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iFE634.909748i
R29

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

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THE pennsylvak;a state

UNIVERSITY LIBRARJES

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Extaislve ReviJlon " PA.

I^EPORT OS FOREST COHDITIOHS IN THE STATE OF P7HNSYLV.A.NIA

AS OF J/JJHArY 1. 1931,^,

T^e Forest Situation

Ext^islve liimberlng, which began before tlie Civil War and reached its pnak
In 1889, has brought the at-md of virgin tiiribar in Pennaylvmla to a few tiiousand
acres. ^Shilc toe great virgin forests of whlta pino, hoalock, and hardwoods lar.ted,
Pcnnaylvanla for tliirty yoara stood from secf.>nd to fourth in lusaber production among
all the States, Twenty states outrank It today.

Forest fires, extremely oomaon before 1900 ^.ind only gradually reduced In the
past tliirty years to an average of 102,900 acres p-^^r year, have combined with close
cuttinr to reduce 2,3 per cant of the forest area of the State to a cover of huckle-
berries anJ sweet fern. i\n additional 13 p^^r cent b<^ars only scrub ook, d^rarfr'd aspen,
fire-cherry, and oth^r worthl'-^ss species.

The valuable loftwoods have suffered the most from emitting and fire. White
pine has generilly been so closely cat that few sources of seed r^ain and fir'3S
have wiped out advance reproduction, Kr^mlock, conrsid^red of littl-^ value in the
earJy days of the lumber industry in the State, but of lat? ye irs a chief eoan-'rcial
species, has also been closely cut, and because of its relatively slow grc«*th in
the early stages has sunk to minor importance ia tlie aecond-gro'-tli stmds. Owing to
Its tolerance of shade it *.ill nevertheless reappear in laany third-gro'th 3tj:ids,
provided they have not letm swept by fire. Although hardwood st mds have been very
badly injured by fir^s, their ability to sprout has prevented their complete de-
struction, except by fires burning in logging slash or under extreme climatic
conditions. In spite of cutting and firoa, and owing to a very large scale abandon-
ment of farm land from 1890 forward, the area of forest land in the State has in-
creased rtither than decreased in the last forty yo.-rs.

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History of Forrest Frv-QloltaUon
Tho forfistfl of southeaBtom P mnsylvEinia, nhioh is essentially an agrlcultianl
region, wero early confined to aaall areas txjr clearing for farms, Thr gr ^'^t commercial
logging oporations wliioh plac«jd P<-5in3ylvi\nia first araong the States of the Onion in
lumber production in I860, cantered about WiUlaasport in tii« north-cfmtral part of the
State, and were baaed on the famout "31aok For?»3t"' - irhite pine and homlook - of the
uppor Susquehanna River. The only h'-nsiwoods cut befor? or soon aft^^r the Civil War
Here black cheny, tulip poplar, ash, and the choicost of tho white o.*Jc. Much of the
hanloGk in the earlier cuttings was felled simply for its bark, and as late as 1900
fine virgin hoalock loga in full .^ight of a main line railroad were simply peeled and
loft to rot in the woods. In the brech-birch-maplo-healock typr» anything llko a cloir
cutting of hardwoods was uncommon before the last thirty or forty years. In the oafc-
ohestnut-yellow poplar type, however, oxtfaiaiva clear^-cuttings had resulted from the
rise of the iron industry about 1850, and continued to bo common iontil the close of the
century. Heavy drains upon the oak-che stout-yellow poplir type have long been made by
the anthracite coal aiinaa of northeastern P'^ainsylvmia, and tlie bituninous coal ain^ra
of w-atem Ponnsylvmia, Tho hardwood distillation industry, although a large con-
suaer of beecb-bircbHaaple and oth-^r northern hardwoods, has existed aalnly on ^i-oods waste
left by logi;crs of sawtlmber. The important pulp and paper industry has from the
beginning appeirently drawn a large portion of its raw mtiterial from out3ide the St »t©.

Present Situation in the Wood-Oaing Induatrios.
Lumber, From about 800 sawmills operating in the State in 1927, (the last
year of record), probably not ov^r a dozen are of subatontial size and operate on a
year long basis. Less tiian half of these are modem band mills. Of the two largest
and oldest operating sompanies in the State, one will go out of business within two
years, and the other probably witMn five, having exhausted all of their timber. The
method of operating the portable PcnnsylvLmia aawaills is not laiique in any way, and
need not be described here. Mills have been khown to set up for aa little as 20,000

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board feet of lunberi and an avercngo out of 2,000 board fast per aoro ovor on entire
traot is oonaldered to bo a euf floient strmd for opemtion under sorae circunstaaoea*
Wellofonoed hardwood trees will be out down to a diameter linit of twelve Inohes at
breast height} and eoftmode dovn to eight inches* TraotDrs are being ueed in the
woods to seme extent for hauling logs to the milly sud auto trucks ore, of oouree,
the coinnen means of delivering the lieaber to the railroads for looal eonsuaine points*
For reasons not altogether apparent* very feir of the small portable sawmills that
make up the greex bulk of the State's 600 milisj are operating; in the beeoh-biroh-
mapio-heailook typo.

Pafiy, Pul.P» l^s I^nnsylvanda species whioh appears to be out at the present
tine in largest quantity f sr the pulp industry is scrub or l^ginia pine. Cld-fi«ld
stands of this speoios^ avers^^inc about fifteen cords to the acre, are being out
oX^on to supply mille iu the nurt>j-eentral and southeastern portions of the State*
Utilisation has hitherto been extr^noly olosoj and even now takee trees down to
three and four inohes in diameter* Although there are scattered areas of spruce of
a sine suitable for pulpMro<>d iii the swi^ps of the Pooono Plateau and else^ere in
Pennsylvania* all of the spruee pulpwood used by loosl pulp mills is shipped in from
Canada, New York, or Russia. Aspen in Pennsylvania rarely reaches a sufficient size
for eoonomieal utilisation ae pulpTTOod. Titte present policy of at least one of the
larger pulp mills in the State with respect to hardwoods, is to ship in wood from
adjacent states, particularly Hew York, as long as the supply lasts, holding its
standing tirabor in Pennsylvania in reeerva. Northern hardwoods are the species
chiefly used. Ilonlock sawnill we.8te, whioh in a state mamifacturing as much heralook
as Fsnnoylvania does, would appear to be a promising souroe of supply for pulp mills,
is 80 unoertainly available in the futuis as tiot to be favorably reg^urded*

The hardwood dietillatioa Induetry has already been described as built on the
mods waste of the logging industry* For years its oomplete collapse has been
expected because substitirtos have invaded the market for its finished product* but
at least some of the modern plants appear to have an assured future* One distillation

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plant is knovm to have dellberataly aoqulred a suffloiont aoraa^'e of tijaber to
oporato its plant indaf init«ly * pj^>vidad a rotation of about forty yaars is long
enough to staturo oordnrood* It la putting tha beat of its )iard napla into shoe lasts
and ita biroh into ahoo haelsi a-ridontly appraoiating tha naad to dlvaraify its
product.

the production of altie tJ|jg^^9r(| is an oxtr«naly importunt forest industry in
Pennsylvania* Ifalf c billion board feet of inine tiiabers is annually used by tha
anthraoitt? minoe); and 550)000,000 board faetj or its aquivslentt by the bituoinous*
The Stf?t9 8ttppl1,i!»?» ♦he e^jjdvul'^nt of 4?-6jOOOyOOO feat of this in the round, or
hawedf but 80,^ of th* anthrfiel+s raquireraent is net from outside aouroeg. Traas of
a very wide raa^e of 45.an«t3r are utliie^d for nine props? and prop lengths run
from four feet up to twenty. About one-third of all mine tiiabera are saved, and
the rwnsinder hswod*

Hayed ties e.re produaed in iijmortpjfjt quantities in the State, particularly
in the southwAfltarn part* there is also a oonsideruble prodiution of cordvood for
fuel* but the State as a vhole Ib so well suppliod with coul and natural gas that
the ooRPumption of fuelwood must be relatively small* 3orae £i;iiiy^ is unquestioneibly
cut in the f^^ate, mostly frnn oak, but it has b^an iriposelble to obtain any exact
Infornrntion on the quantity*

Tiaoondary forest industries flourish in Pennsylvania, as a natio'al consequence
of large oonsimption* In value of its products tha State stands third in tha
cooperage industry, i^eventh in box n^mufaoture, and fourth in planing mill products*

Orlgtoal Forests

Then is no partioular reason to believe that the boundaries of the two types
recognised in Pennsylvania have ehanfed essentially during the transition of the
forests from virgin to second-growth or cutover land* To avoid confusion, however,
it is well to mezktion that many acooisits of past und present forest conditions seem
to regard the white pine and white pine-hemlock forests which supported the State's

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grtfti XuBdiar Industry in th« lata nlnotaenth oontury ua part of the northam hard-
woods forast* This is bolioved to be a. niisoonQsptiont as provod to us by th«
exEcnination of a good aaay old whitd plno otu7.p aroaSf and tailios of tho prsssnt
opaoids on ths ground* '^hXX^ pins i9 far laor^ oftaa on aaBooia-ta of oak and ohestnut
itaan it is of hard roaplo, yallow biroh* and besob*

the ohief souroe of infomation has boon a survey of Psnnsyl7ania forsst
rosouroos by ths Oopartnent of Forosts and Waters taade in 19^4-26. An unsigned and
undated laaraoranditn giving the history of this survey, under the title "Forest Class-
ification and ^stiimted Umber Stands of Pennsylvania" » is in Ifr* Gibbons* file*
After personal eonversation with l!r* A* 3* Rupp of the Pennaylvonla D&partsient» vho
IMC in charge of the survayi I have made some corrections la this momorandura* Briefly}
the survey tTas conducted by the District Foresiers} about 35 in nutaber, under ldeati«kl
instructions from the iiarrisburg office} it itas e;q>ected that their figures would
later be carefully eonqpared in Iiarrisburg and combj^ied in a consistent irtiole, but I
understand the project vsas crowded off the progratn of the D6pax*tmdnt before this
could be done* Ibimship or county laaps* and U* 3* G* 3* sheets of his territory}
vere furali^ed each District Forester} v^o took th®it into the field and mapped on
them all contiguous bodies of foreot land} and all detached areaS} aostly fani
woodlotsj of ctore than 50 acres in size* lliese nsq>a were planimetored in Iiarrisburg}
and to the forest acreage thus obtained for each county was added the Oietrict
Forester's estimate of forest land contained in ls3S*tiian«>50'aere tracts* In the
field mapping four classes of forest land vere recognized} as later described* The
District Fbrestdrs also subaittod estimates of the nutaber of cords and board feet
on these four dosses of land* In these estimates two weights of stcuul were recogniied
for oordwood areaS} and three for saw-tiniber area*

As earlier stated* thla treraatidoUH job was nerer quite oompleted, at loaat to
the point of foxnaal publloatlon of rusultst although coualy aoreagee ana volumeB aa
origlivxlly submitted by the District Kcrostere were published in Forest Ii&avee» and
arj '.'.vailabls to us* The forest taap was not rsprodujed Tor general usSi but a 4^- by
8 inch photoijrci^h has boon fujfnisited to us* and con be used xith the aid of a hand
glaea*

Unquestionably thio survoy represents a much jaora dotiiilod and accurate inventory
of the forest raaouross of FsiiXi'jylvimia thaa is avaiiabio £oc .lie groat laajox'ity of
8tatB3» The fi^iUrc for total fcreat ara& may be accuptod with little question, ciinee
th9 claaaification by fortist oonditions dosa not soiiaaida. wj,th tliat adopted by us in
revising the Capv^er '\r,port fi^:ui'usi class asroagos oould te used otuy a£i valuable
guldoa. The nian oluesifylu^, Adaiaa and York coimtiae so obvioiialy interpretad his
inatructiona differ<iiitTy froja anyono else thut I htvd to correct hie figures by a
eoraparltion ^ith ;:i<ijaeo:it counties* The aurvsy's astlriate of only 1,366,000 aoros
as oithor co-:^i«t©ly d«forested or reduced to soridb oak and aspen-fir© cherry ce-a
hard3.y be accepted In tho faco of \. G. T^jlntyre's ©stiaaat© of 2,000,000 acres in
the eor'J? oat type alone, and 3S« 0» BSirhardt's catijaate of 240,000 acres of fir«
cherry-aepsn or tsroraa ia only four oouatios of ncrth\ir93t9m Ponnsylvsoiia. *. Ifclntyre,
of PsnnsylvtjiiR Ctato Colleges wade a speoit;! ctudy of the scrub oak type in Peuasyl*
vania during tho sucjaer of 1927, end obtained aret eDtiat.toe of the type frc.Ti the
District Foresterc sf the <'>tate as veil* Mr* iSirhardt, vho as forester for tlie
Armstrong Forest Company of Johnsor-biu-g, FeaasylvaniK^, ia a mmj^r of our Advisory
Council, h»8 had 15 years* e^^iorienee in nerthwestem Isrmsylv&^iia, and his opinion
ia entitled to great respect* Co:sditiona on the Ul^heny national Pbrast, with wliioh
tho Station ia familiar, boar out his estimate of the area of aspen-fire cherry. Ihe
estimates in cords :ind board feet of the Pennsylvania survey are open to serious ques*
tiott, «nd Mr. Rupp hindelf of the Departraunt feels that at least the board foot e«tiaat«8
are too high* Rupp*s informal estimate of probable stand per acre for the oak -chestnut-
yellow poplar type checks very well with that of Profc. ?'oIntyre and Ferguson, and wa
liave accepted it, togetlisr with IJr. iiSirharAt's for the other type*

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Tha area of tho b««oh-biroh-roB.pl9-h«3loak typa la i«k«B fr«B Bulletin 46 of
tho DafArti-cnt of Forcstfl and '^%wn ae In o\tr map of the type. In addition to the
aboroMaantioned estlratos of the areaa of sorub oa: and aspenoflra oherry» sub'-typea
of the onh-chos-t nut-yellow wplr«.r and beeoli-biroh-maplo-homlock typos, reapeotively,
we hsivfl th9 authority of Reaearoh Clroh No. 2 of the >onnaylvania Department for
aercn.i'03 of twn ^Ite pine 9id!>'>typeat and of George 3. Perry of the Departmwit and
A. 0. Mctntyro for the aoreai?e of a pure Virginia pine aub-type, ull la the o«Uc-
ohe9tnut«^'ellov» ropier type.

The total nr<5ft of the AlleghOiiy Watioiial Forest was taken from the 1930 raport
of %tic?nal Sbre-jt '<f?8«i(^'",tion fToptrjiaaion, dated June 30 of that year* beeauae later
flgupsa obtnin©f\ more directly from the Fbreat were oonfliotingi the nanagameut plan
of the forsfft ws<« drewn upon for ita class if ioa tie n by condition. Tho total aoreaga
of the 7bbyha?ijna ''*'-litt»ry Roaervation aaa furnished ua by ?*. l^vrsh in a Branch letter
dated ff^roh 30; ?.931. Hha Pennaylvania Separtraent of Foreata and iitere haa rumiahad
oe with the ncr':^£^Q of State Foreats, and the State Giuae Corsniaaion with that of r>tata
ga'iio landa. 'Ihe area of forest n owned by oountioa and aunicipalitiea he^a been obtained
from data onmpilod by the Hepfirtmant of Fbraata and fatura, suppleriiented by a direct
queatioroiaire «iiioh ^e aeut to all raunialpulities or municipal ^later oompaniaa of
vrhioh ve had record, \oroafe flguraa for 3tate lartda are uriqueationably reliable , but
those for county and municiptil holdinga are probebly low.

Qempilation of AreH|e,«

flonoooimeroial Areas.

4r« Rv$>p eatimated that there were at leaat 100,000 uorea of format land in the
State which could not be oonaiderad ooriaeroial* These include natural talue alcpas,
auon aa thoae aurrounding Dear !^«adow8 in Oentre County* and auoh nian«creatad areaa
aa the rook atri^iping around ^sount Union, in [{untingdon Couaty.

Hon-eonsnodlty v'kreas.

Ihaae include areas on the State Foreata which have bom definitely dedicated

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to Intanslve rscroutlonal ueO) and ars knovn as Garapa» Camp Sites, and Parkst also
Monumsntsy nhioh have btien 8«t aside for permanent preservation in their orl^iinal
state} and Gook: Fbrest* Of forest areas in oounty and municipal ownership, only
parks have been designated as non-oorinodity , municipal watarsheds not being so
designated* About 221 aores on the Allegheny National Forest hare been elassified
as non-oo-naodity , including the virgin tlraber areas of !Ieaz^*8 Content and the Kane .
Ixperimental Ftarest*

Gonraeroial Forest A\rea8*

Typ,f» ^Tith the help of the oap in 3ulletia 46 » and tho small-scale mp of
forest areas, previously referred to, it was possible to approximate the percentage
of the forest area in each oounty ^ioh should be assigned to the beeoh>birch-
■aple-hemlook type* l^iese percentages were then applied to the county forest areas
as given by iUxe Peimeylvania Purvey, and the emu of the results was found to be
4,480,000 acres* Only a very slight correction was therefore necessary to bring
the total up to the 4,500»000 aores vriiich the type contains, according to Bulletin 46*
It vos assuned that the type percentage for each county applied to municipal and
oounty forests, to feurm weodlots, and to all other private land* Itora exact
information \mB, however, at hand for the State and !1ational ownerships* Bulletin 46
had stated that on August 1, 1928, 16 per cent of the State forests were in the
beeoh>birch-!s^ld type, and this figure was brought iqp to date by a critical
sxaiaination of the location of areas purchased froia that date to January 1, 1931*
looal knowledge of the Allegheny liationol Fbreat and of the Tobyhanna Reservation
made it possible to divide their areas betvraen types with comparatively little error*

Forest condition* The Pennsylvaaia Survey of 1924-26 recognized the following

four elaoses of forest landt

"Class 1 oonprises the badly burned areas on which there is nothing
growing exeept bmoken, huckleberry, weeds, etc*, and on which forest
ires growth is eoi^letely killed*

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Olas* 2 ooiq>rlsos areas on iHileh are found eorub oak, fire oherry,
aud aaperif with a spane aad moall growth of valuable forest tree species*

Class 3 eonprises areas on whieh the more valuable forest tree
species have beeerae finaly established, wad includes all growth i;^ to
a diameter of 6 inohos*

Class 4 comprises aureas on which are growing trees of merohantoble
8ise» on which more than 50 per cent of the stcinds are not less than
6 inches in diameter*'*

Although the average stund per acre for Class 4 lazids is 3,434 board feett
by no means the entire aore«g« ean be considered sawtimber* Hi^p believes that
■awtitaber stands now being out in oonBosroial logging in the oak«chestnut-yellow
poplar type average only about 2,000 feet per acre, and estiiiiates that 40 per cent
of the Class 4 acreage in this type is merchantable sawtimber, averaging 2,500
board feet per acre* Assuroing as correct ray division of tliis Class between the
two types, (the method is later described), Ri4>p*s figure would give only a trifle
over 1,000,000 acres of aawtind3er in the oak-chestnut-yellow poplar type, which
•esins low. The figure finally used - 1,381,000 acres - is 52 per cent of the
Class 4 acreage, and is based on an estiraats by Ferguson of State College that
60 per cent of the faina woodlots in this type, and 8 per cent of the remaining
ownerships, are sawtimber* Molhtyre would have put the former figure at 75 per cent*
It should be particularly noted that these agricultural colle£e men disregarded
estimates of total farm woodlot area based on Census figures, and accepted the
woodlot area given in the Pennsylvania Survey | the latter figure is predicated on
the exclusion from the farm woodlot category of forest lands not in detached blociie*
In the beeoh-biroh-oaple'^emlook type reliance was placed in an estirmte by S* 0*
Shriiardt that not over 10 per cent of the entire type is at present sawtimber i
because very little of the type was cut clean for its iiardwoods more than 30 or
40 years ago* His figure is 38 per cent of the Class 4 acreage in this type*

Of the total sawtimber area, only an insignificant amount may reasonably bo
called virgin* Bulletin 46 (1928) of the Pannsylvaala Dopartaent of Forests and
Waters I'laeed the virgin acreage at 20,000 acres, and Bulletin 37 (1930 edition)
at "fewer than 25,000 acres"* Cutting in these stands has continued steadily.

and the total on January 1» 1931, was arbitrarily plaood at 16,000 acres* One of
the large pulp oompaaies in northwestem Pennsylvania olaima to own 6,000 aorea,
but its definition of virgin growth is probably not e:)iaotlng* l^e largest coutin*
uous body in the State ic unquestionably the 3,000 acres of the Central PennsylvaniA
Lunber Gonipany on ^.ast Tionesta Creek* Ihe 3tate owns a few hundred aorss in snail
traota, and in addition some soattored virgin trees on land chiefly in second growth*

TiiQ area of deforested ("rK>n->restocking" « a magnifioeiot e^pheinisnj} land vas
based on Mclntyre*s estisiate, already disoussed, of 2,000,000 acres in the scrub
oak 8ub*type, and on i%rhardt*s judgmeant that 15 per cent of forest area of iarron,
UeKMUt, 31k and Forest counties is aspen-fire cherry or T/arse. The latter figur*
approxiimtes 18 per cent of the 1,515,000 acres of beeoh'biroh-fiaple^emloak in
those four counties, which unquestionably have a higher peroontage of aspon-fire
cherry land than the raraainder of the type. ^Uthough Sxtansion Forester Murphey
estimates that there are 500,000 acres in the aspen-fire cherry type, a figure of
400,000 acres was adopted, which would require that about 8 per cent of the type
outside of the four counties named had been reduced to aspen-fire cherry or worse*
The cembinod areas of Classes 1 and 2 in the Survey is 790,000 acres, but are
boosted by Elk Gatmty figures tdilch are all out of line ?ith those of adjacent
counties* M the final computation of the non-restocking area of the oak-chestnut-
yellow poplar type it wtiS assiaaed that half of the scrub oak sub-typo vsas in that
condition, and of the bsech-biroh-raaple-homlock type, half of the f ire-cherry-
aspea sub-type* To these \aere added such of the Class 1 acreage of each type as
remained after deducting from it the 100,000 acres of non-corameroial forest land*
Forty-two per cent of the non-comDercial area was assigned to the beech-biroh-
maple type, sines that percentage of the entire Class 1 acreage was in that type*

Division of the rtmaiaing eomneroial forest acreage between the cordwood and
cut-over o lass if ioat ions, on the basis of the Survey classes, sas difficult* Hot
all of the Class 3 ar«a could be considered cordwood land» because its ^ub-class A
had been defined as having a cordwood stand of only 1 to 10 cords per acre* The
average, or 6 cords per acre, was less than appeared necessary for a nerchantable

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■taiid* Henoey only Class 3 B* with a stand dssoribsd &a 10 to 28 cords par aersy
oould contribute to the oord^vood areas* Ubfortunately the Departoent of Forests
and Vaters oould not furnish us with area figures for tlie sub-classssf but only
VDluBie estimates in cords* vhen the oordwood volune on Class A was dlrided by 6}
and on Glass B by 16» the quotients added up to within 3 per oent of the total
acreage for Class 3* Only a alight correction in the computed figure ie.s therefore
necessary to give at least the sgpproximate area of each sub-class* the total area
of cordwDod was considered to be the area of Class 5 D, plus any surplus remaining in
Class <i after the sawtimber aoreagsy already detemined, was deducted*

In the oak»ohe9tnut«>yellow poplar type the remaining of the scri^ oaX area was
token to comprise the eut«over acreage less than satisfactorily stocked und oas
divided equally between the poo rly^sto eked and the f air ly-stoc lied categories* In
the boeoh-bireh-maple-henilock type the remaining half of the aspen-fire cherry
acreage was sinilarly classified*

The cut->ovsr acreage satisfactorily stocked was then computed by adding to the
Class 3 A area ai^ acrea^re rermining after deducting from Classes 1 und Z the non-
conxaercial area* the poorly-stocked area, and the fairly-stocked area* In the oak-
chestnut-yelloi? poplar type the last three classes were together larger than the
sun of Classes 1 and Z, so that the final result was smaller than the Class 3 A figura*

C>wt\ershi;p,* Ttio total areas of Federal^ State and municipal and county forests
were obtained as earlier described* that of fani woodlots* howsveri vms not directly
obtainable anywhere* Both the Pc^nsyli»nla Departm«it of Forests and Vaters and the
foresters at .jtate College feel very strongly that the Census gz*datly exaggerates the
proportion of true farm woodlots in the State* They feel that forest areas to be
classed as farm woodlots should actually adjoin the farm, and be handled as a part
of it* Just as any other crop land would be handled* They do not feel that tracts
of land on outlying hillsf or mountains remote froa the fam, should be classified
as fara vmodlotf even though they happen to be owned by farmers* ^!ost such tracts
are not 8^pplying current needs for fuel or lumber on the farm, but are logged clean
at Intervals whenever adjacent eomraeroially-owned lands are cut* The State College

Vi

authorities regard as f«rm woodlots only ths one and a half raillion uores referred
to In Circular 119 of the College* and the Ospartiasixt of Forests and Aitsrs bellsres
that only the l»716f000 aoresi designated In their 3urvoy as '*dstaohed areas" »
should be so regarded. Hovsvory slnoe few if any other states have aade a field
inventory of detached areas ua a basis for figures on farm ^soodlot area, the estimate
for Peansylvania nas based on Census data* The only figures available at the tia«
of the ooiqputation were for 1925* or altnoat the saiao year as the Pennsylvania Surrey*

the Census figures were used as follows in arriving at the county areas of fans
woodlotsi to the areas listed under "woodland pasture" and "woodland not used for
pasture"! was added a portion of "all other land in farras"* /ui exRraination of the
county figures showed that four acres or less per farm of "all other land in fanas"
were rsported from about a dozen oomtias* ^ince the sise of the average farta in
these Counties ranged from about 46 to l26t it was concluded that not over four
acres of land were actually occupied by buildingsy lanea; etc*) even on large farxas*
Any excess over four acres per fam in tlie roiaaining counties «ias therefore assiBned
%o be actually forest land, and nas added to the two other olasses of plainly forest
land on the farm*

Ihe area of all "all other private la^id** was obtained by subtracting from the
total acre of forest land the sun of all other o^merships* Obviously there is no
way of checking it*

'Qis distribution between sawtimber oreasj oordwood areas, etc*, was woriced out
for each lypa as a tiholo as alreudy described* It was at once apparent, however,
that this distribution «as not uniform throughout all ownerships* In the absence
of any other data the generalized distribution must of course be accepted for any
particular ovmership such gis municipal and county* But on the riutional Forest,
data drawn frora the working plan made possible a muon zaore accurate classification*
The degxmded condition of the tbbyhanoa Military Reservation was well known, and
established a fairly accurate classification*

Of the 1,429,000 acres of State forests purchased 19 to .Kmuary 1, 1931, a

t

little mors timn 1,000 tOOO acres liad been purchased frora 1398 to 1916* Gonsiderlng
the comparative 8uoo«88 of fire protection on the State forests from the beginaingf
X% M«med reasonable to assign half of the early purchases, or 500 ,000 aores» to
the oord«ood araat together with 100|000 acres of ths 429^000 purchased in the last
15 years* The fact that in 1927 60|000»000 board fsot of tiinber» disregarding
aooeesibilityy was estimated to be ripe for cutting on the State forests t indicated
that there might easily be 35*000 acres of savrtimber there* The rensaining 3tut«
fbrest area was classified by using the same ratios as existed between the non-
sawtimber classes of the entire typs* otate game loiids were similarly classifiedi
only 4|000 acres which were sawtimber t according to the Cane Consiission*

Of the farra woodlot areas, tha 'Survey's 1,717,000 uoros were classified from
etat^zients of Ferguson and aitpp, the proportion of Classes 1 and ?., and [general
knowledge! the balarice from the ratios for the entire type* Th9 computation is
shown on page 12*

Classification of all other private land was necessarily determined entirely
by the classification given the other ownershipsi thus the acreage of savrtiiobsr was
tlie difference between the total sawtimber acreage for the type and the sun of all
other ovn&rships of sawtimber* Nothing short of a field siarvey could detenaine the
actual condition of other private laitd*

S&te of Sstiaategf
It will be noted that the bulk of ths information used in the above estioatss is
seven years old* No attempt, however, has been toade to correct for chaises which may
have taken place in that interval, portly because of the admittedly approximate char-
acter of the 1924 data, and partly because it is very doubtful wt-ietber in so short a
space of time any appreciable o)iange has token place in either total forost area or the
relative area of sawtimber, oordwood, and cut-over laud* Reforestation of abandoned
fans land lonns larger in theory than actuality, and there is of course still a littla
annual clearing of woodland for agriculture to offset it*

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stands per aere for euoh type* as shown on pages 14-16 were not obtained from
the Pennsylvania Purvey, but were based on the geaeral knowledge of suoh men as
Rupp, MeXntyret Fergu80tt» :i!lirhardtt and others*

The Station's faiailiarlty ^th some of the rat»lnlng areas of virgin beech-
birch-naple-hecolook was dravm uponi distribution as between speoies Is probably
fairly satisfactory, but the total stattd per acre cay be somewhat low* Figursa
for the oak-ohestnut-yellow poplar type are purely arbitrary, as we have very little
uoquaintanoe with virgin tii^dser in this type, except the untypioal Heart's Content
and Coolc Fbrest tracts*

Conipoeltion of second-growth sawtlctftior stands was eheoked in a roeasure by the
figures on lunbi r production for 19^7, (the last available here)* Ihis check was
of loore Value as a precaution against overlooking s^me speoies than as a tueuns of
•stiisatini,' species ratios* Thus a cut of 13,597,000 board feet of wiiite pine,
against 222,000 feet of yellow pine, dees not fairly reflect the relative amounts
of standing timber of theso speciesi for one thing, the bulk of this white pine
limber carae from the few remainiag virgin sttrnds* Hupp, Ferguson and f.lolntyre all
agree that 2,500 board feet is the proper figure to use in the onk-ohestnut-yellow
poplar second-growth sawtimber stands* and l^rhardt was autliority for the estimates
of sawtiiabsr in the beeoh<-birch<-maple-henilOQk type* The ttnnual estimate of the
Allegheny tlational Forest for January 1, 1330, raised by 35 per cent in accordance
with Supervisor Bishop's recoraraeckdat ion, indicates that about 4,000 board feet per
acre is the average for 33,000 aeree of savtinsber in the beeoh-blrcliomaple-hanlock
type* A small virgin acreage swells this average slightly*

/ ■'

Satizo&tod Statids por a^sra, Pdaisylvania.

!• Savtimbar areas

Qtk-cheatnut^yellow jpo^lar typy

Blroh, boaoh, imple

Red gun

Ttqpele

Hiekory

Ash

Tellov poplar

YsUow pins

Hsnlook

aiite and Monmy piiie

Other hardwoods

Virgin

Sooond-grovth

Bd. Ft*, lundsar

Bd.

Pt«, luaber

^Uy

taUy

12,000

2,000

100

133

10

2

25

i

100

19

200

as

500

90

SOO

n

500

so

750

75

415

60

'^tals

15,000

2,500

V Ineludea 30,000 acres pure «hite pinet composition 11,000 bd* ft* white
pine, SOO* beesh-blrch«oaple, 250* ash, 250' ydUo?? poplar*

Also 40,000 acres mixed piae^hardvoodsf composition, white pine 4,000 bd* ft*»
3,000* beech-birch-naple, 500* ash, 500* yellow poplar*

Beeoh»biroh«igaple'4i«nlock type

Virgin

Bd* ft*, limber

Second'

^ith henlock^
Bd* ft*, luinber

•growth

Without hemlock,/#
Bd. ft*, luaber
taUy

Healoek

Beech, birch, maple

Qterry

Ash

I3»000
5,900

SOO
250

2,000

1,400

1,000

6S

50
1,800

1,000
100

Yellow poplar
Basswood

250
50

10
20

10
35

Other hardwoods

50

5

5

Totals

20,000

4,500

^ 25% of total second-growth sawtiiaber acreage
## 1S% « « •• «

3,500

<

A

S* Cordwood araas

QELk-chaertaut-y«llow poplar type^

Qord8i> trith .bftTk

Qsik

Beeoh-blrch^EoajpXo

Tupolo

Hiokory

Ash

y allow poplar

Yello«f pino

Homlook

^ita and ikint^ pine

Other haxdwoode

7.5
.7
•2
•2
•3
•4

•a

.1

.2

10*0

§ Iholudos 35)000 acres purs whita pine; conipoaition whits pins 18 oordsi
beoch'birch-mapls I oord» -^ eord ashy ^ cord yellow popLu'«

And 50,000 acroa mixed piae-hardwoodfl ? oompofflition white piae 8 cords,
beesh-biroh-isapls 6 corda» -|- oord ashy -^ oord yellov poplar, 1 oord h^oloek*

And 125,000 aersR purs yellow pins (^» vir^inianfi) i eompositicn ysUow pine
15 cords, boeoh-'oircii-j^ple 1 cord.

B»Q3h*b.i.r'3h«gap,le"h(aalock typ,e

Bsseh, birch, loaple

Cottomrood, aspen

Ash

Ysllouf poplar

Black ohsrry

HwaLook

Other hardwoods

Vtsstern Fa*

,f

ISastsm Fa.^

Cords J with bark

Ctords* with bark

S«0

12.0

•5

.5

,25

.25

.35

.25

S«0

4.0

•5

.5

.5_

.5

Total

18.00

18.00

^ £lk, Forsst, UoKsan, ^^rrsn, Venango, Crawford, ileroer, i:rid! described by
5. C-« ij3irh&rdt as alike wit^i reject tc high volume of cCuerry* Liclude l/Z of
type acreage.

3* Cordvood In eawtimber standS) trees 4" D, B. H« and up, and lixabwood
to 4** outside bark*

■Safes8tijgatnuit-y,q3^o«; pepM^. ,ty|).0.

Virgin stands, small trass
Virgin stands » llmbwood
Ssoond-growth » anEtll trees
Sseond-growtii , lirnb^TOOd

Hardwoods

Cords per U

• 8
1.7
2*5

0.67

Softwjods
Cords per M

•12

.03
I.9
0«S

Be;eeh-b iroh«faaple"h egnlook ,t yp,Q

Virgin 8t;inds» small trees
Virgin stands, liabwood
Seoond-growtHf amall trees
Seoond^gro^rtn, limbwood

.f

• 12

1*3

•03

2.75

^•50

• &0

0,75

I

In estiiaatlng the total stand for tlie oak-ahestaut-yellow poplar type it v&b
aceessary to take into aoooimt the probable preuenoo as a sub-type of 30,000 aoree
of pure white pine» and 40*000 aoros of mixed ^Ite pine and hardwood; the oompoal-
tion of these stands is giyen in the footnote to the main table for that type*
Cordvood areas for the sarae type include acreafoe under each of these bub-typesi
and in addition 1^5*000 acres of pure yellow pine (Pji^ua Tirginiajia) » In the beech-
birch«2aapla*henilock type also it was neceosary to take into consideration known
Tariations* About 25 per cent of the eawtluiber acreace vias estiiaated to have a
scattered stand of h^nlookf which has developed from small trees and advance
reproduction left in the early cuttings of honloek* Again, the presence of an
extraordiaarily large proportion of black cherry in tha oordwood stiinda of north-
vestem Psonsylvania deziaand recognition* The very rapid growth of this species
produeeo large volumes per acre* although the nunbor of trees nuy be srcall* Oyer
half tha meroiiantablo volume on one tract of 14,000 acres purchased for the
Allegheny Tbtioual Forest viaa black cherry*

■Qjo quantity of oordwood in virgin aavrtiiab^r areas of the beech-birch-oaple-
h«i}lock typa was takea from Girard*s apprai«%il of k>t 372 on the Alletheay Ilational
forest {'Mat Tionesta Creek)* This lot of 245 acres averaged 27,000 board feet,
lynb«r tally, and 16*3 cords of vood* Owing to the heavy tops in old trees, 75 per
cent of this iiae assigned to linibs am tops, and 25 p^ir cent to small trees in the
stand* Ibtal oordwood in virgin stands of the oak-chestnut-ysllow poplar type was
assumed to run a little higheri its division between ssiiall trees and limb wood is
about the same*

aeoond-groTTth aa-stirriber ("oatur^ stands, chiefly of the beach •biroh-taaple-
hemloek "feype, on the Allegheny ijational Forest contained 2*65 cords of wood per
thousand board feet according to Cross* policy atatectent of 19;;;8, and 3*4 cords
etccording to the Forest's annual estimate of January 1, 1930* the first peuragraph
on page 23 of Bulletin 46 of the Pennsylvania Department of i-Toresta and Tatars

• #

^

indicates that from a little over 1 oord to 4*5 oorda per t}K>u3and board f eot oay
be expected in secotui«>grovth beeeh-bircn«maple eawtiabar* A figure of 3^ ooras
per thousand board feet was finally adopted for both hardwooda und softvooda in
this type{ however > the softwoods were believed to oontala a aoraawhiit hi^iher propor*
tion of this volume in the limbs and tope than tne hard\?oods. Hemlookf practioolly
the only softwood oon,te.ined in the typoj is represented in the sawtinber stiBinds
chiefly by coarse limby indlviduila of considerable age* Because the epaoiea in
the oak-ohestmut-yellow poplar type are somewhat leoe tolernat tJian in the othier
type* the total allowance for oordwood in small troee and tops was aliglitly reduced,
and a larrter proportion of it was considered to be contaitied in the tops* Ttiia waa
for hardvood) the close utilisation of white pinst 'the niain aoftwocd species in
BMond-growth stands ^thin this type, seemed to warrant a reduction in the nuia'oer
of cords per thousand board feet. Although all the figut'es for the oai:-ohestnut-
yellow poplar type BQtm somewhat high in the light of the data for older istiincis in
Table 27, U« S» F» S. Bulletin 96, it is intarepting to note thrit -bhe Petmaylvania
Survey reports 3,43 cords per thousand board feat soataiasd in Cilaaa 4, for the
\7hole State*

Lifaits of Utiligation

It should be particularly noted that in all of the above discussions of aord-
wood, voltfiBfls include the bark* 3inoe the iastructlone for the Sxtansive Bevlsloii
limit consideration of volume in email trees, both in eawtlntber and in cordwood
stands, to those above 4 inches in diaiseter breast hich» it ha? bson assumed that
the sane limit applies to material contained in the tops and linbs* In the hardwood
distillation industry the utilization of beech, birch and staple has generally been
soQowhat below 4 inches* Pulpwood utilisation of such a^ocies as Virjjinia pine is
•Ten today to about four inches at the small end of the stick*

mnimum sizes of sawtimber trees are about 12 inches 0* B* H* for hardwoods,
and 8 inches for softwoods*

^

A«;o<iji^fllb llity_ and ;;tnality

ttie fa«}t that the entira foi'eat araa of the itate^ oxoept for the 100»C]00 acres
olassad as non-^orisiorci.al} hue bsen out over at Xaast onoa is auf fiolont proof that
nona of it ie Inacoesslbld* Cn tha other haiW, oonridorabXo arons «ith a. •oattarine
of aawlog traas will not produce uuffiolant board footofra to warrant building a road
baok to them Sroa tha naarast railroad or enistin^ highway. For exijmpla, in 19ii7 tha
Dapartniaui. of 7oraets and ataro astimatad that of 30yOCO,000 board faat of eawtianbar
on tha sttte forosts only about 10 per cant wae tha:; sufficiently olose to a road to
be profxtul/le cut. Huilding of additional roads oa the fytute foreots has since that
time doubled tha quantity acc«3Bsib3.o for a ooinneroial operation. Perhaps 50 per cent
of the total ssawttober reported for tha State cannot be coneidered acceefllble under
nonoal post«war conditions*

The assuaod savrtiraber stand per acre for both types is only one-third to one-
quarter of the atiind i^iioh yield tablae f^ovi raay be produced with full stocking, and
the assuaed oordwood stands are about one-half* The quality of tho second-grovth
MMiimbart particularly tho aoftwcoda, is cjansiderably below that of the virgin stitnds.
In acidition to being of comparativaly small eize, aeoond-grovrth trees are frequently
dafectiirei us a result of fire scarring.

Aiyiual Praia

^^pp»<?on]rood^yty,^ Woeers, r/irt end Itowland of the Pennsylvania Departoent of
Ibrests and raters are responsible for the fifrures on fire losses submitted by
Mr. 3aot;u3 and e;q)lii.inou in his "Menioraadua for Mr* Forbes" (US - liirtonaiou Revision,
Form 4y Pennsylvania) of June 23, 1931*

Mo "abnoraa.!" loaaos from inoeots, disease, and wind are reported; "normal"
losses are refleoted in the light average stands par acre tyiiioh have been assumed.
Although some merchantable timbor is unquestionably bein^ killed by these agencies
aacti year, and losses froa insects and disease will be increased follow:dn^ the 1930

drought } there ere no destroyers of msrohantabls tlnbar nov epidemic. Tlie ohestnut
blight has completed ita destruction of the Penney IvaiUa ohaatnut» tne only murchant-
able material of thie spooies being de&d* Thu white pirie blister ruat is not yet
reported to have billed any trnes of merchantable sits*

gqraCTOdit^* Production figures for fuelwood, fence poets > and mine props ars
given and explained in pages 26-34, but a long delay in obtaining from the PsnasylTania
Bailroad good coQparatiye figures on poles purchased locally by rtiilroud^ for iintir
ovm use has held up the computation of pole produotion. Ho figures whatever on the
total production of piling' have been obtained} in apite of considerable effort*

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Poreentages of softwoods and hardwoods are astlrflatod tc bo tbs Bta.f as tnoHS for
the "Total tiniber stand - Cordwood - FHrra vfeod Lota". Iheao wera conputad from
the figures appsarir^ uudsr ths vorloue heading b on Fens 1 Sheet t>»

(1) Total quantity produced was taken froc the 1925 Census of Agricultrre*
"Fualwood cut on fame". Ten par oent wp.b tirbltmrily added to allow
for failures ta report, and the result orbitrari-ly roundod cff to
ItOOOyCOO cords by the addition of 55,219* Si a. re^rion of abundant coal
end gas; and well served by railroads, nearly ths isholo non-fana popu-
lation, and wuoh of the farm population itself, usee other than wood fuel.

(2) Fuelwood produced from bgwIoes suitable for liCTber is thoii^ht tc be a
vary sraall quantity in this regian is^ere oloae utiii2ation is practiced.
An arbitrfiry fif ure of one per cent was uood.

(3) Ihe (troatsr portion of fuelwood comes fron the eoall trees on ouvtisiber
and oordwood areas* The percentage used is t'";e suxne as for totiiJL tiraber
stand, indlcjited above, inth a two per oent reduction tc partly allow
for iteasa (3) and (5)«

(4) The poroontt.gs ueod hare is the arjxne as for the total timber sttind with
a one per cent reduction to partly allow for itoras (2) and (5)*

(5) A two per cent allowance was made for dead and non-oormnereial-area fuel-
wood* The graator portion tmo allocated to iJardwoods beoauae tngy
generally r^ake better fuelvrood theti softwoods espeoliilly utim. dead for
some tino*

I

1

i

"Forost" Feaea Poste « Pems^'lvania

4NI1CL1 Froductloa 5)IOO»000 posts

(1) Perearitaf e of total nuabor pitidueed*

softuDods 10 per oeat

hbrdvoods 90 par osnt

(2) Peroentaire of total nunber produced from s&vlog materinl.

3ofti;oodo Q

hardTTOods 50 per cent

(3) raroenti^-o oi total mrober j>roduo9(i from top&, liinbe^ eto*

softwoods 0

hardwoods 0

(4) Percaritaf © of total nunftjor produced fnn trees of less ^an
eawtiriiber sisa on sawtiBioer a-id oordwood ursas.

softiroods 5 por cent

ttardffoods 20 per cent

(5) Porcentace of total nunftier produced from timber on non-oopraercial
areas or dead tiraber*

softwoods 5 per cent

hsirdwoode -20 per oofit

(6) Dimensions of avera e post, 7 foet long 5-inch diameter at snail end.

i'iotos*

An amiuul aoneumption and local production of 5y000»000 posts on Permsylvania
fanos is estin&.tod by frof • F* P* /eaver, State College, Psiinsylvania* (350
posts per i'arisj li> year replaoaraeats or US posta par farn par year on 17a,000
fonag, ~>9q copy of letter attaches.) 100»000 poats are arbitrarily added for
town and suburban usst ano guard rails on roads*

(X) This is a guess* .>c>ms red oedar poets are used cLnd parhape some pitch pine*

(2) A guess* ilisnbers of split posts are used and many are out frcmi large oak)
ehsstnutf and locust trees.

(3) In general limbs and tops (ire too crooked for fenoe posts*

(4) Red oedarj oak and some of tie aortiiera hardwoods are used in the round, from
suall trees.

(5) Ohestuut posts in general are out from dead timber*

(6) This is a guesa. !^ny of the chestnut posts used for guard rails on the
highways are of large diam«ter, but tljie is offset by the large nuriber of
suxxiX posts used for grape arbor posts.

'Forasif rjiin* Propt • PwmeylvaniA

Annual produotion, averat^a 1925-29, laol.

21,324,000 props (426,480,000 bd. ft.) 13.7 par cent
used in anthraolto minas.

(1) Percantaca of total nuaber produoad

softwoode 10

hardwoods 90

(2) Percentage of total nunber produoad fron oavlog matarialt

softv/oods 0

hard^soods 15

(3) Peroffiitaga of tottU. nutobar produced fron traea of less
thm suvrtliiber size on savtimbdr and cordwood areas*

S0ft\900ds 20

bardisoods 75

(4) Percantate of total nitnber produced fron timber of non-
oonsraercial fore at ureas

aoftvoods 0

hardvoods 0

(5) Annual production

1925 - 30,436,000 props (403,730,000 bd, ft.)

1926 - 23,515,000 " (470,300,000 bd. ft.)

1927 - 20,657,000 •* (413,140,000 bd. ft.)

1928 - 20,228,500 " (404,570,000 bd. ft.)

1929 - 21,821^,000 " (436,560,000 bd. ft.)

(6) Diaanaione of averoee props 8 feat long, 8-inch top
diij^etar (x> b4. ft. JnU)

Annual produotion la averuga of 1925*29 production. Obtained from coal
produotion figures as follows!

Anthracite. Bused on letter frwn District Foroator IfLddour (copy attached),
citing conauiaption ia aouthern anthracite field. Middour's \7eights converted to
board feet by Cope*8 figure of 10 lbs. par board foot for yellow (loblolly) pin*
props, and Schnur's of 9.5 lbs. per board foot (57 lbs. p«^ cu. ft; converting
factor for average prop, 9 inches by 8 feet, 6 bu. ft. - 1 cu. ft.) for local
hardwoods. !7iddour il^ter estimated wood use in niddlo field (aasumed to produce
50 per cent of coal tonnage) as 15 per oeut less than in sou'biem, and in northarn
field (25 per cent of tonnage) as 25 par cant less. >{ith southern field consumption
at 6.81 bd. ft. per ton, average for #iole anthracite field is than 5.87 bd. ft.
TSiis ia about 20;;^ lass than the figure apparently uaad by the Anthracite Bureau of

1*,

I

loformatlon, Philadelphia* Of this oonsuraption 3/3 la round material, of vhloh only
30/C Is obtained locally* Pennsylvania then produces •783 bd* ft* of "foreet" mine
props per ton of anthr&clte coal*

Bituminous* "Forestry and Coal Mining", printed by the Cl^irfield Bittininoua
Coal Cori^cration, 1330 1 says that 4 bd* ft* are required to produce one ton of coal*
About 2/3 is round or split material » azid practically all is locally produced* Penn-
sylvania production of '^forest'* zaine props is then 2*66 bd. ft* per ton of bituminous
eoal*

The use of board feet as a measure of mine pi^p volume is illogical in view of
the percentage given under paragraph (3), but because the only available information
from bituminous operators is expressed la tiiat unitj and boCc;.use the bititoinoos mines
use by far the largest perc^itage of the Pannsylvunia-produced props, cubic foot
conversions were not atten|)ted»

In order to get the number of props produced a guess «us made as to ths size of
the Q.ren^9 prop* iiiight feet long by eight inches in diaaetw at the oaall end with
an e^pproximate volume of 20 board feet (3 cubic feet) was selected* Dividing by 8 in
each ease the nieiber of props produced each year vas detertnined*

(1) Just a guess* Importations largely southern pine from 'jaryland*

(2) A guess* £1 the anthracite region some large props 20*24 feet long and
13 inches middle diaineter are used*

(3) l^e greater portion is in this class*

(4) Practically none. Green wood preferred*

(5) ]£^lained above*

(6) A guess*

COPY

J« C« IJiddour» Dlatriet Foi-esttf
6 liorth Centre Street.

PSJmSYLVAHlA

DSPARTf'tKIT OF FORKSTS AND mrmS

Weissr ?breat Distrlot

PottsvillQ, fti.
ril«i I G9n, June 8, 1931*

Mr. R» D. Ibrbass Director
All^hany Forast ajtjperiment Station
PhiladeXphiia, Pennt^lvbnla*

Dear Mr» Forbas*

Sojaotirae ago I proraiaad to try to get you aomo figures
relative to the consuription of mias timber in the Anthracite region.
I have the figures from one of the larger tothrticite producera in the
aouthern field, and find that this acsiar>any in the yefir 1929 proUtced
8,257,496 tons of aoal. fhe total lu/aber and timber ooot mie $1,960,152»88,
or a cost per ton of ooal produeed of $«^375* 'tuxs coat por ton ie divided
as follows I

26 lbB» yo.llow pinsj 5 <>• 17" raiddle diasaeter - ooat $.110l

3X lbs. hardwjod, 5 - 17" " « . « ,0674

a board feet of Imabear — " .0600

I believe that tiieso figurea oouid bo taken for the average
In the southern Anthracite field, "^owevor, I. believe that the tinbor
conauoption in the northern Anthracite field is conaidsrably laaa per ton
of ooal thaii in the aouthcm fiold*

Yours sinoorely,

J, G. iaiddour
District Forester.

Telegraph and Telephone Poles - PonnsylTanla.

(1) Porcanta^'e of totfJL number produced

eoftwoods 0

har decode 100

(2) Percentage of total number produced from eawlog material

softwoods 0

hardvoode 90

(3) Percentage of total nienber produced from tr^ee less suvrtimber siee on
■awtimber and oordwood areas*

softwoods 0

hardwoods 5

(4) Poroenti^a of total number produced trom dead timber not included in
the stand of oonsneroial tl'nber*

softvyoods 0

hardwoods 5

(5) Number prodyced, 1930

About 12,500 (roughly 10 por cent of trie consumption),
probably avorage for i925»29.

(6) Dlaensiono average jjole 30 feet loag^ 6 inch top diameter.

notes

Railroads

Pennsylvania R* R. purchased 240 poles in State in 1930{ if Fetmsylvania
Railroad mileage is 36.5 per cent of total railro&d mileage in the State, all
roads purchased 654 poles* This* on basis Pennsylvania Htiilroad figures, is
about 10 per cent of nicaber used, and aeerAa very low* Cn sums basis as Hew Jersey
(q*v*), and 10 par cent local production, nuriber is three times as great, or 1950*
latter figure preferable*

Along hignways

(a) "Main hlg vrays", as per 1331 'itate Highway map, are 3,000 miles, and
probably havs line of poles on both sides*

(b) Other State roads are about 10,310 miles, and have probably 1 line of
poles*

(c) Probably 25 per cent of all other roads (county, towoidiip), or 13,750
miles, have 1 line of poles*

(a) 6,000 miles of poles

(b) 10,310
(o) 13.750

35,060

Assume that avsruge aimuol roplacoosnt, with 40 polas par mile and 20«year
life, is 2 poles per mile* Also assume that 15 per cent of poles are prooiired
loooXly* Azusual Permeylvania production for lines along highways is then
30^fi#Q .«^_3 * «M a JCU518.

Grand total, poles along H* R* and highways, is 12,468, or in round
numbers, 12,500 poles produced annually in Pefinaylvania*

riling, Pennsylvania*

(1) Perc«Hatago of total nunber produced

softx'ocds 5

hard«ioodB 95

(2) Peroentags of total auidDer produood from aawlog material

softwoods 5
hardwoods 90

(3) PercontafO of total niwbor prodacod frora trees of less than
sawtiob&r size

softwoods 0

hardw>ods 5

(4) ForcentaiS of total nitaber produced from tinlter of nouoconaerQial
forest areas } or fron dead tirabor not included in the staiui of
ooracjercial timber

softwoods 0

hardwods 0

(5) Average nuciiier produoed annually

Hailroada purchased looully (Faimsylvejiie. production)
about 750 piles in 1930, or about -^ of their constfaption* At
a broad {juesSf Pennsylvania production for all izviuotries
averaged 5f(X)0 piles aiinmillyi 1925-29*

(6) OdLneneions average pilst 40 feet loa^, 7 inch top, 14 inch butt*

H«w«d Tiee, Pannaylvania*

(X) Porconta^ e of total nuciber produoed
hardvoods 99

eofiwoods 1

(2) Peroentaie of total ninber produced from savlog material

hardwoods 40

softwoods 1

(3) Percentage of total nunbor produced tran trees of loss than
savtiriber size

hardv;ood8 SO

soft^^ods 0

(4) Peroentags of total nunbsr produced frai dead tii^er not
included in the ata.id of co.tsmsrcial ti-absr

hard^doods 9 (chestnut)

softwoods 0

(5) Huaber produced 1930 (30 per cent of all tias)

hardwoods 750»0Q0 hewed ties

softwoods lOyCOO hewed ties

these figures are probably 15J per ceiit of noraal for the
years 1925*29.

(6) Dinaiaious of average tiei 6" x 8" « 8»6"

tlotea

On basis of Psimsylvania Hallroad's purchase of ties in Fennsylvtsiia, State
produced 2,525,-00 ties in 1930. Thirty i^or oeat of these, or 757,500, are hewed,
according to Pennsylvania J^iiroud.

Pennsylvania Railroad ties are 100 per cant hardwoods. Probably 99 per cent
of all ties in State are !iardvroods*

Trolley ties used today (locally produced) probably not over 5,000 yearly}
aine ties included in ''f ^^resf* mine timbors.

In round numbers, total 3tate production in 1930 was 760,000 hewed ties.

=/ood of Pennsylvania ilailiroad stated over phone that his company's purchase
in 1930 was highest in its history! for the whole systeni its purchase was
3,150,000 ties in 19301 l,dOO,0(X) in *29| 2,800,000 in *28) and in recent years
would average 2,150,000. In other words 1930 figures are 150 per cent of nomal.

Growth versua Ijjrain

Aouual growth at tho prssent tino on the l»33if000 acres of eawtinfttar la
•stioated to be about 130,000»000 board feetl to this muet be added 131,000,000
board feet, matured in the oldeet of the oorduood stands* Ono-sixtieth of the
oordeood area of 5,429*000 aores ia assuaed to pass yearly Into the savtiniber
elaae, vitb a stand of 2,000 board feet per aorei this is an extremely rough
aj^roximation, and may be invalidated by premature cutting of small nine props,
eordvood, etc*

A total of 319,000,(XK) board feet of amuol growth ia equal to ^e eut in
1926, end io wail oyer aore recant outa. If a aasrtimber rotation of 75 years be
aasuued, r^ardlese of type or sub->type, and a oordirood rotation of 45 years, under
sustained yield manageiaent 0*£ of tlie entire forest acreage, with stands from 60
to 75 years old, should be sawtiaber} 0..4 should be cord^iood, with stands froa 30
to 60 years oldi and the r^aainder inisature timber* Disregarding the 1*391,000
aores of non-restooking land, the Pennsylvania percenta^'ee are today roughly *16,
•46, and .Sd, respectively* It would therefore appear that not far from 300,000,000
board feet a year may be grown indefinitely in the ^ate, providcKi no ticibsr is
henceforth out except on sawtimbsr rotation* Unfortunately the fiifures on drain,
particularly for mine timbers, indicate that very lar^e areas - probably 150,000
aores yearly • containing nothinji but oordwood are today bein^ cut on less than a
\ sawtii^er rotation*

Gyeiyth versua Gonstjcipt ion

Of the calculated annual growth today, only about 10 per cent is softwoods,
or 3^,000,000 board feet* This ia 2 per cent of Patmsylvunia*s oonsunption of
softwoods in 1924, the last year for wiiioh oonavstption fiigures are available. Ihe
recoainder of the growth, or 287,000,000 board feat, ia 51 per cent of the State's
eonau3ptlon of hardwoods* Under intensive inanaga^iisitt of all of the present forest
land in Pmnaylvania, the total yearly growth should be 3,400,000,000 board feet
by the year 2000* If euoh raana^ieaent were to doiA}le t^ie present percentage of

*i

softvroodSf th« State would still have to Import more than half its softwoods^ aven
though it ooosunod no mora thaj& in 134-Ir* Ca tha otiasr hmid, it vould ba grovixig
flTd times its raquirorsants for hardaoods* vith an increase of a little laaa thm
50 per cant in ite present oons'onption, Poimsylvania oould export to other atataa
ami foreign natioric 2,000y000»000 board feet of hardwoods* Thie is about one-tiiird
of tha 1924 hardwood eonsuaption of tha entire Tbited Statea*

Iha gutiyejo.f tha 3-l|ftta

Although the oansue figures for tha last forty years shov an appreciable falling
off In the area of fan&8{ i?e should be Tery cuutious in aaauoing that abandonod fans
luivds are reveriing to fcrea** on a corresponding scale* In the first plaee. Prof*
%averi head of tha Depurinmt of Agricultural J^onosiica at Peimoylvania dtata
College* estimates tluii Sroa cne*halX to tft'c^thirds of the land v'.iich ie lisiod in
the census as being (abandoned is actually bein^ fanned by t^e ovaera of adjacent
lands* %alny la tlta opinion of iSe* Hti^P} of tliS Japartraeni of Forests and J^tora*
▼ery little of the abandoned fan-i land in tha riolier agricitltural portions of tha
State is actually coding i4> to foraat growth* In the absence of a sufficient
wipply of tree seed, the abandoned land simply grow* i^) to brush* Planting ia
■wking only email inroad? upon the area of abandoned farn land> 'fter deduotiooa
for suburban developaeata and .touver's discount of 60 per canty the area of farm
land abendonad between 1920 and 1930 is about 1^50 jOOO acres* Perhaps half of thie
has actually reverted to forest*

'Zhe most depressing feature of tha retmsylvaniu situation is tha 2y700»00C
aeras of forest laud which is producing only scrid; tree grotrth* rirea continue to
cover about one per cont of the forest lauds of tha .^tate anntstlly, i^ich more than
effaata any progress vhich haa been made in introducing valuable apaolaa into the
aepent fire ehMrry, and aortib oak lands* Althougi tha public * State and Jbntioa •
has included much of taia wraoised forest in tiie 2,000»000 acrea it has bought in
tha laat thirty years( and has given it a higher degree of protection than forest
land generally in the 3tate» neverthelese the mere change of ownership haa reaulted

.i

la flight iraprovorient. Cf 75*000 acres of aspfin-flre oherry loiid In the Allegbciy
Ifatlonal Fcrsstt half iius boca uo3ii^'iut«»d ua un.pluiitubl9«

^0 ajnual cutti^ of tena cf thouuonds of uores of oonim)odo8lze %rmm mttf
possibly ba Justifisd o^ the groimd that tinbor of this sl^o is at the peak of Its
growth in cifcio foot, und that the naiicetB for hr*rd\roodB do not justify larce-aoale
production. On tho ctliar nanA, the eoononie rotation has nevar been worked out*

An encouraging foatura of the PonnsylTania situation is the musual nunbar of
private land ovmara vtho are praoticiqg a degree of forestry on their land* These
include proprietors of minor vood uein^; industriest cool ooispanies^ and owners of
areas held primarily for recrdation. tJome euaourageneut to private forestry is
given by the Temisylirania .\ujd.liary State Forest Lav, but so far this has been
taken advantage of only to a small exte^it*

Perhaps the key tu futiu's foi'eat Vulasa in Pennaylvonia is rscreation&l use*
Aa aggreasive jioiioy oi fi;^ a'ld gane protsctiec h^*© givan pgnnsyXvania, a reputation
as otio of the best hiEiti.i^ ^ounda in the :^3t* H'^torS| fishernon) caiapers ar-a
sui'8 to be one of tr»o ohiof aouroos of revenue tc.' forast land owners in the future*
Just now the policy of ^tx-ie protection has been carriod to the point of grsatly
overstocking some sections of the State %'ith deer, ond threatening the vsrj' life
of t^ie forests* Much education of tho sportcneu liill be necessarj to relieve this
situation*

Forest protection in the 3tate» although not able as yet to attain the desir*
able standard of annual loss of less than one<-tenth of one per cent, is on the
upgrade* The 1931 drouth, with its consequent laroe firea, emphasised the vsak
points in the prtjsent syotoa of fir^ protsctiou uculd unquestionably have caused
ineraased appropriations for fire protection, had not the present depreasioa
curtailed all State activities*

iiubstantial impropriations for the purciuioe of 3tate forests have been obtained
within the last throe or four years* flans for the uoi'd intensivo develo|»ent of
the State for^ists as «»od producors ^^e in the aaaklng* Three snail port&fele
sawmills are now owned by the Oepurtaeni of foreets and raters, and iong>ten3

*n

plana ar« being laid for th9 outtln{< of rip* or daoadsnt timber* the ••tablish*
msnt by th« Department of forests and ^tero of a re9earoh iastiiute* fairly
veil supported » ie an augury of niore inteaeivo handliai.' of botii publlo and
private lands*

-^i

''-^

Cooperatora
Outside of U. S. F. S.
Pennsylvania Department of Forests and i&tera
J. W. Keller, Deputy Secretary
A. B« Rupp, Chief J Bureau of Forest Management
G. H. Wirt, " H « H protoction

4' H. B* Rowland,

7>

J. C. ?>$iddour, District Forester, Pottsville

Pennsylvania State College

Prof. J. A. Ferguson, Head of Forestry Department

Prof. A. C. ?*jlntyre, Forestry Department,

Prof. F. p. Weaver, Head of Department of Agricultural aconomics

Frank T. 'Jfurphey, Sxtansion Forester

E. 0. Shrhardt, Forester, Annstrojag Forest Coiapany, Johnsonburg, Pa«

Pennsylvajiia Board of Gaae Conmissioners

■*. Card Conklin, Chief, Bureau of Rafuges and lands

%

Converting Factory

In 1929 G« L* :>Ghnur> vlth tho help of Heglon 7 and the Deiy Chomioal
Company » 'Vestlino) Pennsylvattla* raoaBurad tha oubic voluna of 903 fallad trees »
out into 52*inoh lengths for ehvaioal irood, end piled in 30 stacks oggreguting
53 oords* By basal otoh. the trees vare divided amon(j the foUov^dn;; opaoiest
red raaplet 26*0 per oeat} sugar inEipldt ^3*4! beech) 18*6 1 black oiierryy 16«3)
firs oharryt 11*3} black and yellotr birch» 2»3| oisoollaneous, 1*6« Trea
diarsetsrti w&re 1 to 32 inchaSf D< B» H*} and all oticke ovor 3 inchss in diomatfir
w«r9 split*

Although oxhp. native analyBis of the data ahows that it would require batweon
loo and 200 stacks of trsod, inatend of 30} to eatablieh the infJ-ucnsa of trie
sisa on the quemtity of solid ivood t"- tho stao'^cad cords th« avnrjM-e figura of
T3 c«« ft* to tho stsndsTd cord (48-iaah irood) cnn hardly be ehallsngad. laiaraiwh
as 30 and 90 cu. ft* are vary cisniaonly itsad, this Tiiidlog assufies great ioportance*

t '

p. (^2 I ^c>

lllillll

ADDDDDbTSDVDS

Aaron BIdg.

i«ir-

Aar