly, shortleaf, pond, sand, and spruce pincs. Hardwoods.—Pulping: Red gum, black gum, bay, soft maple, magnolia, and associated minor species. Nonpulp- . ing: Red oaks, white oaks, ash, elm, hickory, holly,! per- simmon,! and associated minor species. Cypress.—Cypress only. Tree Classes Good tree. —Any sawlog-size tree that is, or an under sawlog- size tree that gives promise of becoming, a saw-timber tree. Sawlog-size tree.—A tree with the following minimum di- ameter outside of bark: Hardwood, 13 inches at 414 feet above ground; cypress, 9 inches at 214 feet above the butt swell; all pine except turpentined longleaf and slash pine, 9 inches at 414 feet above ground; turpentined longleaf and slash pine, 9 inches at 10 feet above ground. Saw-timber tree.—A sawlog-size tree 50-percent sound, that would produce at least one 12-foot usable log. Sound cull tree.—A sawlog-size tree that is not a saw-timber tree, owing to form, crook, knots, extreme limbiness, or other similar defects; or an under-sawlog-size tree that will not become a saw-timber tree for similar reasons. Rotien cull tree.—A sawlog-size tree less than 50-percent sound; or an under-sawlog-size tree sufficiently unsound to indicate the likelihood of its future loss from the stand. Log Rules Doyle log rule—The formula for a 16-foot log was used: V=(D—4)2. Scribner log rule-—Vhe formula for a 16-foot log, with allow- ance for a 14-inch saw kerf, was used: V=0.79D2— 2D—4. This formula was derived by Donald Bruce and Francis X. Schumacher from the values of the original Scribner log rule. International log rule-——The formula for a 4-foot log, with allowances for a 14-inch saw kerf and 4,-inch shrinkage was used: V=(0.22D2—0.71D) 0.904762. 1 Since holly and persimmon are used primarily for special purposes, such as bobbins, shuttles, and handles of sporting goods, they were not included in the saw-timber estimate. FO OFRSE 2Ss 4 RES On UeRy Cer Sa. @l ce NT OER EUR ASS aly Eee Bi EriOn Rs Dir Summary of Findings => ee in the following pages, it will be helpful to indicate briefly at this point some of the more significant of the survey findings, with references to the tables presented later in which more detailed figures are given. [: VIEW of the multiplicity of data presented Area and General Conditions The gross area surveyed in northeastern Florida is 9,515,600 acres, as shown in table 1 and the type map (last page). The principal land uses are: Acres Blores tase, ncieae omitoacn erste cnenens eneiens 7,378,900 (77.5 percent). Agricultural................. 1,442,800 (15.2 percent). @themarcasaaer seni eee 693,900 (7.3 percent). In August 1934 a large number of tracts totaling more than 4 million acres, or almost 42 percent of the survey unit, were tax delinquent. The Forest Almost 4 million acres, or over 50 percent of the forest area, are in flatwoods; the remainder is about evenly divided between rolling uplands and swamps, bays, river bottoms, and the like (table 2). Turpentine pine types are present on almost 70 percent of the forest area. They dominate nearly 90 percent of the flatwoods, 60 percent of the rolling uplands, and 35 percent of the swamps, bays, and river bottoms (table 2). More than 11% million acres of the forest area is classified as old growth (table 4). Of this area 63 percent is in swamps, bays, river bottoms, etc., 26 percent in flatwoods, and the remainder in the rolling uplands. Second growth covers over 4% million acres, of which 35 percent is in sawlog-size stands, 57 per- Ke cent in stands classified as under sawlog size, and 8 percent as reproduction (table 4). Almost 15 percent of the forest area is clear cut and thus far has failed to restock (table 4). Naval Stores The 174 active turpentine stills in 1934 made up 15 percent of the total number in the South. Production during 1933-34 amounted to 81,610 naval stores units, or about 17 percent of the gum naval stores production of the entire country. The gross area classified as the field for continuing turpentine production is roughly 5 million acres. Over 63 percent of the turpentine area is in flat- woods, 21 percent in the rolling uplands, and 16 percent in swamps, bays, branch heads, ponds, and river bottoms (table 6). More than 37 percent of the turpentine area during the 1934-35 season was in round timber, nearly 27 percent was being worked, and 36 percent worked out or_ resting (table 6). Of about 22 million cups worked during the 1934-35 season, more than 60 percent were on front faces (table 8). Nearly 12 million tons of well-seasoned stumps suitable for the production of wood naval stores could be removed by blasting (table 10), with an additional 4 million tons available in the future. Wood Products About 58 percent of the 11 billion board feet (International \-inch rule) volume in 1934 was pine, 24 percent hardwood, and the remainder cypress (table 11). More than 85 percent of the saw-timber volume (Doyle rule) of hardwoods and cypress is still in old-growth stands, but only 47 percent of the pine ‘ volume was so classified (table 12). Of nearly 37% million cords of material unsuited or at present too small for sawlogs, nearly 50 percent was hardwood, 38 percent pine, and the remainder cypress (table 14). It is estimated that in 1934, under rather strict specifications, nearly 26 million trees were suitable for poles or piles. More than half of these were in the 20-foot length class; 3,343,000 sticks were in the 35-foot or longer classes (table 16).' There are more than 53 million cords of material of all sizes and quality in species suitable for pulp- ing; 55 percent is pine, the remainder hardwoods and cypress (table 17).! During 1934 the longleaf-slash pine forests, if they had not been turpentined, would have grown an additional 210 million board feet (table 19). The total increment of all species in 1934 amounted to over 223 million board feet (Inter- national \-inch rule). The increment in old- growth stands was negative, but second-growth stands had an increment of nearly 240 million board feet (table 20). In 1934 there were 8 sawmills, each with a daily capacity of 40 M feet b. m. or more, 90 medium- sized mills (10 to 40 M feet), and 52 small mills with a daily capacity less than 10 M feet (table 21). Altogether more than 3% million 10-hour man- days of labor were required in the woods and at the plants in the production of naval stores and wood products in 1934 (p. 17 and table 22). The total commodity drain of saw-timber mate- rial in 1934, including incidental waste, was over 425 million board feet (International j-inch rule). Approximately 47 percent of this drain was in lumber, 29 percent in cross ties, 10 percent each in veneers and fuel wood, and the remaining 4 per- cent in minor wood products (table 23). The saw-timber growing stock in this section was reduced 1.8 percent, or 202 million board feet in 1934. The stock of hardwoods nearly held its own, but pine decreased 1.1 percent and cypress 5.9 per- cent (table 25). In 1934, 77 percent of the total commodity drain on saw-timber material was from old-growth stands which had a negative increment. 1'These items represent volumes already included in previous paragraphs. 61857°—38——2 The net board-foot increment of second-growth pine, which is increasing yearly, already equals the total sawlog drain for wood products from both old-growth and second-growth pine. The old- growth cypress is being rapidly depleted and shows no promise of being replaced by second growth. Forestry Measures Essential Because northeastern Florida is so favorable for forest activities, there is not only an opportunity but also a strong justification for intensive efforts that will build up the growing stock to something approaching the maximum possibilities to assure the continuance of present forest industries and to provide for expansion. With the development of second-growth longleaf and slash pine forests, which yield adequate gum for naval stores but which do not yield the same high-quality wood products obtained from the original old growth, it seems inevitable that the main forest industry will continue to be the production of naval stores. Since the gum naval stores and wood-products industries are integrated, the future of the latter will depend principally upon the condition of the stands left by the turpentine operator. Deep chip- ping, hanging too many cups on the tree, cupping small trees, inserting tins too deeply, and failure to protect resting and worked-out turpentine trees from fire have not only materially retarded the diameter growth of the individual trees and reduced their volume of merchantable saw timber, but have in addition abnormally reduced the number of trees. ‘To remedy this situation and to build up (perhaps double) the growing stock to full capacity, the following measures appear essential: 1. ‘The producers of gum naval stores should work their woods much more conservatively in order to decrease the susceptibility of turpentine pines to wind and fire damage, to increase their rate of growth, and to leave a higher quality of timber for the wood-products industries. 2. Nearly a million acres of abandoned naval stores forest scattered throughout northeastern Florida, and now stagnating, should be logged off in order to remove the overburden of worked- out pines and allow a return to productivity. 3. Immediate steps should be taken to assure the early reforestation of the larger clear-cut areas and the filling in of seriously understocked stands. The State and Federal Governments should co- operate in the regeneration of the scrub-oak area to pine. 4. In order to increase the density of second- growth stands and to obtain larger trees, a large proportion of the present excess of increment over drain in these stands should be allowed to accumulate for a number of years. The growing stock of timber can be increased in volume and in value through intelligent action in the forest, but there can be no assurance of permanency unless the size of the industrial installation set up for its utilization is gaged to operate well within the growth possibilities. 5. State legislation should be enacted which would give the State a clear title to tax-delinquent land, and wherever possible the forest land thus acquired should be placed under management designed to build up and protect the growing stock. 6. Because of the favorable outlook for profitable returns from well-managed forest lands, forest- land owners should be encouraged, educated, and aided by public agencies to handle their lands wisely for timber production, so that they them- selves, the forest industries, and the communities may enjoy to the fullest possible extent the benefits of the forest. To this end the forest extension activities of the State should be materially in- creased. 7. The outstanding need is more intensive and effective control of fires. Only 30 percent of north- eastern Florida forests was under organized fire protection “in 1933." "Phe “prevalence ‘of firey is mainly responsible for the open nature of the stands and their relatively low increment. Effec- tive control of fire is essential to reduce the exces- sive mortality rate which now exists. It will result quickly and certainly in the filling in of large tracts of understocked stands and in the natural regeneration of many of the clear-cut stands. Only with effective control of the fire situation can this area be expected to increase materially its annual output of forest wealth. WHOW RE) Seve eR oS OeUGR GE Si OoF N ORR OT HE A So TiEVR N PE OORT DVA General Description => HE gross area surveyed in northeastern Flor- ida includes 21 counties and embraces 9,515,- 600 acres.! It extends from the Georgia line on the north to the southern boundaries of Levy, Marion, and Volusia Counties; and from the Au- cilla River and the Gulf of Mexico on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. (See map at end of report.) Jacksonville, the principal city, serves as a focal point to which the leading transporta- tion systems bring the products of this section for redistribution throughout the world. The chief industrial development has long been the produc- tion of primary forest products. Situated in the heart of the longleaf and slash pine region of the South, northeastern Florida ranks second only to southeastern Georgia in its yield of turpentine and rosin. Land Use Taste 1.—Land area of northeastern Florida, classified according to use Land use? Area Forest: Acres Percent BrOGUCtivie sesame 2 UN Sane SON CE Se se ie LS 7, 297, 700 76.7 INOnproductiveue cas we Ue are ee 81, 200 .8 Ao tal sewers ers ao ONT ye _| 7,378, 900 77.5 Agricultural: ImvCul tivation] swe se ese el 950, 800 10.0 Out of cultivation: OCOD ey Ses as Se Ae ep a 315, 400 3.3 Athan Gone.) a0 & tS ie es ie ees a 128, 500 1.4 imiprovedspastures = sive tis So kine 2 8s 48, 100 HO. Motales=2 oe fis Oe OEE oa 1, 442, 800 1552 Oth erfarcas Meee Base a eRe Pa a 693, 900 7.3 DOO Ln re A Rey Sp 9, 515, 600 100. 0 1 Does not include 263,000 acres in the Ocala National Forest. 2 For explanation of terms used see p. 1. 1This does not include 263,000 acres within the former boundary of the Ocala National Forest, a description of which is given on p. 9. Today over 77 percent of the survey unit is still classified as forest land despite the demands of agri- culture, the growth of communities, and the expan- sion of transportation facilities (table 1). Agricul- ture has largely confined its inroads on the forest to the rolling uplands, which extend through the central portion from northwest to southeast, and to artificially drained portions of the flatwoods. Topography The general outline of the rolling uplands is roughly defined by the areas dominated by three distinct associations of forest species—longleaf- slash, loblolly pine-hardwood, and sand _ pine (see map at end of report). The area dominated by loblolly pine-hardwoods has proved better adapted for agriculture than either of the other areas. ‘The sand pine type has practically no agricultural value. Longleaf and slash pines and cypress (the last found principally in characteristic cypress ponds) dominate the flatwoods, the outline of which corresponds in general with that of the longleaf-slash-cypress area on the map. The rivers which traverse the flatwoods and rolling uplands are bordered by hardwood stands. ‘There are also appreciable tracts of lowland hammock and swamp dominated by hardwoods. Nearly 500,000 acres are in marsh and prairie. Climate Northeastern Florida has relatively mild, dry winters and long, warm summers with frequent rains. Usually the growing season, the period be- tween severe frosts, lasts from the first week in March until the middle of November. This in- fluences the activity of the gum naval stores in- dustry, which is dependent upon the flow of gum from the longleaf and slash pines. Extreme tem- peratures are rare, but a freeze during the winter of 1894-95 caused widespread damage to citrus groves, many of which were abandoned for lands farther south. ‘Today most of these abandoned groves have reverted to forest. Rainfall is generally well distributed, with the heaviest coming in the summer. The yearly average is approximately 50 inches. Extensive droughts, occurring usually once in 5 years, may bring about periods of high fire hazard in the forests; on the other hand, excessive rainfall may render woods work, especially logging, difficult in the poorly drained flatwoods for 3 months out of the year. Trees which have been weakened by excessive turpentining or fire are often easy victims of high winds which occur almost annually. Oc- casional severe hurricanes, like that of September 1935, cause considerable damage locally. Transportation Northeastern Florida is well supplied with trans- portation facilities. Formerly the St. Johns, St. Marys, Nassau, and Suwannee Rivers were im- portant channels of trade, but today seven railroad lines, with approximately 2,500 miles of track, and a network of highways serve as the primary means of transportation. The harbors at Jacksonville and Fernandina accommodate large vessels, while shipments in small vessels can be made also from St. Augustine, New Smyrna, Palatka, and Cedar Keys. The route of the trans-Florida ship canal crosses this unit and the canal, if completed, will play an important role in its development. Ownership” Over 90 percent of the rural portion of the survey unit is in the hands of private owners. The Federal Government administers approximately 425,000 acres in the Osceola and Ocala National Forests, and the State owns about 100,000 acres. Lumber- men own the largest proportion of the land in the western Gulf coast counties. Farm ownership is *The data in this paragraph are from the following: Craic, R. B. LAND OWNERSHIP IN SURVEY UNIT NO. 1, FLORIDA, 1934. Southern Forest Expt. Sta. Occas. Paper 56. [Mimeographed. | most important through the central and north- western agricultural belt, and real-estate operators control most of the land along the east coast. The east coast resort counties and the forested counties of the Gulf coast are characterized by holdings of 1,000 acres or larger. In the greater portion of the remaining counties ownership is broken up into smaller holdings. Taxation In August 1934, more than 4 million acres, or almost 42 percent of the survey unit, was in tax default for 3 or more years. Delinquency was greatest in heavily indebted counties along the east coast, where taxes were in default on over 60 percent of the land. Tax delinquency on forest properties was relatively greatest in those counties with the smallest tracts of forest land. ‘The State does not actively prosecute trespass on tax-delin- quent properties, and most of them are still being operated by owners or tenants pending redemption, adjustment, or abandonment. : Agriculture Only about 950,000 acres, or 10 percent of north- eastern Florida, were in cultivation in 1934 (table 1). More than 300,000 acres of agricultural land were standing idle, and almost 130,000 acres had been definitely abandoned for agricultural-crop production. Of this latter, 77 percent is suitable for pine, and the remainder for hardwoods. Based on nearby forest stands, it is estimated that more than 50 percent of the potential pine and over 70 percent of the hardwood acres are poor forest sites. Less than 2 percent of all agricultural land and about 1 percent of the forest land show evidence of erosion. The value of farm products per farm ranged in 1929, according to the agricultural census of 1930, from more than $6,000 in St. Johns County to less than $700 in Dixie County. ‘This variation reflects the concentrated production of potatoes, garden truck, strawberries, and citrus fruits on relatively small holdings and the scattered agricultural activities over the rest of the survey unit. For a relatively short season the specialty farmers employ a large body of laborers who are available for work in the forests or in other industries during the remainder of the year. Many small farmers sup- plement their production of food for home con- sumption with cash wages in forest work. Some dairying is carried on around the larger cities, and beef cattle, grazed in the open forests, are an important source of income. In recent years, agricultural expansion has been dependent on the development of specialty crops rather than on a larger production of staples. Owing to climatic factors, the specialty crops can reach the market when prices are high, but these crops do not require large acreages, and it is doubt- ful whether any great amount of forest land will be cleared for agriculture in the near future. Small tracts are being planted to tung trees (Aleurites fordit), but it will be several years before this trend can be appraised. Population With the exception of the East Coast resorts, the towns are supported by commerce and industry. The population is about 450,000, of which 63 per- cent is white. In 1930, approximately 48 percent of the people lived in towns and cities of 2,500 or more. Almost every town, as shown in figure 5, has one or more plants for the conversion of forest products—sawmills, planing mills, turpentine stills, and cooperage, veneer, and container plants. A large proportion of the rural population is directly or indirectly supported by employment in the woods, in turpentine and logging camps. Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest, a gross area of 263,000 acres, was not included in the field survey, because of the existence of a recently completed management plan and inventory covering the greater part thereof. ‘The total area under Fed- eral administration in this forest on December 31, 1936, was 245,000 acres. The management plan prepared by the Forest Service covers 183,800 acres, of which 157,320 is timbered. An out- standing feature is the extensive stand of young sand pine which covers 151,700 sandy upland acres, or 96 percent of the timbered portion. ‘The 20,000 acres and more of sand pine barren, which may be reforested by planting, are not included in the timbered portion. Scattered around the central block of sand pine occur stands of longleaf and slash pines and some bottom-land types total- ing 5,600 acres. The national forest is dotted with springs, lakes, and prairies, totalling nearly 6,400 acres. ‘The plans for management provide for production of sand pine pulpwood on a 40-year rotation. When mature the stands will average 10 inches in diameter and 30 to 40 feet in height and, it is estimated, will yield annually by 1942 more than 35,000 cords. Protection is of great importance in the dense young stands of sand pine where fire may cause very serious losses. BF OCROEGS? Th teR ES (OP URC Ess Orr NOOR iri AY S oe hE Raa BL OmR) Da Forest Description HEN the first white men set foot in north- \\ eastern Florida, almost 95 percent of the land was in forest. For many decades this condition was undoubtedly a handicap to the pioneer settler, who had to destroy the forests in order to provide space for the cultivation of neces- sary food crops. ‘Today nearly 115 million acres of former forest land is cleared for agricultural use; and an additional 173,000 acres is in towns, villages, and transportation systems. Slightly more than 81,000 acres of the present forest area lacks the qualities essential for growth of commercial timber and is classified as nonproductive. ‘The remaining forest (7,297,700 acres) is the most valuable known natural resource in this survey unit. Forest Types In the forests of northeastern Florida certain species tend to dominate large sections (see map at end of report). Within these broad boundaries, however, other species occur groupwise on suf- ficient acreage to be recognizable as distinct forest types. Single forest species absolutely pure stands; usually several species intermingle. Because of the economic purpose of the Forest Survey, key species of known value were used to 12 forest types general, the key species or groups of species con- stitute at least 75 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands, or 75 percent of the dominant and codominant trees in under-sawlog-size stands. Furthermore, in the case of the pine-hardwood types, the pine species group which designates the type, makes up more than 50 percent of the pine component. seldom occur in designate the recognized. In sie) kk In order to simplify the description and correla- tion of data on area, volume, and turpentine history, the forest types and species have been assembled into four groups, namely, turpentine pines, nonturpentine pines, hardwoods, and cypress which represent distinctive economic and natural differences. TURPENTINE-PINE TYPES ‘The turpentine-pine-type group consists of those types dominated by longleaf and slash pines. It includes the longleaf pine, longleaf-slash pine, slash pine, slash pine-cypress, and turpentine pine-hard- wood types. ‘These types are present on almost 70 percent of the forest area and dominate nearly 90 percent of the flatwoods, 60 percent of the rolling uplands, and 35 percent of the swamps, bays, ponds, and river bottoms (table 2). More than 80 percent of the gross cubic-foot volume in the turpentine-pine-type group is in turpentine pines; almost 10 percent is in cypress; 7 percent is in hardwoods, and less than 3 percent is in nonturpen- tine pines (table 3). A century ago longleaf pine probably occurred in almost pure stands on more than 4 million acres of this section. The clearing of the forest for agri- culture, the development of fire protection that enabled slash and loblolly pines to encroach on the drier areas, and the failure of lumbermen to leave sufficient seed trees for restocking, have greatly reduced the longleaf-pine area. More than 500,000 acres from which the longleaf pines were removed is today classified as scrub oak and scrub hardwood type and is not now restocking to pine (fig. 1); but the pure longleaf-pine type still occu- pies nearly 3 million acres, or 39 percent of the total forest area (fig. 2). Ficure 1.—Scrub oak type, Clay County, Fla. F255195 Ficure 2.—Second-growth longleaf pine, Baker County, Fla. F249549 rr TasBie 2.—Forest area of northeastern Elorida, classified according to forest type and topographic situation 1 : Swamps Na eg pee ag Flat- Rolling speed nae Areca Forest type woods | uplands Daye: All situations Per- Turpentine pine: Acres Acres Acres Acres | cent Longleaf pine_________- 1, 962, 400} 894, 900 11, 800} 2, 869, 100} 39.3 Longleaf-slash pine____- 273, 600 182900) eee 292,500} 4.0 Slash\pine.. -- = 25. 222- 950, 900] 29, 100) 314, 600}4, 294, 600} 17.8 Slash pine-cypress_____- 36; 800|--s <2 276, 700| 313, 000 4.3 Turpentine pine-hard- WOOdsesse = fase wee 65, 500 34, 600 78, 100} 178, 200 2.4 Totals = eee 8, 288, 700) 977, 500} 681, 200/4, 947, 400) 67.8 Nonturpentine pine: Nonturpentine pine 249, 100 74, 100 57,600} 380, 800 iy) Nonturpentine pine- hard woodi_2 = 2222.22. 24, 400 48, 900 84, 400} 157, 700 2.2 Serubspine-22=-2-=-2_—_ 5, 500 37, 100 38, 900 46, 500 26 Mota a: stern =2e ee aoe 279, 000) 160,100) 145, 900} 585, 000 8.0 Hardwood: Bottom land and swamp hardwood - _- 16:;600)-22.02 = _| 631,500} 648, 100 8.9 Upland hardwood ___ 11, 800 86. 000|soc ee 97, 800 1.3 Serub oak-serub hard- WOOdssee eee 144, 500} 428, LOO 23,700} 606, 800 8.3 Mio talewes sss see eee 182,900] 514,100} 655, 200}1, 352, 200} 18.5 Cypress. Sora 10, 200}_._______] 402,900] 413, 100 5.7 3, 760, 800} 1, 651, 700)1, 885, 200}7, 297, 700} - - ~~ -- All types_.------__- ins Percent | Percent | Percent | 51. é Dict 2578 |e 100.0 1 Data for areas less than 70,000 acres are indicative only. 2 For explanation of terms used see p. 1. "TABLE 3.—Composition of forest type groups, by species [Expressed in percent of total cubie volume] ! Non- Tur- x tur- , All Species poe pen- Hard: Cypress| type d ae tine groups Pp pine Moncleafee = seseans esse eens, 35. 6 alee A 0.7 () 19.0 plashte ose eseec sees 44.7 3.8 .9 5,4 24.8 Loblolly___._ 1.6 52.4 1.2 ne: had Other pine -_- — 12 16.8 one mal 2.7 Red sume. 225-52 75 6.5 11.6 .6 3.7 Black gum _ 2.9 2.5 25: 5 8.6 8.8 Other pulping hardwood .'2 4.2 17.6 2.4 5.4 Red oak 9 On8 14.1 ap 4.4 Whitevoaks. ..-_ +. 2-222--.. a2 1.9 3.1 () 1.0 Other nonpulping — hard- WOO Sass seaeee wee eee 135) 4.1 16.4 105 ie} @vipneSS = se a eae eee gee 8 8.2 80.9 17.9 All species:----2-—. <==: 100.0 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 1 These figures are based on gross cubic volume outside bark and do not include volume of sound and rotten cull trees, turpentine butts, or tops and limbs of hardwoods and eypress, but do include sound scrub oak which is ordinarily considered sound cull. 2 Negligible. The pure slash pine type is second in importance, occupying almost 18 percent of the forest area. Slash pine is also the most important component of the mixed types of this group, making up 52 percent of the longleaf-s!ash, 47 percent of the slash-cypress, and 40 percent of the turpentine pine-hardwood types. Unlike longleaf, which has withstood re- peated burning even in the ‘“‘grass’’ stage on the drier sites, slash pine is confined largely to moist situations, where a sufficient time elapses between fires to permit its establishment. NONTURPENTINE PINE TYPES ‘Types composed principally of loblolly, shortleaf, pond, sand,’ or spruce pines characterized only 8 percent of the forest area. Loblolly pine, which makes up 60 and 42 percent of the nonturpentine pine and nonturpentine pine-hardwood types, re- spectively, is the principal species. This pine is found throughout the survey unit on the more fer- tile soils and in swamps along streams and has taken over much of the abandoned farm land in the agri- cultural sections of the uplands. HARDWOOD TYPES ‘The bottom land and swamp hardwood type is characteristic of the larger streams, the swamps, and the branch heads. In this type black gum, red gum, bay, red maple, magnolia, and other hard- woods make up 88 percent of the cubic-foot volume. The upland hardwoods have a larger proportion of mixed oaks—often of good quality and form—on the better sites. The scrub oak-scrub hardwood type occurs where blackjack and other unmer- chantable oaks and hardwoods occupy the land, which is not expected to restock with pine. Al- though found principally in the rolling uplands, this type also occurs in the drier ridges in the flatwoods (table 2). CYPRESS TYRE Only one type, the pure cypress type, is included within this group. It occurs almost entirely in the deeper swamps and ponds characteristic of the flat- woods area. Cypress makes up 81 percent of the volume of this type; black gum, with nearly 9 per- cent, is the second most abundant species. 3 An almost pure sand pine type occupies more than 150,000 acres within the former boundaries of the Ocala National Forest, which was not covered in this survey. Forest Conditions In order to describe adequately the appearance and condition of the forest stands, they have been classified according to their age, quality, size, and the degree to which they have been cut. Stands having the characteristics of the original mature forests of the section are called old growth. Young stands which have come in as a result of cutting or other causes are called second growth. Second-growth stands are classified as reproduc- tion, under-sawlog size, or sawlog size, depending upon their stage of development. If more than 10 percent of the board-foot volume in sawlog-size stands has been removed, such stands are known as partly cut. ‘The lower limits of volume per acre of old-growth or sawlog-size second growth stands, as here classified, represent the lowest volume of each class which is in general included in com- mercial operations. ‘The lower limits used were 1,000 board feet of hardwood or hardwood and pine mixed, and 600 board feet of pine in old- growth stands, and 600 and 400 board feet, re- spectively, for the uncut and partly cut second- growth stands. When the stands are cut below this minimum and no satisfactory stocking of young growth or reproduction is left, they are recorded as clear-cut. The old-growth stands are often quite open, ow- ing either to cutting or to natural factors. Young growth establishes itself in the openings and, when the old growth is removed, forms the nucleus of second-growth stands in various stages of develop- ment. Sawlog-size stands of second growth are usually cut into when a considerable body of the under-sawlog-size trees is still present. Clear-cut areas usually restock with sufficient seedlings. These become reproduction, reproduction grows into under-sawlog size, and under-sawlog size into saw-log size. There is, therefore, at all times a continuous and involved progression of forest conditions. More than 115 million acres, or almost 21 percent of the forest area, are still classified as old growth (table 4). Almost 58 percent of these stands have been partly cut; and 63 percent of the entire old- growth forest occurs in the swamps, bays, and river bottoms—notably in Taylor, Dixie, Lafayette, and Levy Counties, and in the vicinity of the St. Johns 61857 °—38—— River—probably because of the difficulty and cost of logging in such situations. The early concentra- tion of logging in the flatwoods and rolling uplands has left only 10 percent of the present forest area of these situations in old growth. Almost 48 percent of the old-growth hardwoods and nearly 55 percent of the old-growth cypress stands have been partly cut. In most cases the cypress, red gum, and other valuable species were removed, leaving 70 60 a fo} p fo} ow te} TOTAL TYPE-GROUP AREA (PERCENT) nm fo} TURPENTINE PINE NONTURPENTINE (4,947,400 ACRES) PINE (585,000 ACRES) —(1,352,200 ACRES) HARDWOOD CYPRESS (413,100 ACRES) Q Reproduction [:] cer FicureE 3.—Relative proportion of the different forest conditions in each type-group area. Old Second growth Second growth growth sawlog size tA under sawlog size only the swamp black gum and other species of low value. Almost 65 percent of the forest area has restocked to second growth. More than 70 percent of the second-growth stands are in the turpentine pine type group. Of these, about 40 percent have reached sawlog size and furnish the bulk of the longleaf and slash pines which are being worked for gum by the naval stores industry (fig. 3). Clear cutting has been practiced in the old- growth turpentine pine stands until today 20 per- cent of this type, or over a million acres, supports neither merchantable timber nor young growth. These clear-cut tracts are in general, however, scattered throughout the cut-over lands and if ade- quate attention is given to fire protection, most of them will restock naturally. Selective cutting is Tasie 4.—Forest area of northeastern Florida, classified according to forest condition and type group | e at | Turpentine | Nonturpen- Forest condition | ae tine ant Hardwood Cypress All type groups Old growth: Acres Acres Acres Acres Acres Percent JNCut ss fy ee oo Ae RN 2S ee ene bene oe | 174, 200 77, 300 261, 800 123, 800 637, 100 8.7 Partly cuts 22. “2225922827 a eS ee eee tn) 429, 700 49, 600 240, 500 150, 600 870, 400 12.0 Motalia 222 225 22st Sosa ao ee Ee ee ee 603, 900 126, 900 502, 300 274, 400 1, 507, 500 20.7 Second growth: Sawlog size: Wnents ie ss. see eee tees. sees 1, 183, 400 191, 600 94, 600 43, 400 1, 513, 000 20.7 IRartlyicute2 2225-22-20 91, 400 39, 400 7, 900 7, 900 146, 600 2.0 Under-sawlog size__ 1, 849, 600 149, 000 622, 900 68, 600 2, 690, 100 36.9 Reproduction____-------- 217, 700 44, 900 102, 500 8, 600 373, 700 fat otal 2: 22-252 222. Suse nooo eet ae ea eee eee ae Shoes 3, 342, 100 424, 900 827, 900 128, 500 4, 723, 400 64.7 Clear. Cut a2 22 sree ee ee a eae ere a ee er eRe ee 1, 001, 400 33, 200 22, 000 10, 200 1, 066, 800 14.6 (ADT CONnGItIONS S222 sae eae oe eee ee soorndcase 4, 947, 400 585, 000 1, 352, 200 413, 100 7, 297, 700 100. 0 practiced to a larger degree in the mixed-type groups, and a relatively insignificant clear-cut area has resulted. The cypress type, which is usually clear-cut, generally restocks to hardwoods or slash pine soon after logging and thereby loses its earlier characteristics. Stocking of Forest Stands Although well-stocked second-growth stands occur on large tracts, principally in the north-central and northeastern portions, of the survey unit, the forests are generally open and poorly stocked. An analysis of the second-growth longleaf pine stands indicates that more than 60 percent are seriously under- stocked. Longleaf, however, often occurs in open- 350 HARDWOODS-CYPRESS PINES 300 H PIN BEBB Harowoons LONGLEAF ANO SLAS' [a BB Round EZ CYPRESS a TURPENTINED 250 NONTURPENTINE PINES 200 = 150 TREES (MILLIONS) 100 50 = 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 (INCHES ) 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 2 DIAMETER CLASSES Ficure 4.—Stand tables of hardwood and cypress and of pines for nortbeastern Florida 14 grown stands; and the other types show a better de- gree of stocking. The predominance of young second-growth stands is reflected in the number of small trees of all species. Trees that have been turpentined com- prise approximately one-fourth of the 8-inch long- leaf and slash pines, one-half of the 10-inch, and two-thirds of the larger sizes. Hardwoods are next to the longleaf and slash pines in point of numbers, followed by cypress and the nonturpentine pines (fig. 4). : The data of the Forest Survey show that, in the second-growth uncut stands of the pure longleaf type, both the under-sawlog-size and the sawlog- size stands support per acre on the average 123 good trees 1-inch and larger of all species. addition, there are 48 cull trees in the under- In saw-log-size, and 31 cull trees in the sawlog-size stands, the removal of which would improve the stands. Only 5 longleaf pines in the under-sawlog- size stands are over 9 inches, in contrast to 27 in the sawlog-size stands. ‘The average ages of the domi- nant trees in these stands, based on measurements at breast height, are 27 and 40 years, respectively. The second-growth uncut stands of the pure slash pine type are more heavily stocked than the corresponding acres in the longleaf type. The average acre bears 165 and 187 good trees and only 13 and 16 cull trees, respectively, in under-sawlog- and sawlog-size stands. Although only 7 slash pines are over 9 inches in the under-sawlog-size stands, 32 have reached that diameter in the saw- log-size stands. The average ages of the dominant trees in the slash pine stands are 29 and 44 years, respectively. . The average volume per acre of each principal species group and of the several forest conditions in each type group also give an indication of rela- tive stocking. ‘The volumes for such average acres are shown in table 5 for the turpentine pine type group, as representing a combination of many variations in site, age, and density that occur in the forest stands of this type group in northeastern Florida, and as by far the most extensive type group occurring on two-thirds of the forest area. The board-foot volumes given are net mill tally; that is, allowance has been made for material that would be left in the woods because of rot, fire-scar, crook, limbiness, and similar defects. Also allow- ance has been made for loss at the mill due to sweep and hidden defects. TABLE 5.—Average net volume per acre, by species group and forest condition for the turpentine pine type group BOARD-FOOT VOLUME (INTERNATIONAL 4-INCH RULE) Old growth Second growth | Aver- Forest type and species Sawlog size eG age, all group nder | condi- f Uncut Barly, sawlog| tions ? Gncut Partly | size ! eut Board | Board | Board | Board | Board | Board Turpentine pine: feet Jeet feet feet feet feet ounde ee Se 4, 108 706 811 717 111 461 Wionked == 1,459 | 1,497 | 1,036 | 1,058 130 508 Nonturpentine pine ____- 100 51 90 133 13 38 Pulping hardwoods. -.__- 249 44 12 56 3 18 Nonpulping hardwoods__ 46 34 16 19 1 9 G@yPLeESSO ees wwe es 864 287 124 188 15, 94 MG alles ete eho 6, 826 | 2,619 | 2,089 | 2,171 273 1, 128 CORDWOOD VOLUME (OUTSIDE BARK) OF GOOD TREES Turpentine pine: Cords | Cords | Cords | Cords | Cords | Cords (OY bb aXe |= eee ees 10.9 2.3 4.9 3.6 Peal Patt Worked assay es 3.8 4.3 4.5 4.7 9 Py, il Nonturpentine pine___-_- .4 ay .3 4 wll wl: Pulping hardwoods______ 2.0 aah .4 1.0 zal :3 Nonpulping hardwoods__ u5 72 aL nll .0 mal Cypresse eee ae Te Bee 12, 7 1.0 rat .4 Mo talisoseeet er toa. 20.8 8.9 10.9 10.8 3.3 5.7 1 Does not include areas of reproduction, clear-cut, and fire-killed forest conditions. 2Includes areas of reproduction, clear-cut, and fire-killed forest conditions. Site Qualrty Within each forest type the rapidity of develop- ment of the stands depends to a large degree on the inherent quality of the site. The relative height growth of the dominant trees is a useful measure of 15 site quality. For southern pines, height at 50 years is the customary index in practice. Better sites produce merchantable stands at an earlier-than- average age and have, therefore, a special economic significance. The average site index of longleaf pine in north- eastern Florida is 65 feet; of slash pine, 67 feet; and of loblolly pine, 79 feet. Less than 13 percent of the land on which longleaf and slash pines occur quali- fies as site index 80 or better, whereas almost 58 percent of the loblolly area is so classified. The poorest sites on which either longleaf or loblolly pines occurred were in the flatwoods. Three broad site classes based on the form, height, and general thriftiness of individual trees were used to rate the quality of the hardwood and cypress types. More than 40 percent of the hardwood sites along such larger rivers as the St. Johns and Suwannee were rated ‘“‘good” and 50 percent “fair.”’ Approximately 75 percent of the upland- hardwood sites are rated fair or good and over 90 percent of the scrub oak-scrub hardwood as poor. Most of the cypress grows on fair to good sites with the slowest growth occurring in the poorly drained ponds scattered throughout the flatwoods. Reproduction The occurrence of reproduction is of greatest economic importance where the mature trees have been removed. In this section young seedlings of longleaf and slash pine and scrub oak occur most frequently. ‘The latter often forms dense stands on cut-over longleaf pine land and retards the develop- ment of young pine. About 30 percent of the reproduction area in the longleaf type and more than 35 percent in the slash pine type are stocked at a rate of 900 or more seed- lings per acre; while less than 35 percent of this area in the former type and less than 20 percent in the latter are stocked at 80 to 300 seedlings per acre. The clear-cut area supports less than 80 seedlings per acre, but prospects are fair for 53 percent of it that bears three or more pine seed trees per acre and an additional 30 percent with at least one or two. These trees, assisted by those on adjacent lands, should furnish sufficient seed to reclothe the major portion of these lands with pine seedlings if adequate fire protection is provided. The brown-spot needle fungus, which may seri- ously retard the growth and development of young longleaf under 18 inches in height, is serious on less than 1 percent of the survey unit. Hogs also dam- age longleaf by feeding on the roots of trees in the seedling and sapling stages. While hogs are a serious factor outside the palmetto and gallberry range, evidence of hog damage was present on only 1 percent of the area of sapling stands and on 5 percent of the reproduction area of northeastern Florida. Fire Damage The survival of pine reproduction depends to a large degree upon the prevention of fires. Visible evidence of forest fires, such as dead reproduction, charred stumps, and burned turpentine faces was present on 85 percent of the forest area. Many of the fires in the longleaf and slash pine types, 94 percent of whose acreage showed evidence of fires, are due to the practice of raking and burning in the turpentine stands to protect turpentine trees with 16 working faces. Undoubtedly much of the damage to the other types is due to these fires proceeding unchecked into the bays and river bottoms. Dam- age to hardwoods is usually confined to the forma- tion of open wounds, through which rot-producing fungi enter and reduce the merchantable volume. Slightly over 3 percent of the entire forest area showed heavy damage from fire. Particularly heavy damage occurred during 1931 and 1932 when a severe drought increased the fire hazard. The hardwood bottoms and bays and many cypress ponds dried out, with the result that they sustained a proportionately heavier damage than did the pine. Of all the heavy fire damage recorded, it is estimated that 19 percent occurred during 1931 and 1932. Only 30 percent is now (1938) under organized fire protection, and large improvement is therefore possible. Progress has been made, but redoubled efforts are essential to preserve reproduction, accelerate growth, maintain satisfactory turpen- tine areas, and reduce the fire drain on merchant- able volume. (PROS ReE a Sela ei SOF URC. 3s OE NVOPRe Dh HE AS! PE RN HE OV Ral DA Naval Stores Aspects 2 HE gum naval stores industry obtains over three-fourths of the United States production of turpentine and rosin from the gum of long- leaf and slash pines. The remainder is produced by the wood naval stores industry through extrac- tion from pine stumps and lightwood and as a by- product of paper manufacture. During the latter half of the Nineteenth century the gum naval stores industry migrated south from the nearly exhausted turpentine orchards of the Carolinas and estab- lished its financial and export center at Savannah, Ga. Later, in 1905, Florida assumed the lead in production and maintained it for 18 years, devel- oping the port of Jacksonville as its marketing center. In 1923 Georgia regained the lead in pro- duction and still retains it. Research for the naval stores industry is conducted by the Southern Forest Experiment Station, which maintains a branch at Lake City specializing in gum naval stores prob- lems, and by the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, which has a naval stores experiment station at Olustee, Fla. Gum Naval Stores Industry In 1934 more than 90 percent of the turpentine and approximately 80 percent of the rosin produced in northeastern Florida was produced by the gum This industry has been responsible for much of the physical development which has taken place. In 1933 gum naval stores, with a value of more than $3,000,000, ranked second among the products of the area. In number of wage earners (almost 7,500) the industry ranked first, and the total wages paid turpentine workers exceeded all but those paid in the lumber industry. In 1934 the industry required approximately 1,400,000 10-hour man-days the naval stores industry. of labor in 17 Ke woods and nearly 80,000 man-days at the stills. Owing to the long periods over which loans are required and the risk involved, banks hesitate to serve the industry. As a result, the factorage sys- tem has developed, which in 1934 served 85 percent of the industry. ‘Three factorage houses in Jack- sonville serve practically all of the producers in this section—lending money, furnishing commis- sary supplies and equipment, and acting as com- mission merchants in the disposal of the turpentine and rosin to dealers. Since 1934 there has been an extensive development of central stilling, includ- ing the recently developed method known as “‘proc- essed oleoresin,”’ throughout the southeastern por- tion of the naval stores belt. Farmers with a few thousand trees of turpentine size need not now lease them to an operator with a still, for they can themselves produce gum and sell it to one of the central stills or processed oleoresin plants. ‘The processing plant at Jacksonville is already drawing heavily on northeastern Florida for the gum it re- quires. ‘This development tends to reduce the con- trol of factors and may result in several radical changes in the make-up of the gum naval stores industry. In 1934 the 174 active stills in northeastern Flor- ida made up 15 percent of the total number in the South, but the 30 gum producers without stills constituted less than 0.5 percent of their group.! All gum producers combined—less than 2 percent of the total in the South—worked 2,240 crops (1 1The data in this paragraph and following are from a still-to-still canvass made during 1934, part of the results of which were issued informally in the following: SouTHERN Forrest EXPERIMENT STATION, STATISTICS OF GUM NAVAL STORES PRODUCTION. South. Forest Expt. Sta. Release 17. December 31, 1935. “PEG “Vpldo}.f Udajspayjiou ur Sjunjg Huisn-poom pun sppys aurquading fo W0yv207—G FANOILT S37IW -31NLWLS mi = bo Al ia w3n0@0b = GE-0Z_——I-O1 41334 QYvVOB W ALIOVdVD YNOH-O1 STIIWAVS 30 321S 3AlLVYYdWOo SiNVId 39vu3d000 B SINUId Y3HLO MB sTuw ding SINV1d Y33N3A BH sTwavs y3HL0 FF) SINVId ONILW3NL W sTuwavs 3Nid FA SINV1d ONISN-GOOM SLINN 006 ¥Y3AO ONIONGONd & SLINN O06 Y3ONN ONIONGONd @ Seay 3 Z| : STULS 3NILNSdYNL S3IMLSNGNI S304 AS Trannnady Laon se aNniisnony Ls EASae SONIMdS \\3A09 N3389 VINOTS JO ALVIS OL 4INN BHL JO NOILVI38 =] @ Ee fa St ae ANN3T90VW 3TUANS3Y9// i @ Neeser SOR J + i t : sae BK NVHV TIVO -—- = [/ Za a | \ : \ v5 WZ 9 4 ---L.. 2 oo WIA) y a ba CAV NIGNYNY3. \ @ 18 crop equals 10,000 cups), or 17 percent of the total working crops. Approximately 78 percent of the crops were on leased timber, as compared with the 73-percent average for the South. Still operators, or processors, during the 1933-34 season, worked an average of 11.2 crops, from which 479 naval stores units were produced, an average yield per crop of 43 units. Production during 1933-34 amounted to 81,610 naval stores units—more than 60 percent of the Florida and about 16 percent of the total United States production of gum naval stores. About 20 of the larger stills accounted for a third of the pro- duction (fig. 5). Gum Naval Stores Resources The activities of the gum naval stores industry in the forests are limited by the distribution and frequency of occurrence of longleaf and slash pines. The collection of gum is not economically feasible where the turpentine pines are widely scattered and infrequent over large tracts. In classifying the forest area as to its turpentining possibilitics, the area immediately surrounding each sample plot was taken into consideration. Clear-cut areas, reproduction areas, and nonturpentine pine and hardwood types intermingling with areas suitable for turpentining are therefore included in a gross turpentine-area figure—typifying the heterogene- ous area over which an active turpentining opera- tion is spread. The largest acreage not adapted to turpentining is in the hardwood and cypress types and in the nonturpentine pine types in the northwestern and south-central portions of north- eastern Florida. Altogether, slightly more than 2 million acres of the forest land was classified as unsuited for turpentining (table 6). The rela- tively rapid development and spread of second- growth slash pine (fig. 6) is indicated by the fact that 55 percent of the working and resting trees were of this species. The gross area classified as the field for con- tinuing turpentine operations is more than 5 million acres. Over 84 percent of the turpentine acreage is in the flatwoods and rolling uplands, and the remainder is in swamps, bays, ponds, branch heads, and river bottoms. Seldom will an Ficure 6.—Chipping and dipping in a slash pine stand, Bradford County, Fla. F247935 operation be confined to a single topographic situation, for the river bottoms intersect both the flatwoods and rolling uplands; bays and branch heads are found principally in the uplands, and swamps and ponds in the flatwoods. TABLE 6.—Classification of forest area according to turpentining history and topographic situation in the 1934-35 season ] « Swamps vats ope e Flat- Rolling u a Reon Turpentining history 1 ERR uplands pave All situations Acres Acres Acres Acres | Percent Roundiarea cea o esse sea 1, 069, 900} 481, 700) 389, 500/1, 941, 100 26.6 Working area: Front-faced___....--- 320, 100} 112,000} 54,400] 486, 500 6.7 Back-faced!_--*_._=2- 646, 500} 123,700) 124, 600) 894, 800 12.3 Resting and worked-out - ArCaS@ ease son seeenee 1, 244, 200} 384,000} 239, 600}1, 867, 800 25. 5 Total turpentining OlNCGsse-< aces eos 3, 280, 700/1, 101, 400} 808, 100/5, 190, 200 pala Unsuited for turpentin- Ing see Seen ron 480,100} 550, 300}1, 077, 100)2, 107, 500 28.9 Total forest area___|3, 760, 800}1, 651, 700)1, 885, 200|7, 297, 700 100.0 1 For explanation of terms used see p. 1. The incidence of turpentine operations has been used in classifying the turpentine acreage for descriptive purposes. Round-timber areas. still bearing unturpentined longleaf and slash pines in sufficient quantity to justify future working amount to almost 2 million acres, the stands ranging from reproduction to old-growth timber. Areas on which trees are being chipped are designated as 2 lif ‘the trees) are. .cupped for. their first set of faces, the area is known as “‘front-faced”’; if a significant proportion of the trees are being worked for a second set of faces, itis known as ‘‘back- faced.’ In northeastern Florida there is about twice as much back-faced as front-faced area, ‘“‘working. totaling almost 1} million acres. Areas which have been but are not now working, on which the indications are that a subsequent set of faces may be possible, are termed ‘“‘resting.”’ Where the present crop of trees has been exhausted and further production must await the growth of an adequate number of round trees, the area is designated as “worked out.” to the difficulty of determining what constitutes stocking sufficient to justify another operation in the near future, Owing the resting and worked-out areas are grouped together; but it is estimated that more than 1 million acres of this class are in a resting condi- tion and that turpentining can be resumed there in The remainder of the area classified for continuing turpentine operations (about 850,000 acres) either bears a stagnating stand of worked-out trees, which must be removed before restocking can take place, or will require an extended period of waiting before sufficient round trees develop to justify another operation. Operations in second-growth timber conform in general to a fairly uniform pattern. The front- faced area is worked for 6 years and then allowed to rest for about 2 years. Cups are then hung on back faces of most of the trees previously worked, and front faces are started on round timber that during the 8-year period attained sufficient size for cupping. The second period of operation also lasts 6 years, and again the area is allowed to rest, this time usually for 4 years. A third period fol- lows, with cups being hung on turpentined trees with available space for back faces and on addi- tional round timber. After this third 6-year period, the area is often completely worked out, and when the worked-out trees are removed it must be set aside to grow a new stand of round timber. the next few years. ROUND-TIMBER AREA Round-timber areas, which bear in the main the reserve growing stock of the naval stores industry, are principally represented by large bodies of second growth in the northeastern counties and by the remaining old growth in the Gulf Coast coune ties. Not all of the round-timber area is readily accessible for turpentine operations. Small bodies of timber, principally in the rolling uplands, may be isolated by agricultural land. Also, under normal conditions many portions of the swamps are inaccessible. The flatwoods are apparently most available, for during the 1934-35 season only 33 percent of the turpentine acreage in this topo- graphic situation remained in round timber, whereas 44 percent of the rolling uplands, and 48 percent of the swamps, bays, etc., were so classified (table 6). With the exception of the round-timber areas still in old growth, practically all of the turpentine area has witnessed operations. The old-growth trees have usually been worked for.gum during at least 3 years prior to logging. Most of this acreage then restocked to young pines and now bears the bulk of the round timber. Small bodies of second growth have been completely worked out and the exhausted timber removed. Longleaf and slash pines are equally represented in the round timber. In addition to about 17% million round trees of turpentine species 9 inches and larger in diameter in the round-timber area (table 7), there are 110% million in the sizes between 1 and 9 inches, more than 15 million of which have already reached 7 inches. All of these round trees constitute the re- serve growing stock, a large proportion of which should with good forest management reach a suit- able size for turpentining. Under current chipping practices some trees under 9 inches are chipped. Tt is believed, however, that the best general prac- tice would be to refrain from chipping trees smaller than 9 or 10 inches. Taste 7.—Round turpentine pines 9 inches or larger in diameter and turpentined pines in different conditions on the various areas aft Work- | Rest- | Work- purpen unin Hound ing ing | ed-out | All conditions ELOY : trees trees trees Mtrees | Mtrees | Mtrees | Mtrees | Mtrees | Percent Round-timber area _| 17, 431 |-_--__-- 432 176 | 18,039 23.9 Working area: Front-faced_____ 801 7, 897 375 234 | 9, 307 12.3 Back-faced - -___ 1,028 | 13,507 | 1,867 | 3,586 | 19, 988 26.5 Resting and work- ed-out areas______ 5 S40N| sone ee 13, 690 8, 547 | 28,077 3753 25) 100%) 21; 404:)))'16,:364: | 12,543 | 75,411 |22 2 Motale-ssseLs | Percent | Percent | Percent | Percent 33.3 28.4 Qe7. 16sGo|2s = 2282 100. 0 WORKING TURPENTINE AREA The working turpentine area of nearly 11; million acres is well distributed. It is least concentrated in the developed agricultural areas, where only scat- tered blocks of timber remain. Several large opera- tions are confined to old-growth timber in the Gulf Coast counties for 3 or 4 years prior to logging, but the bulk of production already comes from second growth. Relatively few stands of old growth re- main, and it will not be long before all turpentine operations will be in second growth. On the working area, in addition to more than 20 million working trees at the beginning of the 1934— 35 season, more than 2 million were resting, and nearly 4 million worked out. ‘There were also more than 134 million round trees 9 inches in diameter or larger, over 1214 million 7 and 8 inches, and 8814 million between 1 and 7 inches, all of which form 21 More than a third of the working trees were in front-faced the nucleus for future operations in this area. tracts, where they average 16 trees per acre as com- pared with 15 per acre in the back-faced tracts. As is to be expected, most of the resting (83 percent) and of the worked-out trees (94 percent) were in back-faced tracts (table 7). The number of cups hung on virgin or first-year faces each year reflects (1) the replacement of faces worked out in the previous season, and (2) the ex- pectations of producers as to the demands of con- sumers for the ensuing few years. After an area has been worked for two or more periods of 6 years each, the average number of potential faces per acre is greatly reduced. Only operators with little over- head, or small gum producers who handle only a few thousand cups, can work these areas profitably. Large producers are willing to pay the higher leasing costs necessary to operate in round timber, because of its higher productivity per acre and con- sequently lower unit cost of operation. The ac- tivities of these larger producers are reflected in the front-faced operations which are more sensitive to changes in market conditions, actual or antici- pated, than are back-faced operations. At the be- ginning of the 1932-33 season, only 65 crops were hung in front-faced areas as compared with nearly 211 crops for the 1934-35 season (table 8). The former figure probably reflects anticipation of a poor market; the latter figure was undoubtedly influenced by the proposed program under the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, adopted in 1934, which resulted in limiting naval stores production to certain-sized trees for the purpose of promoting economic use and conservation of land and diminution of unscientific use of soil resources. Altogether, about 22% cent of which were on front faces, were worked during the season of 1934-35. ‘The proportion of front faces ranged from 94 percent in front-faced operations to only 40 percent in back-faced oper- tions. In spite of the fact that a 9-inch or larger diameter limit has been advocated for several years, 24 percent of the working trees were below this size. At the beginning of the 1934-35 season, cups were hung on 26 percent of the 7- and 8-inch round trees in the area converted into first-year crops; and on 83 percent of the 9- and 10-inch, 96 percent of the 11- and 12-inch, and 100 percent of million cups, over 60 per- TasL_e 8.—Turpentine cups hung during the 1934-35 season, by year of working 1 raxlei ee é 2 « First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth year Working area and manner of cupping year year year year year and later All years Front-faced areas: Crops Crops Crops Crops Crops Crops Crops Percent On front faces____ 198. 1 126. 1 61.5 135.9 106. 0 160. 2 787.8 35. 2 On back faces__- 12.6 8.2 3.8 8.5 6.6 10.1 49.8 22) LOtAL sae Fee Peas POE Lee eae 210.7 134. 3 65.3 144. 4 112.6 170.3 837.6 37.4 Back-faced areas: On front faces_ ___ 76.9 (BD 106.9 106.3 102.5 101.6 567.7 25.3 On back faces_- 182.3 190.8 97.4 101.3 132.1 131.2 835.1 37.3 otal P22 2a tt ess ooo cee ea eo ee eecoeeae es 259. 2 264.3 204. 3 207.6 234. 6 232.8 1, 402.8 62.6 All working areas: ; On front faces_- 275.0 199.6 168. 4 242.2 208. 5 261.8 1, 355.5 60.5 On back faces-_--_-- = 194.9 199.0 101.2 109.8 138.7 141.3 884.9 39.5 469.9 398. 6 269. 6 352.0 347. 2 403. 1 2h 2A0T4Es | Eee eens Total______--_--_------------------------------ Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 21.0 17.8 12.0 15st 15.5 1800) = Sees 100. 0 1 Recorded in crops of 10,000 cups each, the larger round trees. Only 8 percent of the front- faced trees carry two cups. These practices are relatively conservative when compared with those in other naval stores sections in the Southeast. RESTING AND WORKED-OUT AREA Nearly 2 million acres, an area almost as large as that remaining in round timber, had been turpen- tined prior to 1934 but was not then working. Very little of this acreage is in old growth, which is usually turpentined up to a short time before log- ging. Most of it is scattered throughout the second growth as a portion of some turpentine farm. It is in large blocks only where an operator has thoroughly worked out and abandoned an entire turpentine place. It is estimated that 1 million acres resting or worked out bears adequate round trees of the necessary sizes and sufficient possibilities for new faces on trees previously worked to justify the start of a new operation in the next decade. This resting acreage bears approximately 10 million resting trees, almost 4 million round trees 9 inches in diam- eter and larger, and more than 20 million round trees between 5 and 9 inches in diameter. Some of this area is ready for immediate working; a large part of it, however, must wait several years for enough round trees to attain working size. The remaining 867,000 acres classified as resting and worked out is made up largely of land on which it is estimated that there are insufficient potential i) i) cups to justify working during the next decade. Much of this area has stagnated because of the presence of more than 7 million worked-out trees (fig. 7). Here are also nearly 4 million resting trees, 2 million round trees 9 inches or larger in diameter, and more than 10 million round trees between 5 and 9 inches, all forming a reserve growing stock for future working. After a decade or so of growth, a portion will again be ready for working; but at least half a million acres have been completely worked out and definitely abandoned. The worked- out trees must be removed if this area is to re- stock witha satisfactory stand of round timber and take its place in the cycle of turpentine operations. Future Outlook for Gum Naval Stores Since the naval stores industry is well established throughout this survey unit, practically all of the round turpentine pines, with the exception of those in parks, or on inaccessible islands in swamps, will sooner or later be available for naval stores opera- tions. During the next 20 years, some 4% million round trees will each year become 9 inches or larger (with allowance made for mortality in present stands), unless the supply of round trees is reduced for pulpwood or other purposes. Some areas of round trees must stand for several years after the first trees reach turpentine size before there is a sufficient concentration to justify working. La Ficure 7.—A stand rendered nonproductive by worked-out slash pines. F273052 It is the common practice to hang cups on only a portion of the trees 9 inches in diameter and larger; but since the trees on which two or more cups are hung make up for the uncupped trees, the total number of incoming trees 9 inches and larger can be expected under current practices to yield more than 4% million cups each year if they are all dedi- cated to gum naval stores operation. An analysis of naval stores operations in northeastern Florida indicates that, in a continuous (or sustained-yield) operation, approximately 11! crops of 10,000 cups each must be hung each year on new round trees to maintain a total working body of 100 crops. The annual addition of new faces on round trees would, therefore, maintain a total working body of nearly 37! million cups, or 3,740 crops. Since an increase in cupping must start with virgin faces and is extended into the working body year by year, it would probably take about 15 years to arrive at the full working body justified by the annual sus- tained income of new faces. If it be assumed that production of naval stores will average 45 units per crop (in 1933-34 produc- tion averaged 43 units per crop when 24 percent of the cups were hung on trees under 9 inches d. b. h.), an annual sustained yield cf 168,000 units appears possible. This figure may be com- pared with the 1933-34 production of 81,610 units. In 1934, less than 100,000 round turpentine pines were cut for wood products. An annual cut of this size from 9-inch and larger trees would reduce the attainable sustained yield by only 450 units. If the present practice of hanging cups on trees smaller than 9 inches is continued in the future, the number of cups that could be hung on fresh trees each year would be increased to about 4%; million. The inclusion of the smaller trees would, however, reduce the yield per crop and although an annual sustained yield of 168,000 units could be maintained, it would come from a larger number of trees. A much larger production than that indi- cated above could be maintained for several years, but this would probably result in a reduction in the sustained-yield possibilities for the area until the restocking of second growth could overcome the in- roads in the present growing stock. Insome sections, owing to the scattered nature of suitable timber, naval stores men will probably be hard pressed to maintain their operations at present levels without sacrificing a part of the basic growing stock. It is generally conceded that a relatively low market price for turpentine and rosin is essential to the wider use and distribution of naval stores. One solution of this problem lies in increasing the yield of gum per acre, thereby decreasing the unit cost of production. In order to do this, the growing stock should be built up and the density of existing stands increased. The accumulated worked-out turpentine timber should be removed, open areas assisted in restocking naturally or through planting, and the forest protected from uncontrolled fire. Better woods, producing, and marketing practices should be followed. ‘The naval stores industry as a whole suffers from periods of overproduction, during which returns from the sale of turpentine and rosin drop below costs of production. It might be well, therefore, to maintain naval stores produc- tion at its present level for some years and to re- serve the present surplus of round timber to build up the growing stock for use when increased markets or decreased supplies in other sections may justify a production more in line with the sustained-yield possibilities. Although the current local turpentining practices are relatively conservative when compared with those in other parts of the region, the naval stores industry exacts an excessive toll from the forest, even here. As a result of chipping small trees, placing too many cups on some trees, deep chip- ping, and carelessness with fire, turpentining has caused an excessive reduction in rate of growth and an increase in rate of mortality of turpentine pines, as well as an actual reduction in saw-timber volume due to the scars which result from the work. During 1934 the longleaf-slash pine forests in north- eastern Florida, if they had not been turpentined, would have produced 210 million board feet (lum- ber tally) more than they did. This is a part of the price paid for the naval stores industry. The signi- ficance of the loss in annual increment is shown by the fact that it equals the drain from the combined cut of pine for lumber, ties, poles, piles, and all other wood products during that year. It seems inevitable that the naval stores industry will con- tinue to be an important user of the forests, and that the outlook for other forest industries will be limited accordingly in scope, character, and volume of production. Wood Naval Stores Industry and Resources The wood naval stores industry in northeastern Florida is at present of minor importance and is confined to two plants which use the destructive- distillation process in the production of wood tur- pentine, pine tar with its derivatives, and charcoal. Old-growth longleaf and slash pine stumps along with lightwood (dead pine heartwood) are used as raw material. The 50,000 to 75,000 tons of stumps used annually make up 85 to 95 percent of the total consumption. ‘The industry employs more than 150 men on a full-time basis in its plants and a large number of men in the woods. In 1934, the laborers at the plants and in the woods worked more than 100,000 10-hour man-days. Suitable supplies of merchantable stumps are found mainly in the longleaf, longleaf-slash, and scrub oak types—the last-named occupying lands formerly in old-growth longleaf. Generally speak- ing, land that has been clear-cut and has not yet reforested is considered the best source of stumps, particularly if crawler-type stump-pulling machines are used. The difficulty and the cost of extracting stumps with stump pullers increase markedly as it becomes necessary to avoid reproduction, standing trees, and other obstacles, or to enter the rolling uplands. Also, landowners are generally hesitant about allowing the use of stump-pulling machines on land that bears well established young growth, since the damage to the stands often is greater than any possible return from the sale of stumps. The acreage from which stumps can be obtained readily (table 9) constitutes 42 percent of the total forest TasLe 9.—Merchantable stump-land area, classified according to abundance of stumps and topographic situation a , . Swamps, Stumps per acre Flat- Rolling ; Reet eee (number) woods | uplands bays, All situations Acres Acres Acres Acres Percent DiOnCssa jase tees _..| 818,000 | 197,100 |. 11,800 | 521, 900 171 GLOW Bee ees eee 492, 000 | 314, 600 8, 600 | 815, 200 26.8 14t0.25-.-2 2200. ___ 5) © 1633;,800' 2235900) 7,900 | 765, 600 25. 1 26 or more___----------| 786,800 | 149, 000 9, 500 945, 300 31.0 2, 125, 600 | 884,600 | 37,800 |3, 048,000 |----_-_- Total stump- land area__--- Percent | Percent | Percent 69.7 29.0 1.3 land of the survey unit. As the supply becomes locally less abundant, stumps from the more difficult situations will, no doubt, become merchantable. Because of the prevalent use of explosives in removing stumps, the estimates of stump volume are given here on a blasting basis (table 10). Since blasting leaves a larger proportion of the stumps in the ground, only 60 percent as much volume is obtained by this method as may be obtained with the use of pullers. Of the 12 million tons of well-seasoned merchantable stumps that could be blasted, about 85 percent is obtainable at Almost 25 percent of the stump lands are clear-cut, and half of these lands bear 26 or more stumps per acre. Of the stump-land area nearly half is in sapling stands of second growth, the density of which is increasing each year. the rate of 14 or more stumps per acre. TasiE 10.—Volume of merchantable stumps (blasting basis), classified according to abundance of stumps and topographic situation Stumps per acre Flat- | Rolling] Swamps, All situations (number) woods Juplands} bays, etc. M tons} M tons| M tons M tons | Percent CLOTS CSS een ae = es ae 125 79 5 209 eed 6 to 13__ 984 629 17 1, 630 13.6 MAstOp2 bese 2, 135 895 32 3, 062 25:'5 26 and over_______- 5, 901 1, 118 71 7, 090 59. 2 9, 145 2, 721 125 11, 991 i Total stump-land Percent| Percent 76.3 22.7 Percent 1.0 An additional 3 million tons of stumps that might be removed with the use of explosives would come in part from the many advanced second-growth stands, where stumps cannot be pulled without damage to surrounding trees or because of high cost. Also, freshly cut old-growth stumps, which must season 8 to 10 years after cutting before becoming suitable for use, form another source of supply. A considerable volume of stump wood will also be available from the stumps of old-growth timber now standing—at a conservative estimate of 3 tons per acre. ‘This would add another million tons, making the total additional supply 4 million tons. 25 With a present and future supply of nearly 17 million tons of merchantable stumps, northeastern Florida has obviously a much greater tonnage than is needed to meet the annual requirements of its two plants that now use 50,000 to 75,000 tons per annum. ‘There are thus enough stumps to allow a very considerable expansion in the production of wood naval stores. It is probable that the use of stumps for naval stores production should be con- sidered from a mining rather than a renewable- crop standpoint, for present processes use only old- growth stumps, and only 12 percent of the turpen- tine pine stands are still old growth. If the utiliza- tion of the present and future stump supply were extended over the next 25 years, the annual yield would be about 700,000 tons or enough to support a number of large steam-solvent plants. It is inter- esting to contemplate that with a yield from the steam-solvent process of 6.6 gallons of turpentine, 7.5 gallons of pine oils, and 348 pounds of rosin per ton of stumps, a full exploitation of the stump-wood resource during the next 25 years would produce 80,000 barrels of turpentine and 650,000 barrels (500 pounds gross) of rosin per year. This may be compared with the production of the gum naval stores industry in this survey unit in 1933-34, which was about 82,000 barrels of turpentine and 270,000 barrels of rosin. It is also of interest to note the possibility of a large production of pulping material from the spent-chip residue of the steam-solvent process. Regardless of the adequacy of the supply of stump wood, any considerable expansion of the wood naval stores industry in northeastern Florida must, in all likelihood, await a marked increase in the demand for turpentine and rosin. The gum naval stores situation in the naval stores belt as a whole indicates no probability of a prolonged re- duction of output due to scarcity of timber supply. Unless there is a marked increase in consumption, a full utilization of available and future supplies of both stump wood and turpentine timber would un- doubtedly bring about a chronic condition of over- production with its attendant demoralization of both the gum and wood naval stores industries. PROVRe ESS lae eRe SOs Ua Ren Cepia Smee @). EF N= OWRi i bar ae AGES 70 Shae Rae) IE ILO) IY Ih ID) AN Wood-Products Aspects HE group of manufacturing industries pro- ducing lumber and other wood products in northeastern Florida has exceeded all others in importance for many years. For several decades after 1880 extensive railroad building made the resources of the interior progressively more aces- sible and; through the development of agriculture, increased the demand for wood products. From 1909 until 1929, lumber production in Florida ap- proximated a billion feet annually. Cross-tie pro- duction became second to lumber from the stand- point of volume of timber used. The growth of the naval-stores industry stimulated the production of rosin barrels; and the increase of area devoted to specialty crops made a market for fruit and vege- table containers and slack barrels. Saw-timber Volumes In estimating present saw-timber volumes, only live trees of commercial species were included. Pine and cypress trees 9 inches and larger and hard- wood trees 13 inches and larger in diameter at breast height, were considered merchantable if they were 50-percent sound and would produce one 12-foot usable log. Usable portions of tur- pentined butts are included in the inventory figures. All figures are net, deductions having been made for both woods and mill cull, i. e., portions of the tree which could not be made into lumber on account of rot, fire scars, crooks, bad knots, or other defects. The Doyle rule has been used in the tables here- with because it is commonly used in the South and is the statute rule of Florida. Even though com- monly used and although it approximates mill tally in logs of 25 to 35 inches in diameter, it is an inac- curate measure of volume in that it underestimates 26 Ke the lumber which may be cut from small logs and overestimates the contents of large logs. The Scribner rule in general underestimates mill tally, but is usually more accurate than the Doyle rule. Although the International (44-inch kerf) rule is not used commercially, it is of especial value in that it very closely approximates actual green- lumber tally and for all practical purposes may be so used. The entire saw-timber volume in this area as estimated by the Doyle rule is less than 60 percent of that shown by the International rule and less than 70 percent of the Scribner-rule volume (table 11). Tasie 11.—Net board-foot volume expressed in Doyle, Scribner, and International (44-inch saw kerf) log rules t Seri a- Tree species group Doyle rule cebner saa Pines: M board feet | M board feet) M board fect Longleaf. 967, 500 1, 608, 900 1, 959, 500 Slash=. 2: 1, 619, 300 2, 563, 300 3, 075, 800 Loblolly_- 717, 000 985, 700 1, 133, 800 Other_-___- 180, 300 279, 100 326, 600 Totally. esse eee eit eres 3, 484, 100 5, 437, 000 6, 495, 700 Hardwoods: Red igus“ 22.2 scseereseceses 395, 600 473, 900 517, 200 Black eum ie sss: - 522-22 2- 467, 700 585, 200. 677, 400 IRed/oaksins se ee Secee ee 412, 800 495, 600 537, 500 Wihiteioaks 2.2 432-2222 -6 222 119, 900 140, 500 151, 500 Others Se Coe eee eee 538, 400 690, 800 761, 700 ‘LT Otalu2 eee ee seas 1, 934, 400 2, 386, 000 2, 645, 300 Cypress__.--------.-------------- 1, 154,700 | 1,687,400 | 2, 017, 800 All species________- ce ae 6, 573, 200 9, 510, 400 11, 158, 800 Practically all of the forest area in northeastern Florida is accessible for logging during some season of the year. The excellent network of railroads and highways (fig. 5) makes it possible to get within a few miles of any part of it with railway cars or trucks. In fact, more than 90 percent of it has been logged over in the removal of the original timber. Woods labor is usually plentiful at relatively low I Taste 12.—WNet board-foot volume (Doyle rule), by major species groups and forest conditions Old growth Second growth . Reproduc- Species group Sawlog size Waider tion and All forest conditions Partly = clear-cut Uncut ants oe sawlog artly size Uncut fants M board M board M board M board M board M board M board Pines feet feet Jeet feet feet feet feet Percent Longleaf 132, 500 274, 100 382, 200 20, 000 132, 500 26, 200 967, 500 4.7 mlasheeeees oe 531, 900 292, 200 652, 000 61, 100 69, 400 12, 700 1, 619, 300 24.7 Loblolly SS 234, 600 74, 200 333, 200 57, 900 14, 800 2, 300 717, 000 10.9 © Gere ee eS oe ee tes se Se a 54, 500 28, 300 66, 100 5, 100 20, 700 5, 600 180, 300 Dil CNR EN Ua see ee Eee oe eee ee 953, 500, 668, 800 1, 433, 500 144, 100 237, 400 46, 800 3, 484, 100 53.0 Hardwoods: Rede ue eee ee Mee ee ese ee oe 208, 800 127, 200 46, 600 8, 200 rte Lt | eet eae os 395, 600 6.0 BIlECke ome wee oe asc Ao Cae Te aoe oe 210, 300 215, 800 29, 100 5, 100 7, 300 100 467, 700 Lest Redioakseessnk sk tae ye says gue Te eile 259, 700 97, 200 41, 700 7,100 6, 900 200 412, 800 6.3 73, 000 33, 100 9, 700 1, 500 2000) bauer 119, 900 1.8 290, 700 184, 100 48, 400 5, 400 9, 600 200 538, 400 8.2 1, 042, 500 657, 400 175, 500 27, 300 31, 200 500 1, 934. 400 | 29. 4 Gy pressanmeu ei are 5 bec 2 ot Soe. oSeeo-ts2 5-32 578, 800 411, 400 120, 200 14, 300 27, 000 8,000 | 1, 154,700 | _ 7.6 (2,574, 800 | 1,737, 600 | 1,729, 200 185, 700 295, 600 50, 300 | 6,573,200 | TAU SSS ap eae ; Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent ‘ a | 39. 2 26.4 26.3 2.8 4.5 OR Ss | boas en eee 100.0 wages. Because of the accessibility of timber, the large blocks. In this study all areas bearing these ease of logging, and the availability of labor, the sawmill and other wood-products industries genér- ally find it feasible to log areas if they bear 600 board feet or more per acre of pine or 1,000 board feet or more per acre of hardwoods in relatively minimum volumes per acre were included in saw- log-size stands, even though some of them were widely scattered or in fence corners and could not now be economically logged. In the survey unit as a whole, old-growth uncut stands averaged almost TABLE 13.—Diameter-class distribution of net board-foot volume (Doyle rule), by species groups and forest conditions Old-growth Second growth a Reproduc- Species group and tree diameter class (inches) Sawlog size . tion and All forest conditions Under clear-cut Uncut Partly cut sawlog ee Uncut Partly cut Be M board M board M board M board M board M board M board Percent feet feet feet feet feet feet feet 137, 500 168, 500 673, 900 57, 000 161, 700 27, 200 1, 225, 800 35. 2 274, 000 246, 500 506, 500 46, 700 62, 500 14, 700 1, 150, 900 33.0 225, 300 147, 000 160, 000 26, 100 12, 100 4, 700 575, 200 16.5 316, 700 106, 700 93, 000 14, 400 el OOn| bss asses see 531, 900 15:3 953, 500 668, 700 1, 433, 400 144, 200 237, 400 46, 600 3, 483, 800 100.0 258, 600 214, 600 89, 600 13, 700 21, 800 500 598, 800 30.9 271, 500 208, 900 49, 800 8, 200 Sp FOOn Ee Len ees 547, 100 28.3 512, 300 233, 900 36, 100 5, 400 (O0%| Sens anaes 788, 400 40.8 ARO UEN LS deas Rane apie ee SO 1, 042, 400 657, 400 175, 500 27, 300 31, 200 500 1, 934, 300 100.0 91, 600 114, 000 63, 500 7, 100 15, 900 1, 200 293, 300 25.4 113, 000 121, 600 38, 400 4, 300 8, 100 1, 300 286, 700 24.8 116, 800 51, 700 8, 900 1, 100 409 600 179, 500 15.5 257, 400 124, 100 9, 400 1, 800 256009 aes oes 395, 300 34.3 578, 800 411, 400 120, 200 14, 300 27, 000 38, 100 1, 154, 800 100.0 : Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent PROLAIGM ING ero eR NG AN et aL 27.4 19.2 41.2 4.1 6.8 3 100. 0 Total hardwood_ 53.9 34. 0 eal 1.4 1.6 () 100. 0 mMotalicypresses seewe sens Te OP ae 50. 2 35. 6 10.4 1.2 223 0.3 100.0 1 Negligible. 27 6,000 board feet per acre; partly cut old-growth stands, over 3,000; second-growth sawlog-size un- cut and partly cut stands, more than 2,000. Only 7 percent of the total board-foot volume (Interna- tional \-inch rule) occurred in under sawlog-size, reproduction, and clear-cut stands, all of which had less than 600 board feet per acre. More than 50 percent of the volume of saw timber measured by the Doyle rule was in pine, nearly 30 percent in hardwoods, and the rest in cypress (table 12). Slash pine accounted for 46 percent of the pine volume. Black gum was the most important hardwood from the standpoint of volume, account- ing for 24 percent. Of the volume in longleaf and slash pine, approximately 50 percent was in trees that had been or were being turpentined. The pine in old-growth stands makes up almost 47 percent of the pine saw-timber volume. Although some of this pine volume is in other than pine types, the proportion given contrasts signi- ficantly with the 13 percent of the pine types that is in old-growth stands. This is due mainly to the prevalence in this class of relatively large trees and heavy stands (table 13). More than 85 per- cent of the volume of hardwood and some 80 per- cent of the cypress is still in stands of old growth. Red oaks have the largest volume in the uncut old-growth stands and black gum in the partly cut. Almost half of the hardwood volume in the uncut old-growth and over a third in the partly cut stands are in trees 21 inches and over in diam- eter. The largest individual species volume in the old growth is in cypress, of which practically 20 percent is in trees 29 inches and larger in diam- eter. Only 2 percent of the total pine volume (Doyle rule) is in trees 29 inches and larger in diameter. Cordwood Volumes ‘There is a considerable additional volume in standing timber of such small size or poor quality that it must go, if utilized now, into such products as pulpwood, fuel wood, and fence posts. This volume is expressed in terms of standard cords (4 by 4 by 8 feet), which are measured and sold with the bark included. In addition to the cordwood volume in sound and rotten culls and in the tops and limbs of sawlog- size trees, all good trees below saw-timber size, but at least 5 inches in diameter, are included (table 14). It does not follow that this latter material is available or should be cut for cordwood; on the contrary, a very considerable part of this class of trees must be held on the land as a source of con- tinuing supply for lumber, poles, ties, and similar wood products. ‘There is an ample supply of cord- wood material available for fuel and farm use in cull trees and in the tops and turpentined butts of sawlog-size trees. A discussion of the growing stock from the standpoint of pulpwood supply is given in the section on “‘Pulpwood Resources.” TABLE 14.—WNet cordwood volume of material unsuited for sawlogs by species groups and quality classes 4 Good trees Tops and Rotten g Species group under saw- | limbs of saw- | Sound culls 3 culls 3 All quality classes log-size log trees ? Pines: Cords Cords Cords Cords Cords Percent Round_____ 6, 891, 900 1; 193, 500 43, 400 5, 200 8, 134, 000 PATE TE Turpentined__ 2, 233, 200 4 2, 032, 900 37, 400 5, 500 4, 309, 000 slG) Nonturpentin 922, 800 616, 100 115, 900 16, 300 1, 671, 100 4.4 FRO Gace eee eet a sete nD rane ae OA RO ne SR oes 10, 047, 900 3, 842, 500 196, 700 27, 000 14, 114, 100 37.6 Hardwoods: i A GABA op alley ee esa eh ee 8 ie SP an 5, 450, 000 2, 223, 500 1, 426, 600 670, 900 9, 771, 000 26. 1 INO DU) pin esees ea Se eos Doe eee ee ners oe OS Peete ee 2 5 2, 589, 900 1, 339, 900 4, 031, 100 857, 300 8, 818, 200 23.5 ETO al kere teres = ane ee ee 8, 039, 900 3, 563, 400 5, 457, 700 1, 528, 200 18, 589, 200 49. 6 Cypress teeta aes ee ke 8 a ie ee! AP) eh 2, 689, 000 1, 581, 800 265, 500 249, 300 4, 785, 600 12.8 20, 776, 800 f 8, 987, 700 5, 919, 900 1, 804, 500 37, 488, 900 |----+------- Total_...--.------------------------------------------------- Percent Percent Percent Percent 55. 4 24.0 15.8 AA's Eee Te oe 100. 0 1 Cordwood volume computed from cubic-foot volume including bark. 2 Includes cordwood volume in top stems of pines to a 4-inch minimum top and in tops and limbs of hardwoods and cypress. 3 Includes cordwood volume in top stems of pine culls and in tops and limbs of hardwood and cypress culls; sound culls also include all sound scrub- oak volume. 4 Includes approximately 580,700 cords in turpentined butts. ® Ineludes all sound special-use species to approximately a 4-inch top. 28 Tasie 15.—Net cubic-foot volume (inside bark), by species groups and quality classes Good sawlog-size trees Gooditreesi| oe Culls, sound S i ss 3 ere Total good- obi a PS Species group under saw- fines SN TTT and rotten All quality classes Sawlog Tops and log size ? ’ culls 3 material limbs ! M cubic feet | M cubic feet | M cubic feet | M cubic feet | M cubic fzet | M cubic feet Percent Ie S Seasaie eae eee rere 2 ele eee eS 1, 165, 730 4 290, 690 701, 790 2, 158, 210 16, 540 2, 174, 750 48. 1 ard woodsiie==225-222228 mes 5 449, 140 5 222, 730 § 502, 830 1, 174, 700 7 451, 960 1, 626, 660 36.0 (ON OVENS eee 0 ee SS See 377, 970 111, 790 190, 020 679, 780 37, 720 717, 500 15.9 1, 992, 840 625, 210 1, 394, 640 4, 012, 690 506, 220 A OlSs GLO) Passes ae All groups. _..-.----------------------------------- Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 44,1 13.8 30.9 88. 8 aa NDAs ee a er 100. 0 1 Top stems to a 4-inch minimum for pines; tops and limbs for hardwoods and cypress. ; ; : , 2 Includes trees 5.0 to 8.9 inches in diameter in case of pine and cypress, to a 4-inch top; 5 to 12.9 inches in diameter in the hardwoods, to a 4-inch top. 3 Includes trees of diameter 5.0 inches or larger to a 4-inch minimum top; limb wood included only on hardwood and cypress trees of sawlog sizes 4 Includes 52,270 M cubic feet in turpentined butts. 5 Does not include special-use species or scrub oak. 5 Includes all special-use species to approximately a 4-inch top. 7 Includes all sound scrub oaks to approximately a 4-inch top. Cubtc- foot Volumes The cubic-foot measure for solid wood is used here only as a means of expressing the combined board-foot and cordwood contents of the forest stand 5 inches and larger in terms of a single unit. It constitutes the base used in determining the net result of changes which are occurring in the forest as a result of growth, natural mortality, and indus- trial drain. Less than 1 percent of the pine and only 5 per- cent of the cypress cubic-foot volume is in sound and rotten cull tress, but almost 28 percent of the hardwood cubic-foot volume is in this class of timber (table 15). Although 54 percent of the good-tree volume in pine is sawlog material, only 38 percent of the hardwood good-tree volume is in this size and quality of material. Poles and Piles 3 Because of the difficulty of judging the suit- ability of standing trees for poles and piles, the timber cruisers tended to apply the specifications rather strictly, and it is believed that the estimate of the number of qualified trees is correspondingly conservative. In the following estimates, only longleaf, slash, and loblolly pines are included. To meet pole and pile requirements, trees must have a uniform taper and be free from decay, injurious scars, and bird or insect holes. They must also be free from large knots or knots so located as to impair the strength of the pole, and from short crooks and excessive twist or spiral grain. ‘They may have a slight one-way sweep, but Does not include scrub oak. a straight line drawn from the center of the top to the center of the butt must not fall outside the bole, TasLe 16.—Pole and pile resources,! by tree-diameter classes and length of product 40 50 Tree-diameter 20 25 30 35 and | and . class (inches) | feet | feet | feet | feet | 45 | 55 | All lengths feet | feet M M M M M M M Per- sticks | sticks | sticks | sticks | sticks | sticks | sticks | cent URE eee ee 7,420 |1, 949 893 1263) Sees Dee 10, 388 40.1 LO} oh ee 3, 885 |1, 772 |1, 044 565 BU0s||==es== 7, 569 29, 2 | eee eee or A 1, 760 | 1, 104 693 558 448 38 | 4, 601 GE: 1 ee ea 577 524 388 334 366 69 | 2, 258 8.7 Gwe: wes oe ee 114 167 161 138 161 60 801 3.1 TSiews 222 Se eee 13 57 72 67 72 38 319 alee 13,769 |5, 573 |3, 251 |1, 788 }1, 350 205 |25, 936 |_----- Total zen" Per) ere ir eran Penas| Pere | Per= cent | cent | cent | cents} cent | cent 63.15 20254] 12:5) 6.9 5.2 OFS EE = 2221 100k0 1 Round and turpentined longleaf and slash pines and loblolly pine. Poles and piles of saw-timber size are also included in the saw-timber and cubic-foot volumes; those under sawlog size, in the cordwood and cubic-foot volumes. Material recorded here does not constitute additional volume. It is estimated that in 1934 there were nearly 26 million potential poles and piles in northeastern Florida (table 16). 20-foot class; 21 percent were in the 25-foot class. Inasmuch as the annual demand for poles is less than 50,000 and is principally for the 25-foot class, it is significant that over 12 million sticks were in this class or in classes of greater length. Con- sidering all lengths, approximately 62 percent of the qualified pole and pile trees are in round long- leaf or slash pines, 32 percent in pines that have Over half of these were in the been (or are being) turpentined, and the remainder in loblolly and other pines. Pole and pile trees are scattered singly and in groups throughout the pine stands. The relative occurrence of pole and pile lengths shown (table 16) should be of particular interest to the wood-treating industry and to large consumers of poles and piles, in that it indicates the run of lengths in the forest stands. It should be understood that the saw- timber, cordwood, and cubic volumes of the pole and pile trees given in table 16 have already been included in the previous tables and do not constitute an additional volume item. Pulpwood Resources From the standpoint of a prospective consumer of pulpwood for the manufacture of kraft paper and similar commodities, it is of interest to consider the total pulping resources expressed in standard cords. The following estimates include all trees of pulping species, such as pines, cypress, gums, magnolias, bays, maples, and other soft hardwoods, 5 inches in diameter and larger, regardless of their suitability for other use. As in the case of poles and piles, these estimates deal with volumes included in previous tables and are not to be added to them! It is obvious that not all of this material should be used for pulp. Much of it is in trees that are more valuable for saw timber, poles, ties, and other prod- ucts, either immediately, or in the form of growing 1A detailed presentation of the volume of material in pulping species is given in the following: SOUTHERN Forest EXPERIMENT STATION. ADVANCE INFORMATION ON THE SUPPLY OF PULPWOOD IN SURVEY UNIT NO. 1—FLORIDA. Southern Forest Survey Release 9. EE IEEE a eee stock for future supplies. These younger trees should be left untouched except for improvement cuttings. Then, too, a considerable part of the volume is not immediately available for pulping because it is in round slash and longleaf pines that are likely first to be turpentined. Investigators of prospective pulp-mill sites must appreciate, there- fore, that only a part of the volume shown in table 17 is free from the competitive requirements of other wood-using industries or can be used for pulpwood without seriously endangering the future timber supply of such industries. The most available source of pulpwood is the enormous volume of worked-out turpentined trees in the abandoned turpentine areas, of which there is in this section almost a million acres. These worked-out trees, except in old-growth stands, usually average less than 12 inches in diameter. Trees of this size bearing one face or more are of low value for saw timber, and only a small percent- age is valuable for poles and ties. A heavy propor- tion, therefore, of the timber volume in abandoned turpentine areas may be considered available for conversion into pulpwood. In 1934 there were more than 2% million cords in worked-out turpentine pines. It is estimated on a basis of the cups hung during the 6 years prior to 1935-36 that the naval stores industry annually adds about 350,000 cords to the present accumula- tion. During 1934 the use of turpentined pines for saw timber, poles, ties, etc., amounted to nearly 400,000 cords. More than 250,000 cords of this cut TABLE 17.—WNet cordwood volume of pulping species, by quality classes } Good trees, 13 inches and | larger - 5 Good trees, Sound and ; Soy me Pulping species group 5-13 inohee Pattoneculls All quality classes Sawlog ma- Tops and terial limbs ? Pines: Cords Cords Cords Cords Cords Percent Turpentine: 11, 137, 300 2, 361, 600 311, 100 48, 600 13, 858, 600 26. 1 Round 5, 022, 300 2, 088, 600 600, 400 31, 300 7, 742, 600 14.6 Working and res 1, 649, 400 939, 000 246, 900 11, 600 2, 846, 900 5.3 Worked out 2, 382, 900 2, 140, 300 210, 800 132, 200 4, 966, 200 9.3 INO ADOT AN oe Oe te ee ee ee ae a | aera 20, 191, 900 7, 529, 500 1, 469, 200 223, 700 29, 414, 30U Doe Aim GS Seems re eee he en ee ee 5, 450, 000 4, 201, 100 2, 223, 500 2, 097, 500 13, 972, 100 26.3 Hardwoods 5, 535, 600 2, 717, 200 1, 025, 800 514, 800 9, 793, 400 | 18.4 tes 7 | 31, 177, 500 14, 447, 800 4, 718, 500 2, 836, 000 53, 179, 800 | See All/pulping species. -- 22222222 sss2cu eee le ese se ng ese eae |) Percent Percent Percent Percent ies ages | 58. 6 Dhak 8.9 O23) |ssooeseeusaeee 100. 0 1 These estimates cover volumes included in previous tables and are not to be considered as additional items. 2 Top stems to a 4-inch minimum for pines; tops and limbs for hardwoods and cypress. 30 2 came from stands of old-growth pine, which are rapidly being removed. The large quantity of second-growth turpentine pines coming in will en- able the naval stores industry to maintain its present production at least during the next 20 years, and possibly to increase it materially. Under a sus- tained-yield naval stores program, utilizing the full resources of the survey unit, about 485,000 cords in worked-out turpentine trees would be made availa- ble annually. If the wood-products industries which remain after the old growth has been cut out re- quire 200,000 cords, as is estimated, then a remain- der of 285,000 cords will also be available for wood products from this source of supply alone. The top stems of saw-timber pines are seldom used in lumber and similar operations, and in 1934 the greater part of more than 100,000 cords of such material was left in the woods in logged-over areas. Some tops were utilized for fuel, but a large propor- tion of the volume remained in the woods as waste and may be considered an additional source of pulpwood. The forest would be considerably im- proved if all sound and rotten cull trees were re- moved. Of the more than 2% million cords of sound material in such trees, nearly 8 percent is in pine and the remainder in pulping hardwoods and cypress. Wood-products industries already established utilized in 1934 a volume of nonturpentine pines equivalent to the annual increment in both the old-growth and second-growth stands. Any heavier cutting would mean a reduction in the growing stock of this species group; but on an area not covered by the field survey, the Ocala National Forest, it is estimated that by 1942 the sand pine stand will produce annually more than 35,000 cords of wood not now used by other indus- tries. It does not appear likely that a pulpwood industry will compete seriously for old-growth cypress and pulping hardwoods. In 1934 there was a surplus of increment over use in second- growth pulping hardwoods of more than 80,000 cords and in second-growth cypress of about 40,000 cords. In 1934 there was, therefore, an accumulation of more than 3 million cords in sound and rotten cull pines and in worked-out turpentine pines, a large portion of which may be considered immedi- ately available for pulpwood. Looking into the QL future, it is estimated that more than 400,000 cords of pine would be available for pulpwood annually from turpentine areas, tops and limbs, and the sand pine on the Ocala National Forest. In addition, there is now a surplus of increment over use of 120,000 cords in second-growth pulp- ing hardwood and cypress; and more than 2% million cords of culls in these species have accumu- lated. A steady market for pulpwood could materially benefit this survey unit. All classes of stands could be improved by a reduction in the number of sound and rotten cull trees and in some stands by the thinning of dense second growth (fig. 8). Worked-out turpentine timber, which is now stagnating large areas (fig. 7) and threatening to accumulate further, could be removed to make room for round turpentine pine. Turpentine operators, by supplementing their regular activi- ties with the cutting of pulpwood, could materially reduce the cost of their naval stores operations. The seasonal nature of agricultural activities would make it possible for farms and agricultural workers to obtain an additional cash income, and established communities could be further stabilized. If sound forest-management policies are adopted and practiced by pulp and paper manufacturers on their own lands and enforced through con- tracts on the lands of those from whom they pur- chase pulpwood, the pulpwood industry can become established in northeastern Florida and at the same time the growing stock can be built up. If, on the other hand, destructive methods are employed or permitted, the pulpwood industry can transform productive, rapidly growing stands of second-growth pine into nonproductive clear- cut lands or scrub oak stands. The removal of young pine at a time when rapid growth is taking place will be detrimental to established industries, cause a material loss to owners of land who could later sell their timber for higher priced products, and possibly drive into decadence established communities. A mill has already been erected at Fernandina and others are being constructed at Fernandina and Jacksonville. ‘The establishment of any new plant in this survey unit should be decided upon only after careful consideration has been given to the wood requirements of existing industries and to the =n ere Figure 8.—Longleaf pine stand immediately after thinning, sustained-yield possibilities of the tributary terri- tory, since only thus can assurance be given that it will be a permanent installation and a genuine benefit. Forest Increment Individual trees increase in volume from year to year through growth in diameter and _ height, provided that they are sound and that any loss of volume due to rot, turpentining, or other damage does not offset growth. ‘Timber stands, made up of many thousands of individual trees, likewise show an increase in volume if the aggregate net growth of ihe constituent trees more than offsets the constant attrition caused by fire, windthrow, turpentining, natural crowding out, and other causes of tree mortality. Such increases or decreases in tree and stand volume constitute a plus or minus increment. The volume growth of an individual tree can be accurately measured, but computation of incre- ment, even for a year, of a forest area of several million acres, involving as it does many complicat- ing factors of species, density of stand, forest condi- tion, site, weather and the presence or absence of unfavorable utilization practices, cannot be precise. 32 Penne Clay County, Fla. PERIODIG ANNUAL INCREMENT It is estimated that trees are harvested each year from less than 250,000 acres of forest land in north- eastern Florida. The remainder is unaffected by utilization practices during any one year, and forest- land owners are, therefore, interested in the rate at which these forest stands are increasing in volume. The increment percent—that is, the rate at which timber bodies increase in volume—is principally _affected by the forest condition and by the rates of growth and mortality of the species making up the stand. The percents shown in table 18 can be used in approximating increment of the several species groups in average stands of the various forest condi- tions shown, provided that the area considered is large enough to smooth out the extremes of site, density of stand, and effects of utilization.? The board-foot increment rates include both the in- crease in volume of trees already of saw-timber size and the volume in trees that reach saw-timber size during the year. The cordwood rates include the increase in volume of all trees 5 inches and larger 2 Note that these rates must be compounded for the period over which the user desires to compute increment. plus the volume of those reaching 5 inches during the year. Reproduction and clear-cut areas have an insufficient volume of trees 5 inches or larger to justify increment calculations. Taste 18.—Annual increment percent,! by species groups and Fforest conditions BOARD-FOOT INCREMENT (BASED ON INTERNATIONAL Y-INCH RULE) Old growth Second growth Species group Under Partly Sawlog Uncut . sawlog cut size she Turpentine pines: Percent | Percent | Percent | Percent COUT a aee eee ee —1.18 —0.95 8.12 15. 66 Turpentined_____- out ire —6. 96 —6. 01 ST Sl ee eee Nonturpentine pine____---__- 1. 28 1.38 4.37 9. 52 Hardwoodeses ene 2c se 1,97 1.92 4.76 7.18 Gy presse ns Bs AE ae 96 . 22 2.16 . 68 CORDWOOD INCREMENT Turpentine pines: Roum deste Mees eee —1.77 —2.18 4. 35 8.92 Turpentined_____- —7. 58 —6. 94 —2. 28 —4.07 Nonturpentine pine___ . 84 1. 40 3. 02 (bral Hardwood __-_-------- 1.38 .99 3. ol 7.05 GOVT OSS Set ren ee ES 52 —.02 1.74 1.74 1 The increment percents are periodic annual compound interest rates based on a 10-year period computed for good trees only. INFLUENCE OF TURPENTINING AND FIRE ON INCREMENT In northeastern Florida the natural conditions of soil and climate in general are favorable for tree growth, but there are several factors that have tended to restrict volume increment. Chief of these is an abnormally high mortality rate, es- pecially in the turpentine pines. This must be charged mainly to practices that have prevailed in the past in the production of gum turpentine and rosin and in woods burning. Deep chipping, hanging too many cups on the trees, cupping small trees, inserting tins too deeply, and failure to protect resting or worked-out turpentine trees from fire have not only materially retarded the diameter growth of the individual trees and reduced their volume of merchantable saw timber, but have in addition resulted in an abnormal loss of trees (fig. 9). Wholesale woods burning is most com- mon in longleaf and slash pine types. The reduction in rate of growth and the increased rate of mortality of turpentined trees accounts for the negative increment for that species group (table 18). The remaining round old-growth Wise F225643 Figure 9.—Wind damage in second-growth slash pine stand, Union County, Fla. 33 turpentine pines do not put on sufficient growth annually to offset the losses due to fire, wind-throw, and other causes; this accounts for the negative rate of increment in such stands. During 1934 the loss in increment of longleaf and slash pines at- tributable to turpentining was as great as the drain on all species of pine for the production of wood products (table 19). Tas ie 19.—Loss in increment due to turpentining of longleaf and slash pines, 1934 ; Board-foot Cubic-foot Effect volume ! volume ? M board feet | M cubic feet Growth atlettirounds >. 2222 se ceeee sees ck 236, 200 35, 500 Growth when turpentined____-____________ 122, 600 21, 180 Toss im. prowtls 22202222 522-222 2 113, 600 14, 320 Mortality if left roumd: 22222 Sees ee ea 113, 100 26, 580 Mort lity when turpentined_____________- 187, 200 52, 890 Increased loss in mortality —_-----__- 74, 100 26, 310 imusableyvolumes2:.--s-e-2- eee se ease 22, 600 1, 560 NotalWosstensss. wesnaasan eave ecee 210, 300 42, 190 1 International }4-inch rule. 3 Cubic-foot figures are for solid wood inside bark. Both in and out of the turpentine woods, the almost universal practice of uncontrolled woods burning has had a markedly unfavorable effect on the increment of the stands, and one that reaches back for many decades. This is due not only to a slowing down of the growth rate of the individual trees but also to the prevention of any approach to full stocking. If the effects of this factor, together with those of destructive turpen- tining, wind-throw, natural crowding out, and other causes of tree mortality, could be lessened appreciably, important increases could be made in the net increment. ‘These factors reduced net increment for all species nearly 400 million board feet (International 4-inch rule) in 1934, almost as great a reduction as the utilization of all wood products combined. ‘This tremendous waste can be materially lessened with more attention to good forest management, adequate control of fire, conservative turpentining, thinning of dense stands, and more complete utilization. NET INCREMENT FOR THE ENTIRE SURVEY UNIT The increment figures given in table 20 are an estimate of the net increases (growth less mortality) taking place in the stands during 1934. The 34 board-foot figures represent net increases in the volume of saw-timber material only; the cubic- foot figures include all good trees 5 inches in diame- ter and above. The influence of turpentining is reflected in the minus increment for turpentined pines. TABLE 20.—Total net increment, classified according to forest condition and species group BOARD-FOOT INCREMENT! (INTERNATIONAL 4-INCH RULE) Turpentine pine Non- All Forest condition turpen-| Hard- | Cy- species a tine wood | press eroups urpen-| pine Round Srval M M M M M M board | board | board | board | board | board feet feet feet feet feet feet Old srowth-2-22-5-- —13, 000|—65, 800 7,000) 46, 900 9, 500) —15, 400 Second growth: Sawlog size_______ 107, 400|—17, 800) 35,300) 16,300 7,000} 148, 200 Under sawlog size_| 73, 400 —700| 10, 800 4, 800 800} 89, 100 Reproduction and clear-cut: _<.2_- 22 4,000) —2, 700 (2) (?) —100 1, 200 Hotaenseae. 4, 171, 800) —87, 000} 53,100} 68,000) 17, 200} 223, 100 CUBIC-FOOT INCREMENT! (INSIDE BARK) M ‘M M M M M cubic cubic cubic cubic cubic cubic fect feet fect feet feet feet Old growth -2_2.-2 —65, 010) —15, 320 1, 030 9, 080 1, 240) —8, 980 Second growth: Sawlog size______- Under sawlog size_ Reproduction and elesr-Cuts.ce-2=.- 110} —1, 300 80 10 20} —1, 080 20, 320|—11, 240} 5,890] 6,180) 2,240 30, 410) —5, 390; 3,120] 5, 790 970 45, 830) —33, 250} 10,120) 21,060} 4,470} 48, 230 1 Minus sign (—) indicates loss. 2 Negligible. The growing interest in better forest manage- ment, the spread of the use of fire-protection measures, and the opening of markets for material formerly unutilized, lend color to the belief that the annual increment can be doubled in a few decades if these movements grow to the extent that now seems possible. Wood-Products Industries In northeastern Florida the lumber is the most important of the wood-products industries; cross-tie production ranks second; the manufacture of making of veneer, third; and the cooperage indus- try, fourth. The larger sawmills are found prin- cipally in the rapidly disappearing old growth of Taylor, Dixie, and Levy Counties on the Gulf coast; the veneer industry is located within and adjacent to the agricultural belt that bisects the area from north to south; the cooperage plants are scattered throughout (fig. 5). According to the 1931-32 Census of Crops and Manufactures of the State Department of Agriculture, the average — number of wage earners employed by the wood- products industries was 7,051, with wages of $3,183,605 for the year. Although the lumber in- dustry in general is very important, the cypress portion is of particular significance, for Florida ranks first in production of cypress and contains most of the remaining cypress saw timber in the United States. LUMBER Eight large sawmills with a daily capacity of over 40 M board feet each were active in 1934 in northeastern Florida (table 21), but three of these expect to cut out before 1944. The original log- ging operations were often of a selective nature, and smaller mills have moved into the partly cut old-growth stands to utilize the remaining timber. Attracted principally by second growth of saw- timber size were 126 small mills with an average daily production capacity of less than 20 M board feet each and 16 with a capacity of 20 to 39 M board feet. In 1936, the number of mills under 20 M board feet daily capacity increased more than 20 percent; there was no change in the other classes of mills. The lumber cut in 1934 was 204,600 M board feet lumber tally (table 22), almost 60 percent of which was pine. The logging and manufacture of this lumber required more than 700,000 man-days of labor. Taste 21.—Number of sawmills, classified according to species cut and capacity, 1934 Daily (10-hour) capacity ; Hard- eel en ai LL Sspes (M board feet) Pine wood Cypress | Mixed! cies (Und ere! 0 Sseeee etalon is 41 23 | nes Seon te 9 52 JN) {oy Ses 2 SN a a AQ\| ae a 6 19 74 PA) Wa) BIE Se ay Aas 6 2 3 5 16 40 lanidioversees suave ee 2 1 3 2 8 JNM aha ea 5 12 35 150 98 | 1 Mills cutting less than 80 percent of any 1 of the species groups listed are classed as mixed mills. VENEER Altogether 13 rotary veneer plants, producing box stock, crate headings, and hamper bottoms, used during 1934 the equivalent of more than 36 35 million board feet (lumber tally), which was nearly equally divided between pine and hardwoods; practically no cypress was used. ‘These plants were operating at about 60 percent of capacity in 1934. Half of the companies own timber but, like the others, also buy logs. A large part of the produc- tion is consumed in Georgia and Florida; there is a small export to Cuba. Some 2,400 people are em- ployed for all or part of an 8- to 10-month season and in 1934 worked a total of more than 270,000 man-days in the woods and in the veneer and as- sembly plants. Six package plants to the south use veneer logs, largely hardwood, from as far north as Alachua, Clay, and St. Johns Counties. Because of the requirements of the citrus and truck crops for containers, this industry is of particular local significance. COOPERAGE There are nine slack-cooperage plants, two making cooperage for produce barrels, five for rosin barrels, and two for both products. Produce barrels, which are principally used for potatoes and fish, are made in the southeast section. Most of the rosin-cooperage plants are closely associated with the gum naval stores industry in the north and central portions of the survey unit. These plants use material of small size, most of them taking bolts to a 6-inch minimum diameter. In 1934 the slack-barrel plants operated at about 65 percent capacity and the rosin-barrel plants at around 55 percent. ‘Together they employed 620 persons during all or part of 6 to 10 months (55,000 man-days) and used more than 25,000 cords of wood, nearly 90 percent of which was pine. PIECE PRODUCTS In addition, a large volume of material is utilized by the piece-products industries. Almost 2 million cross ties were produced in 1934, 56 percent from cypress, 41 percent from pine, and the remainder principally from gum. Nearly 40,000 pine and 5,000 cypress poles and piles were also produced. Those produced from pine are marketed at creo- soting plants, from which they are distributed to consumers. The production of cross ties, poles, and piles required 285,000 man-days of labor in the woods. TABLE 22.—Production and employment in the wood-products industries, 1934 Employment ! Units pro- Industry and use duced In the At the woods plant M board feet Man-days | Man-days (hum bere cccsaseea sansa ses cece aces 2 204, 600 261, 000 448, 000 WenleeYc: ca.22 22 se.eceucteeeese oes 2 36, 300 72, 500 3199, 700 Pieces Grossi ticS-2 == ness see eceaeese es 1, 974, 600 271, 900 Fence posts _ 41,618, 200 428, 000 Poles and piles __ 45, 400 13, 900 Cords Cooperageses= se snseeeaeeeaeeeees 25, 800 29, 200 26, 500 UIGIWMOOG 22 See 2 ena coseceeeeneae 6 536, 800 6 614,900 |z--..._-_--- 9, 700 10, 400 6, 300 Miscellaneous 7__--_---.---------- M board Jeet 2700 200) 22a eens Total man-days of employ- mente 22 ses 5 ee oe ee cee s SS ees 1, 302, 000 724, 600 1 In man-days of 10 hours. 2 Lumber tally. 3 Includes fabrication in crate and package plants. 4 Includes 236,300 commercial fence posts on which 4,000 man-days of labor were expended. 5 Labor in treating plant. 6 Includes 83,900 cords of commercial fuel wood on which 116,700 man- days of labor were expended and 80,200 cords of nonforest fuel wood on which labor was not computed; also includes 12,500 cords of fuel wood used in stilling operations, but the labor for this (12,500 man-days) is accounted for in the section on Gum Naval Stores Industry. 7 Shingle and excelsior plants, miscellaneous farm use, and export logs. In 1934 more than 1}, million fence posts were cut. Over 75 percent were of lightwood, almost 20 percent of cypress, and the remainder of green pine and of oak and other hardwoods. It is esti- mated that almost 250,000 of these posts were pro- duced for sale, most of the others being used locally on the farms. Less than 100,000 of the 456,000 cords of fuel wood obtained from the forest were sold com- mercially. About one-quarter of all fuel wood produced was of lightwood, the quantity of which is rapidly diminishing through use. ‘The produc- tion of fence posts and fuel wood in 1934 required almost 650,000 man-days of labor, the greater proportion of which was expended by farm laborers. MISCELLANEOUS In addition to the industries and products already mentioned, there are a shingle mill, an excelsior plant, and a hamper-bottom plant. A few logs are exported each year and there is some miscel- laneous farm use other than for fence posts and fuel. Altogether these miscellaneous items require less than 20,000 man-days of labor each year. Commodity Drain Commodity drain includes the volume utilized from this survey unit by the several forest-prod- ucts industries located either within or without its boundaries, plus any additional unutilized volume of the trees cut which is included in the inventory estimates of the survey. The drain figures do not include that part of the cut of the wood-products industries shown in table 22 which was obtained from the forests outside the survey unit, but do include the drain on this unit by industries lo- cated outside its boundaries. The Forest Survey includes in its saw-timber volumes the entire stem that, in the opinion of its timber estimators, could be used with close utilization. Some of this material may be utilized and some may be wasted, depending upon local practices, i. e., upon the degree of utilization. The saw-timber commodity drain exceeded 425 million board feet (International \;-inch rule) in 1934 (table 23). Almost 47 percent of this TABLE 23.—Commodity drain from saw-timber growing stock expressed in board feet (International 14-inch rule), 19341 Commodity Pine ae Cypress All species M board | M board | M board | M board feet feet feet feet Percent bumber=s2sceses= 103, 600 36, 600 59, 100 | 199, 300 46.9 Weneer______---.-- 18, 200 22, 200 100 40, 500 9.5 Cooperage-_______-- 9, 400 () 1, 300 10, 700 2..5 Cross tiesusss.= ae 46, 000 3, 700 74,600 | 124, 300 29.3 Poles and piles____ 4, 800 (?) 800 5, 600 1.3 Mence posts... eee esses 200u|E=2see- ee 200 (2) Buel Wood..2---2.. 26, 400 TSU) ee ee ee 42, 100 9 Miscellaneous- -____ i 1, 600 400 500 2, 500 6 ao faleeseaes= 210, 000 78,800 | 136,400 | 425, 200 100. 0 1 The International }4-inch rule closely approximates lumber tally. 2 Negligible. TaBLe 24.—Commodity drain of good trees 5 inches and larger expressed in cubic feet (inside bark), 1934 Commodity Pine Hore: Cypress All species M cubic | Mecubic | M cubic | Af cubic feet feet fect feet Percent iumiberz-s---22-—= 18, 390 5, 260 8, 440 32, 090 42.8 Weneer! = 2-2 i222 3, 200 3, 190 10 6, 400 8.5 Cooperage_--.___-- 2, 270 10 210 2, 490 3.3 Crossities__--.---_= 8, 700 570 11, 280 20, 550 27.4 Poles and piles____ 960) |Saa=seee5 120 1, 080 1.4 Fence posts_------- 20 30 250 300 4 Fuel wood-_- ------ 7, 670 BA OB) lee 11, 200 15.0 Miscellaneous-___-_- 720 80 90 890 1.2 otalesesses 41, 930 12, 670 20, 400 75, 000 100. 0 drain was occasioned by the manufacture of lumber, 29 percent by cross-tie production, and almost 10 percent each by fuel-wood and veneer uses. Pine composed nearly 50 percent and cy- press 32 percent. The total commodity drain in all trees 5 inches and larger, including saw-timber material, reduced to a common factor, amounted to 75 million cubic feet (table 24). It is recognized that the commodity drain calcu- lated for 1934 is below what may be expected during more prosperous years. Indications are that the drain due to lumber manufacture in 1936 exceeded that of 1934 by more than 50 percent, and it is likely that some increase has taken place in other commodities. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict the drain during the next 10 years because of the difficulty of weighing the many factors involved; but it might not be unreasonable to as- sume that the average annual commodity drain during the next 10 years will be 25 percent greater _ than that in 1934, Comparison of Increment With Commodity Drain Data representing the many factors influencing the increment of the pines, hardwoods, and cypress (table 20) and the toll which the many wood-prod- ucts industries exact (tables 23 and 24) are here re- Es NET INCREMENT VZZZA COMMODITY DRAIN MILLION BOARD FEET LONGLEAF AND SLASH PINES LOBLOLLY AND OTHER PINES HARDWOODS CYPRESS Ficure 10.—Comparison of board-foot (International 14-inch rule) net increment and commodity drain in each forest condition, 1934, 37 assembled for comparison and consideration of their net influence upon the growing stock of northeastern Florida (table 25, fig. 10). TABLE 25.—Comparison of increment } with commodity drain IN BOARD FEET (INTERNATIONAL %4-INCH RULE) . Hard- Beers All Item 1pale wood | CYPFESS | species M M M M board fect | board feet | board feet | board feet Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1934__] 2 6, 518, 300 |2, 645, 300 |2, 017, 800 |11, 181, 400 Grow thewsseen ase 2 ee +470, 900 |-+-113, 900 | +52, 100 | +636, 900 Mortality —310, 400 | —45, 900 | —34, 900 | —391, 200 Unusable volume_-_-._- —— D2 G0 Ob [ia sae eee |e et ee —22, 600 Net increment____....__-._ +137, 900 | +68, 000 | +17, 200 | +223, 100 Commodity drain_____._--- —210, 000 | —78, 800 |—136, 400 | —425, 200 Net change in grow- ing’ stock =. .2.2-.- —72,100 | —10, 800 |—119, 200 | —202, 100 Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1935-| 6, 446, 200 |2, 634, 500 |1, 898, 600 |10, 979, 300 IN CUBIC FEET (INSIDE BARK) M M M M cubic feet | cubic feet | cwbie feet | cubie feet Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1934_| 3 2, 159, 770 | 4 951, 320 | 5 567, 990 | 3, 679, 080 +115, 810 | +42, 360 | +15, 080 | +173, 250 —91, 550 | —21, 300°} —10,610 | —123, 460 = OOO) | re ee ota are —1, 560 -+22, 700 | +21,060 | +4,470| +48, 230 —41, 930 | —12,670 | —20, 400 —75, 000 Net change in grow- IN GuStock-=. 222 —= —19, 230 +8, 390 | —15, 930 —26, 770 rrowing stock, Jan. 1, 1935_ b 2, 140, 540 b 959, 710 552, 060 | 8, 652, 310 1 Plus sign (+) indicates increas; minus sign (—) indicates decrease. 2 Includes 22.6 million board feet in the butts of newly cupped trees not shown in the inventory summarized in table 11. 3 Includes 114 million cubic feet in the butts of newly cupped trees not shown in tne inventory summarized in table 15. 4 Does not include over 223 million cubie feet of tops and limbs of hardwoods, of which 650,000 cubic feet is in special-use species included in table 15. 5 Does not include over 111 million cubie feet in tops and limbs of sawlog trees included in table 15. In 1934 the total commodity drain on saw-timber material exceeded net increment by more than 202 million board feet. On January 1, 1935, there was, therefore, 1.8 percent less saw-timber growing stock than on January 1, 1934. The correspond- ing decreases in growing stock for pines, hard- woods, and cypress were 1.1, 0.4, and 5.9 percent, respectively. The principal factors responsible for these de- creases—namely, inadequate stocking of the stands, low growth and high mortality rates, and the out- put of wood products—may vary greatly from decade to decade. It is incorrect, therefore, to project the present rate of decrease in growing stock into the future and to predict the wiping out of the forests by the end of some indicated period. The natural stocking of bare areas and the increased density of stands resulting from adequate fire pro- tection, aided by artificial reforestation measures where necessary, can increase materially the num- ber of trees upon which growth may occur. Ade- quate fire protection and conservative turpentining will do more than any other measures to increase the rate of growth and to decrease the rate of mortality in the forests. Results of the applica- tion of essential measures of sound forest manage- ment will become noticeable almost immediately. In northeastern Florida, 77 percent of the total commodity drain on saw-timber material is from old-growth stands. As already shown (table 20) the net increment in the old growth was negative for pines and relatively small for hardwoods and cypress. If the commodity drain on old-growth pine continues for 12 years at the 1934 rate, the volume of this timber will be reduced to a negli- gible quantity. Although this is a serious situa- tion, inasmuch as old growth cannot be replaced in a short time, a large industry has already developed to utilize the rapid-growing second- erowth pine, the increment of which exceeded commodity drain against it by more than 120 million board feet in 1934. In the same year the volume of increment of old-growth hardwoods was sufficiently close to that of the cut to suggest the possibility that, through regulation of the cut, the industries dependent upon the hardwood old growth might their life. Repeated cutting, however, has greatly reduced indefinitely prolong 38 the quantity of high-quality old-growth hard- woods, and the increment is largely in material of lower quality. Only a small utilization is made of hardwood second-growth saw-timber material at this time, principally because it is of lower. quality than the old growth. There is, however, a surplus of increment over drain in second-growth hardwoods which may be utilized to supplement and maintain the old-growth stands. An analysis of the cut of old-growth cypress in 1934 shows that it was more than 14 times the increment. The growing stock of low-quality slow-growing second-growth cypress now amounts to less than 20 percent of the volume of old growth which is being rapidly dimin- ished by cutting. ‘The cypress industry in this survey unit, therefore, must be curtailed within the next two decades if utilization continues at its present rate. When the entire growing stock, including saw. timber and smaller material, is expressed in cubic feet, a more favorable relation appears to exist between increment and commodity drain. Pine growing stock decreased only 0.9 percent, hard- wood increased 0.9 percent, and cypress decreased 2.8 percent. This better showing is due to the fact that logging outfits do not cut heavily into the tremendous number of small trees under sawlog size (fig. 4) that are growing up in the stands despite adverse conditions. It is this growing stock of young trees upon which the future of all forest industry depends, and every effort should be made to increase its quantity and quality and to reduce the prevailing high mortality. orm: i: SOR He Slee eRe S) OUR Gi Ee S 7 © F Future Needs >> ORTHEASTERN Florida is especially well situated for the continuous output of forest products. The large proportion of the area in forests, a climate that favors forest growth, the presence of important local markets for forest prod- ucts, an excellent local transportation system aug- mented by shipping facilities to northern centers, and a rural population of long experience in the forest industries, all combine to assure that the turning out of forest products will always be one of its major activities. Turpentine and rosin produc- tion and the associated cooperage industry have been active here for more than a century; and the manufacture of lumber, cross ties, poles and piles, and other piece products has been (and still is) of great importance. A large package-veneer indus- try has developed with the cultivation of citrus and truck crops. With the recent construction of pulp and paper mills, a new industry enters the picture. In discussing the outlook for all forest industries, it must be realized that the quantity of increment which annually accrues on the growing stock limits the forest use that can be sustained for any great length of time. In other words, the forest industries cannot reduce the amount of the growing stock without eventually paying for it with curtailed ac- With conditions so favorable for forest activities, there is not only a need and an oppor- tunity but also a strong justification for intensive efforts that will build up the growing stock to something approaching the possibilities cf the sec- tion, not only to assure the continuance of present forest industries but also to provide for expansion. It seems inevitable that the main forest industry will continue to be the production of naval stores, and the outlook for other forest industries will be limited thereby in scope, character, and volume of tivities. IN LOM ReMi EE: “ACS: TERN F 9 TOURS eA Ke production. This appears particularly probable with the development of second-growth longleaf and slash pine forests, which yield adequate gum but which do not yield the same high quality of wood products as that obtained from the original old growth. ‘The supply of naval stores timber is favor- able to an increasing production of turpentine and rosin, provided the growing competition of wood- products industries for the same timber does not seriously reduce the available supply. The limited supply of timber in some other sections of the naval stores belt may also cause an excessive expansion of the industry here. It appears essential that imme- diate steps be taken by naval stores operators to insure an adequate future supply of workable timber through increased ownership of forest land, longer leases, and the education of small landowners as to the returns possible from naval stores production prior to use for woods products. An outstanding feature of the gum naval stores industry is the unfavorable effect its activities have on the forest through a reduction in rate of growth, an increase in rate of mortality, and a degrading of residual lumber, pole, and tie trees. This excessive drain can be greatly reduced through more con- servative turpentining practices and by protecting from fire not only working trees but also those worked out or resting. The closer integration of wood-products requirements with the production of naval stores should bring about a fuller realization of the byproducts value of a turpentined tree and thus favor the application of better forest manage- ment. If the gum naval stores and the wood-products industries are integrated, the future of the latter will depend principally upon the condition of the stands left by the turpentine operator. In any case, a large volume of the timber discarded annually by the naval stores industry will have neither the size nor the quality for the production of lumber. With the diminishing supply of old-growth saw timber, lumber here appears to have a place in industry somewhat different from that in other parts of the South. The management of hardwoods and non- turpentine pines for high-grade products and an in- tensive use of worked-out turpentine pines, how- ever, can assure the continuance of a lumber indus- try of respectable size, but one made up principally of small plants. Conservative naval stores opera- tions should not appreciably reduce the quantity of poles, piles, and cross ties (particularly in the smaller sizes), and with proper attention to integrated use the available quantity of these products can certainly be maintained and possibly expanded. There is evidently a place for a pulp and paper in- dustry. All classes of stands could be improved by reducing the number of sound and rotten cull trees and by the removal of worked-out turpentine trees which are now preventing a large aggregate acre- age from returning to productivity. With adequate fire protection and forest management, including planting where natural reproduction fails, the land can grow more trees than can be brought to ma- turity. Trees which normally would be crowded out of developing stands, or which are hindering the normal development of others potentially more valuable, should be removed, and the thinnings (in pine) are well suited for pulpwood. ‘The Osceola National Forest located within the survey unit and the Apalachicola located just over the border to the west are excellent examples of the possibilities in proper forest management. Because of the increasing competition for raw material, the leaders of the larger industrial estab- lishments are seriously concerned for future sup- plies. This concern should result in action to safe- guard their interests through the purchase of lands upon which to grow the raw material needed for the future. The solution of this problem does not, however, lie entirely in their hands; a great many small owners together hold a large part of the forest land. These small owners must be encouraged, 40 pL educated, and aided to handle their forest lands wisely to the end that they themselves, the forest industries, and the communities will be benifited. In this section, where the people are becoming in- creasingly aware of the returns and benefits that can be realized through skillful forest management and integrated utilization, there is a great opportunity for the intensification of the educational work of the State and Federal forest services in fire protection and sound forest management. A very considerable area of potentially valuable forest land is covered with scrub oak and is making little or no economic contribution. It may be beyond the capacity of private enterprise to restore this land to productivity within any reasonable time, and consideration should be given to the possible participation of the Federal and State Governments in artificially restocking it to pine. The outstanding need is more intensive and effective control of fires. Only about 30 percent of northeastern Florida was under organized fire pro- tection in 1938. The prevalence of fire is mainly responsible for the open nature of the stands and their relatively low increment. Effective control of fire is essential to reduce the excessive mortality rate which now exists. It will result quickly and certainly in the filling in of large areas of under- stocked stands and in the natural regeneration of many of the clear-cut lands. Only with effective control of the fire situation can this part of Florida be expected to increase materially its annual output of forest wealth. Although the forests of northeastern Florida already support a considerable population, a fuller utilization and better management of the forest re- sources would appreciably increase the opportuni- ties for employment. ‘The logical combination of farm and forest activities, the growing need of industry for raw material, the development of forms of outdoor recreation most effective in forest settings, the desirability of bringing submarginal forest lands into economic use, the need for com- munity stabilization in order to offer adequate economic and social security to the present and ~ future populations, all justify the intensive develop- ment of these forests, Gd a ee ) 1m ae ee re NY: 7 nate? THE STATE OF FLORIDA LOCATION OF AREA IN LEGEND LONGLEAF - SLASH TYPE PREOOMINATES, BUT THE FREQUENT LOCAL OCCURRENCE OF OTHER TYPES IS NOT PRECLUDED. (2) LONGLEAF - SLASH - CYPRESS G9 MIXED BOTTOM-LAND HARDWOODS GI CYPRESS - HARDWOODS [7] PRAIRIE, MARSH,OR SAND DUNES E22) NATIONAL FOREST AREAS TYPE SYMBOLS INDICATE AREAS WHERE THE GIVEN! LOBLOLLY - HARDWOODS (5) SCRUB PINE AREAS CHARACTERIZED BY MAJOR FOREST TYPES NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA . Hee ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WHEN Tus PusBLicATIoN Was Last PRINTED Saat) Of AGIRUMTO 30 G00 6) 06 160. 6 O00 6) 6 6 nb 66 0%O (Oilar SAHA 6 6 ke OS OCS Joos ek Xo: 15 ON OMG ho NOL LO OG OND MO Assistant Secretary. . . Gace oid avoue Coordinator of Land Use Plaanine a Diyscior a infonncton Oy) Op So 8 PD iregtoTmoj mia xtenstoneWVOT kite va iis ellie elon ete el Sei ste « ie WD RECLOTMO far TULLANG Eso ai tery elas) tale aryah ids ak Reval et lay Vie orien chines DUFQHG? Of IAGO 5 EEO BOND BAG: OURO ON OF GON Bone. Oy GLO DU dete Of LOGIE O38 Bi 8 POND 60 B00 ON Ost0O) Bo. Gabo.) Solicitor. . . . 51 Go OOP Oo OD Oo Gb Oa O Agricultural Maines Waginisietion Oyfowind oO MORI Tat ent ON ON aI MGISG Bureau of Agricultural Economics . SAO Guede es oiigi eos Bureau of Agricultural Hngineerng) . 9. . 3. es ew ww wt Bureau of Animal Industry Bureau of Biological Survey . Brad Ceol a tan (ein ab nmr aaoer Bureau of Chemistry and Soils . . 1 1. 1 1 1 ew we we we Commodity Exchange Administration . Some eee dso Bureau of Dairy Industry . . . boo Cua! od. 6 Bureau of Entomology and Plant Oucianine or eae tale NEN Eh Ph Ara ara ae Office of Experiment Stations. . ....... Farm Security Administration . Food and Drug Administration . IEGESG SARHOZ & 0. BO BAG) Oo PR ROO OO OE Bureau of Home Economics . . ......-+.+.-+.4. LGB) 8 oes Bureau of Plant adustry Bureau of Public Roads . Soil Conservation Service seiamhven eens WVAEIOGT ICAL Be au A ERO OAS DIKE This publication is a contribution from POT CS HMSCUULCCH Mer NSE CSM tes cies eaCaRLN aes At hs ees 4 Mean calea abs SEA noha Forest Survey . . . BOAO ON BOO nOuIO a: Guana SG Southern Forest Peneriqent Station Re ANS RB anes On RIE ea Tre ON eames . Henry A. WALLACE. M. L. Witson. Harry L. Brown. M. S. EIsENHOWER. C. W. WarBuURTON. W. A. Jump. Roy F. HENDRICKSON. . James T. JARDINE. Mastin G. WHITE. H.R. Toiiey, Administrator. . A. G. Biack, Chief. S. H. McCrory, Chief. . Joun R. Mouter, Chief. Ira N. Gasrietson, Chief. Henry G. Knicur, Chief. . J. W. T. Duvet, Chief. O. E. REED, Chief. . . Lee A. Strone, Chief. . James T. JarpIne, Chief. W. W. ALEXANDER, Administrator. WALTER G. CAMPBELL, Chief. FERDINAND A. SILcox, Chief. Louise STANLEY, Chief. CLARIBEL R. BARNETT, Librarian. E. C. AucHTER, Chief. . Tuomas H. MacDonatp, Chief. H. H. Bennett, Chief. Wiis R. Greco, Chief. FERDINAND A. SILcox, Chief. RaymonpD D. Garver, Director. E. L. DEmmon, Director.