Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
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FOREST SURVEY RELEASE NO. 1
£
JULY 15, 1959
FOREST RESOURCES OF THE
NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN OF SOUTH CAROLINA
A Progress Report
By
E. B. Faulks
Associate Forest Economist
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE
Appalachian Forest Experiment Station
R. E. McArdle, Director
Asheville, N. C.
To meet the demand for Forest Survey infor-
mation , this progress report on the "F orest Resour-
ces of the Northern Coastal Plain of South Carolina"
is issued in advance of the final report for the
Stat e .
Acknowledgment is made to the Forest Survey
staff of the Southern Forest Experiment Station for
assistance in assembling the data for this release;
and to the Regional Forester, Southern Region, U. S.
Forest Service, and Mr. H. A. Smith, State Forester
of South Carolina, for review of the manuscript.
Additional copies of this report and copies
of forthcoming releases may be obtained by writing
to the Director, Appalachian Forest Experiment Sta-
tion, Asheville, N. C.
FOREST SURVEY STAFF
E. V. Roberts, Regional Survey Director
E» B. Faulks* Go E, Morrill
W. T. Hicks To C. Evans
. L E. Houser**
* Deceased April 9s> 1939
** In charge of field work. Resigned July 1, 1937*
PREFACE
Through the McSweeny-McNary Forest Research Act, of 192$, Congress
authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a comprehensive survey of
the forest resources of the United States0 The Forest Survey was organized
by the research branch of the U. S0 Forest Service to carry out the provi-
sions of the act, and each regional Experiment Station is responsible for
this work in its territory.. In the Middle Atlantic States the Forest Survey
is an activity of the Appalachian Forest Experiment Station with headquarters
in Asheville, North Carolina.
The work of the Forest Survey is divided into five major phases:
1. Inventory 0 Determination of the extent, location, and
condition of forest iands, and the quantity, species, and
quality of the timber on these lands.
2. Growth . Determination of the current rate of timber
growth o
3c Brain. Determination of the drain caused by industrial
and domestic wood use, and the total loss from fire, insects,
disease, suppression, and other causes.
4. Requirements. Determination of the current and probable
future requirements for forest products by all classes of
consumers.
5o Policies and plans. Analysis of the relation of these
findings to one another and to other economic factors as a
basis in formulating public and private policies and plans
of forest land use and management.
This progress report presents preliminary information on the first
three of these phases for the Northern Coastal Plain of South Carolina,
(Forest Survey unit No. 2) on© of the three units into which the state was
dividedo Similar releases are being prepared for the other units, the
Southern Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Region. A complete report for the
state will be published at a later date.
Information on the forest resources was obtained by a field survey
in the fall of 1936° A total of 9 >^29 sample plots were established at
intervals of one -eighth of a mile on compass lines 10 miles apart, ex-
tending across the Unit from the southwest to the northeast. The statisti-
cal sample obtained fraa these plot records forms the basis for all area,
volume and growth estimates in this report, except where other sources are
directly credited. Owing to the statistical nature of the data, small
tabular items have the greater probability of error and should be consid-
ered as indicating relative magnitude rather than actual values.
The figures on consumption of forest products for industrial and do-
mestic purposes were obtained by canvassing primary wood-using industries
and by sampling representative domestic consumers.
Figure 1
FOREST RESOURCES OF THE NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN
OF SOUTH CAROLINA
General Description of the Unit
The area discussed in this report is formed by a group of l6 counties
in the northeast section of the state (fig* 1}. Extending from the sand
hills of Richland, Kershaw, and Chesterfield Counties eastward to the ocean
the unit includes approximately 7s million acres, 60 percent of which is
forested * One of three units established by the Forest Survey in the state,
it is sufficiently homogeneous in its physical and economic characteristics
to warrant a separate study of its forest resources „
The topography is that common to the A.tlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains*
Saltwater marshes, intersected by broad rivers and tidal sounds characterize
much of the coast line* These treeless marshes gradually merge into the
sandy, pine flatwoods and the’ broad, hardwood swamps bordering the rivers*
Elevation in the coastal area seldom exceeds 50 feet above sea level, and the
general land surface shows little relief* Farther inland these conditions
gradually change as the successively higher terraces are reached* Here the
more pronounced slopes, higher interstream altitudes, and narrower stream
valleys give a distinctly rolling character to the land surface* Near the
western boundary a narrow, irregular belt of sand hills extends across the
entire unit through Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Richland Counties* This is a
distinct topographic zone lying between the Coastal Plain and the higher
Piedmont Plateau which intrudes into the western border counties of the unit*
From elevations of approximately 600 feet in the Piedmont areas the general
land surface drops sharply along the eastern edge of the sand hills and thence
with a more gradual descent to the flatwoods and marshes along the coast*
Drainage is southeasterly through the Santee and Pee Dee Rivers and
their tributaries* With headwaters in the upper Piedmont west of this unit
these rivers traverse the sand hills through well-defined valleys* Through
the rolling uplands of the Coastal Plain the valleys widen and the stream
velocity drops markedly until, near the coast, the main channels divide into
many sluggish branches and meander through broad, wooded bottomlands and
tidal marshes* The larger rivers are heavily burdened with silt washed from
the fields and caving banks in the headwaters above the sand hills, whereas
the Ashely, Black, and a few smaller streams rising in the Coastal Plain
seldom have heavy silt content*
Throughout the unit most of the soils are sedimentary clays and sands
moderately well -drained except in the flatwoods and bottomlands where insuf-
ficient gradient and periodic inundation cause surface water to accumulate
during the winter and spring months* In the sand hills the deep, coarse -
textured soil retains little moisture and is so deficient in many plant nu-
trients that little opportunity is offered for either profitable farming or
commercial timber production*
Although moderate sheet erosion and occasional gullying occur on the
abandoned fields and steeper slopes of the upper Coastal Plain, the erosion
problem in general is comparatively unimportant over most of this unit*
Transportation and travel facilities are adequate for the needs of the
area. The Seaboard Air Line, the Southern, and the Atlantic Coast Lina rail-
roads with their subsidiary lines provide rail service for every county seat
in the unit. Many inter-connecting carriers, especially in the central agri-
cultural counties, serve all the important manufacturing and producing cen-
ters. Only in the heavily timbered portions of the coast counties are there
any extensive areas more than 6 miles from railroads. A network of hard-
surfaced highways is spread over the entire unit; local f arm- 1 o-marke t and
county highways give year-round access to practically all areas.
The Intracoastal Waterway and the navigable channels of the Santee
and Pee Dee Rivers with their larger tributaries provide facilities for wa-
ter transportation. For shallow draft barges and small power boats the
natural channels of the Congaree and Wateree are usable as far as Columbia
and Camden, respectively. The Santee-Cooper River hydroelectric project
being constructed near Moncks Corner will divert water from the Santee to
the Cooper River, providing an improved navigable waterway between Charles-
ton and Columbia. The Pee Dee River, now under Federal improvement, has a
navigable depth of $ feet to Smith's Mills in northern G-eorgetown County.
The Waccamaw River is open to shallow draft vessels from the mouth of Winyah
Bay to Red Bluff in Horry County. Comparatively little use bss been made of
these waterways in recent years, although barging of pulpwood and other for-
est products has increased since the construction of new pulp mills at George-
town and Charleston.
Charleston is a deep water port with terminal facilities for coastwise
and transatlantic shipping. Forest products handled at this port during 193&
totaled nearly 30Q;0Q0 tons. Georgetown, located on an estuary of Winyah Bay,
is connected with Charleston through the intracoastal canal and handles con-
siderable tonnage in forest products, particularly pulpwood, in both coast-
wise and internal shipments.
The Census of 1930 recorded a population of 66o,4-6l for this area,
53 percent of which was negro. In only 5 of the l6 counties were there more
white than negro inhabitants. Charleston, with a population of 62,265, and
Columbia, the State capital, population 51,5^1, are the largest cities in
the unit and also in the state. Their influence as marketing, banking, and
railroad centers is felt throughout the entire area. These cities, together
with Sumter, Florence, and a number of smaller industrial and trading centers
contain most of the urban population. The rural population, however, predom-
inates in the area as a whole and accounts for J2 percent of the total. Dur-
ing the decade 1920-30 the Census records a 3 percent increase in total in-
habitants notably in Florence, Horry, and Marion Counties. Six counties sus-
tained losses, the largest of which was l4- percent in Clarendon County.
Agriculture is the leading activity in the area. The Census of 1933
listed nearly 6(3,000 farms and an agrarian population of 370 > 923 > about 56
percent of the total for the unit. In 1936 the Survey found a total of
nearly 2|- million acres in cropland and improved pasttire located largely in
the central counties (table 1) „
In Kershaw, Lae, and Florence Counties, according to the .1935 Census
of Agriculture, approximately $0 percent of the land area is in farms, in-
cluding woodlands, while in Charleston, Berkeley, and Georgetown Counties
2
only 20 to 32 percent is in farm ownership. The average farm is about 63
acres, of which 35 acres are woodland. Approximately 6l percent of the
farms were leased to tenant operators, over one-third of whom were share-
croppers.
Table 1. - Total land area classified by major use
Land use class ' Area ‘ Proportion
s s of total area
Forest
Productive
Non-productive
Total forest
- - - - Acres - - - -
9, 600
4- ,503 ,000
59-5
0ol
59.6
Non-forest
Agricultural
Cropland
Improved pasture
2,329*400
63,200
30.3
0c9
Abandoned cropland
Marsh
Towns, rights-of-way, etc.
Total non- fore st
124,400
321,000
215,100
3,05^,100
1.6
2.3
4o.4
Total
7,566,100
100.0
Half of all gainful workers in the unit were employed on farms,
according to the 193° Census. The Unemployment Census^/ taken in Novem-
ber, 1937 indicates that of all unemployed, partially employed or relief
workers in the area, 40 percent were farm residents.
In this, as in many other sections of the South, much of the forest
acreage is held la small tracts and wood-lots seldom exceeding 500 acres
in extent. According to the 1935 Agricultural Census more than 1§ million
acres or about one-third of the total forest area is farm woodland. The
larger ownerships are confined principally to the coastal counties where
extensive agricultural development has not taken place. Large estates and
the remnants of old plantations occupy thousands of acres more or less re-
served from exploitation. Recreational preserves, managed primarily for
game breeding and hunting, aggregate more than 130,000 acres. 2/ It is
estimated that Industrial interests, chiefly lumber and pulp companies,
own more than 700,000 acres of forest land scattered throughout the unit.
The larger of these ownerships occur principally in the pine flatwoods of
the coastal counties and include some of the best timber land in the state.
U Census of Total and Partial Unemployment, J. D. Biggers, Administrator,
Washington, D® C»
2 / Estimated by the Division of State and Private Forestry, Southern
Region, U. S» Forest Service, Atlanta, Georgia.
- 3 -
The United States Forest Service through purchase has established the
Francis Marion National Forest in Berkeley and Charleston Counties. On June
30, 193^* the gross area within the forest boundary totaled 4-l4-t,700 acres,
of which 24-3,22*3 acres were in Government ownership. Other public agencies
are estimated to own more than 200,000 acres of forest and farm land in
scattered tracts throughout the unit.
When compared to the Piedmont counties farther west, this part of
South Carolina is not highly developed industrially. The textile industry,
although rated as the leading manufacturing activity, is confined largely
to the three western counties. The harvesting and primary manufacture of
wood products, although secondary in importance since the rise of the tex-
tile industry, is nevertheless a long established business, widely distrib-
uted in all counties of the unit. The recent expansion of the pulp indus-
try involving millions of dollars in plant investment and land purchases
in this area has stimulated production of forest products especially in
the more heavily timbered coastal counties.
Forest description
The aggregate forest area in this Survey unit in 193& was 4-, 50$ ,000
acres — approximately 60 percent of the total land area (table 1), A
small fraction of this acreage was classified by the Forest Survey as flnon-
productivefl.3/ This area, chiefly brush covered sand dunes, showed no in-
dications of past cutting and such poor tree growth that the possibility of
future timber production is exceedingly remote. Only the 4- , 4-9$ , 4-00 acres
of productive forest land are included in the discussion of forest area.
The Forest Survey recognized three major topographic divisions in
the forested areas of this unit. Approximately 2 million acres, or 4-5 per-
cent of the forest area, lies in a broad belt of flatwoods which parallels
the coast and extends inland for about 50 miles. Rolling uplands, which
characterize most of the inland areas, total approximately 1,100,000 acres,
or 25 percent of the forest area. The remaining 30 percent is in wooded
swamps and bays of the flatwoods and in alluvial bottomlands of rivers and
streams throughout the unit.
Forest Types
Four major tree associations, loblolly pine, longleaf pine, bottom-
land and swamp hardwoods, and upland hardwoods, representing the grouping
' of 13 individual forest types, are used in the description of the forest
area.
Loblolly pine with its associates, longleaf, shortleaf, and pond
pines, red and black gums, oaks, and species of minor commercial impor-
tance, occupies nearly half of the total forest area (table 2). Loblolly
pine makes up 69 percent of the total cubic-foot volume in this type-group.
3/ See page 27 for explanation of terms.
- 4 -
Table 2. - Productive forest area classified by forest condition
and type~group
'Type
group
:Propor-
:tion of
: total
Forest condition
: Loblolly
; pine£/
J Longleaf
; pine
0 Bottomland
: hardwood
:and cypress
: : Total
; Upland ;
: hardwood ;
Acres
Acres
Acres
Acres
Acres
Percent
Sawlog size
Old growth
Uncut
Partly cut
69, goo
142,000
7,200
55,^0
266,600
264,900
5*700
12,600
351,500
495,100
7.6
11.0
Total
211,600
62,600
__5£LI00
16,500
646,600
16.6
Second growth
Uncut
Partly cut
626,500 257,600
365,200 59,400
267,300
90,600
13,600
6,600
1,365,000
544,000
30.6
12 « 1
Total
1,211,700 317,000
_2ZZi2S0
22,400
1,929,000
42.9
Total sawlog
size
1,423,500 379,600
931,600
4o,900
2,775,600
61.7
Under sawlog size
Second growth
Reproduction
Clear cut
1
572,Q00 30^,900
179,700 64,200
36,200 50,500
231,900
65,100
i4,4oo
151,700
26,500
600
1,265,400
355,500
101,900
26.1
7.9
. . 2.3
Total under saw-
log size
766,600 423,6oo
-.331,. *00
179,000
1,722,600
Total all
conditions
2,212,300 603,200
1,263,000
219,900
4,496,400
100.0
Percent of total
49.2
17.9
26.0
4,9
100,0
V Includes shortleaf pine and pond pine types.
Longleaf pine dominates approximately IS percent of the forest area.
Although the most extensive areas of this type-group occur in the sand
hills of Kershaw, Richland, and Chesterfield Counties, the best stands are
in smaller, scattered tracts in Georgetown, Charleston, and Berkeley Coun-
ties. Loblolly pine, pond pine, and scrub oak are the most common associ-
ates, the latter frequently taking over areas of former longleaf pine land
to the exclusion of commercially valuable species. This is particularly
true in the sand hill section along the western boundary of the unit. The
associated species together account for less than 20 percent of the total
cubic volume in this type-group.
- 5 -
The remaining 33 percent of the forest acreage is occupied by vari-
ous hardwood types. The bottomland hardwood type group commonly found in
the flood plains of rivers and in the extensive areas of poorly drained
swamp occupies 2$ percent of the total forest area. The river bottoms are
the source of most of the high-quality hardwoods cut in this unit. Red,
black, and tupelo gum are the predominant species with oak, cypress, and
loblolly pine the principal associates. A lower grade of oaks, gums, and
hickories occurs frequently in the rolling uplands scattered among the
pine stands. This upland hardwood type occupies an aggregate area of
220,000 acres, less than 5 percent of the total forest area, and includes
about $7,000 acres of scrub oak which has completely taken over areas for-
merly occupied by longleaf pine.
The type map (fig. 1) indicates the general dominance of certain spe-
cies or groups of species over extensive areas. Within these broad ranges
many areas of different but less prevalent forest types occur, as well as
large blocks of cultivated land. The acreage dominated by the major type
groups as shown on the map, therefore, cannot be compared with area figures
shown in table 2.
Forest Conditions
The forest area was classified according to its condition with res-
pect to size, age, and cutting history of the timber (table 2). Sawtimber
areas, on which sawlog-size trees predominate, occupy slightly more than
2-3A million acres, or 62 percent of the total productive forest area.
This acreage of sawtimber was further classified into areas bearing stands
of old-growth trees and areas bearing second-growth trees. The old-growth
sawtimber area, nearly two-thirds of which is in the bottomland hardwood
and cypress type group occuipes 19 percent of the total forest area. More
than half of this, nearly 500,000 acres, has been culled for selected spe-
cies and high quality trees. To consumers of high-quality timber the grad-
ual depletion of the old-growth timber is probably the moat significant
change now taking place in the forests of the unit.
Second-growth stands predominate in the sawlog-size condition in all
but the bottomland hardwood and cypress type-group. At the time of inven-
tory almost two million acres were classified in this condition. Partial
cuttings had occurred on 5*14,000 acres. Loblolly pine, with its principal
associates — longleaf pine, red gum, and pond pine — make up &2 percent
of the sawtimber volume in these forest condi tions0
The under -sawlog-size condition contains three sub-divisions:
(1) second growth, under-sawlog-size, (2) reproduction, and (3) clear-cut.
The first of these is typical of areas where the predominant stand has
advanced beyond the seedling stage but has not yet attained the size or
volume necessary to produce sawlogs. Occupying slightly more than l£
million acres, this condition represents 2$ percent of the forest area.
The reproduction condition includes only those areas on which a new forest
cover recently has become established. Occurring principally in the pine
stands, this condition occupies only £> percent of the forest area. The
clear-cut condition, having less than $0 seedlings per acre, and insuffi-
cient volume or number of stems to qualify for any other forest condition,
covers a total of 101,900 acres or 2 percent of the forest area. This is
- 6 -
a relatively low proportion in comparison with other coastal survey units
in the deep South particularly in Florida and Louisiana. The clear-cut
area occurs as small tracts scattered throughout the unit. Nearly one
half is in the longleaf pine type, chiefly in the sand hills.
A closer appraisal of forest conditions with regard to stocking and
stand density discloses widespread deficiencies on much of the forest area.
Probably the most outstanding of those deficiencies, because of its strik-
ing appearance rather than economic importance, is the 101,900 acres of
forest lend classified as clear-cut. Presenting problems of fire protec-
tion and perhaps direct planting in order to make them again reasonably
productive, these clear-cut areas place upon their owners the financial
burdens common to more productive forest lands without possessing the bene-
fits of an immediate liquid asset or a growing resource.
In the large area of second growth many of the stands, particularly
pine in the younger age-classes, are understocked. Heavy cutting and re-
peated fires have resulted in widely spaced stands with often an excess-
ive number of poorly formed trees and inferior species. This condition
is well illustrated by comparison of the average volume par acre (in cords)
on uncut pine areas in representative age-classes, with average volumes
weighted by site on the best 10 percent of the area in these types and age-
classes.
Age class
21-30
4i-50
61-70
Average volume per acre
uncut conditions
All pins
types
Best 10 percent
of pine types
Relation al3
pine types to
best 10 percent
Cords
Cords
Percent
6.3
19.2
34
15-5
35.6
44
19*5
42.0
46
The fact that 10 percent of the pine area in these age-classes and
conditions already supports such large stands is evidence that these den-
sities of stocking are not unattainable objectives and further indicates
the results that may be obtained through protective measures and reason-
able management.
The rapid reduction of the old-growth acreage in the last 5 0 yours
has resulted in an unbalanced distribution of the forest area among the
various size and age classes of timber. Instead of a desirable propor-
tional distribution of acreage among all age classes, an excess has
developed in the age-classes between 20 and years, and a deficiency
in the acreage of the more mature- timber . Such a situation, although
having little effect on the total volume of wood available each year,
tends to place an increasingly high premium on old-growth timber and ne-
cessitates the readjustment or removal of a number of commercial forest
enterprises.
- 7 -
Volume Estimates
Estimates of sawtimber volume include only merchantable trees con-
taining timber of a size and quality suitable for sawlogs. The volumes are
net log scale — that is, allowance has been made for material that would
be left in the woods because of rot, fire scar, crook, limbiness, and simi-
lar defects, as well as for loss in sawing at the mill due to sweep and
interior defects.
Table 3* “ Net board-foot volume classified by major species groups,
according to International ^-inch, Scribner,
and Doyle log rules
Major species group
' International V
* ^-lnch
: Scribner
Doyle
-------- Thousand board
CD
CD
c+-
1
1
1
1
1
1
Pines
Loblolly
6,322,400
5,494,000
3,934,100
Longleaf
1,341,000
1,114,200
697,500
Pond
545*700
467,000
316,200
Shortleaf
315*000
262,900
163,500
Total pines
g,524,ioo
7,333,100
5,H3,300
Hardwoods
Pied gum
1,714,000
1,564,4oo
1,33^,200
Black gum
i,074,4oo
967,400
771,600
Tupelo gum
429,300
396,200
326 , 100
Red oaks
620,000
573,500
469,700
White oaks
397*900
372,100
329,100
Ash
262,500
256,600
206,600
Others
663,400
797,700
629,600
Total hardwoods
5,401,500
^,970,100
4,091,100
Cypress
696,600
600,200
590,300
Total all species
i4, 622,4oo
13,106,400
9,794,700
£/ The scale by International J-inch rule closely approximates green
lumber tally.
The total net board-foot inventory is expressed in terms of three
major log rules la table 3* Although the Doyle rule is used most common-
ly by the lumber industry, it is not a true measure of all standing tim-
ber throughout the wide range of tree diameters included in the inven-
tory. The Scribner rule, now widely used by the United States Forest
Service, although more accurate, likewise is faulty as a measure for
mixed tree sizes. The closest approximation to actual recoverable volume
for all-sized trees that may be computed through the use of log rules is
that offered by the International ^-inch log rule which is used in sub-
sequent board foot tables. -In this Report, Comparison of the Boyle and
International estimates in table 3 discloses that the total volume accord
lag to Boyl® rule is but 66 percent of that as measured by the Interna-
tional rule.
Of the l4,6 billion board feet inventoried in 193&* 5$ percent
was pine, 36 percent hardwoods, and 6 percent cypress { table 4). Lob-
lolly pine is the predominant species in the unit, comprising 74 percent
of the pine volume and 43 percent of the total sawtimber volume in all
species, Among the hardwoods red gum is the leading species with a
volume of nearly 1-3/4 billion board feet or 32 percent of all hardwood
volume. With black and tupelo gum accounting for another 26 percent, the
three gum species together make up about 60 percent of all the hardwood
sawlog volume in the unit.
One-fourth of th© pine volume and nearly three-fourths of the hard
wood and cypress volume occur in the old-growth condition. This does not
mean, however, that all of the volume in the old growth condition class
is high quality material. Over half of the pine volume and over one-
third of the hardwood and cypress volume in this condition occurs on
^partly cut** areas indicating that these areas have been culled for se-
lected species and high grade trees. In other instances, the old-growth
consists of over mature stands or stands on poor sites which do not con-
tain a high proportion of quality timber. The volume in old-growth con-
ditions also includes the volume of second growth trees occurring on
these areas. The old-growth pine is found chiefly in small scattered
tracts throughout the central and eastern portions of the unit. Old
growth hardwoods and cypress Is confined to the bottomlands and swamps
bordering the larger rivers, particularly the Santee, Wateree, and Pee
Dee.
Practically all of the sawtimber volume shown in table 4 is acces-
sible. The large bottomland swamps require special logging equipment
but it is rare to encounter any physical obstacle to logging which
modern machines and methods can not overcome. The more serious hin-
drances to harvesting timber are economic in nature and are closely asso-
ciated with ownership and its policies, market conditions, stand quality
and age, and stocking or stand density. A graphic analysis of the latter
item may be considered an index to economic availability and is shown in
figure 2 for the sawlog-size stands of the pine and hardwood type groups.
In the former, the distribution of 6,370,300 M board feet on 1,603,100
acres is shown in volume-per-acre classes. Twenty-seven percent of the
area in the pine type groups is occupied by stands with less than 2,000
- 9 -
Table 4. - Net board-foot volume classified by species group and forest
condition
International ^-i&ch rule
Forest condition
Species
group
Sawlog size
: :Propor-
: Old growth
: Second
growth
; Under
: Total :ticn of
: Partly
:
• Partly
. sawlcg
# 1 /
total
: Uncut
: cut
: Uncut
: cut
. size//
-----
- - - Percent
Pines
Loblolly
726,100
715,300
3,723,100
966,500 191,400
6,322,400
42.7
Long leaf
53,&>0
279,000
?4l,200
160,200
106, 3oo
1,341,000
9.0
Pond
121,200
33,000
243,100
67,500
30,900
545,700
3.7
Shortloaf
5^,200
33,600
133,100
66 , 300
15,30C
315,000
2.1
Total
959,300
1,115,900 4,340,500
1,260,500 347,900
3,524,100
57-5
Hardwoods
Red gum
946, iog
261,900
371,100
137,300
112,400
22,500
i,7i4,qoo
11.6
Black gum
399,700
412,200
56,000
19,200
i,074,4oo
7.3
Tupelo gum
202,300
139, 4oo
27,4co
6,600
3,600
429,300
2.9
Red oak
211,300
132,100
206,100
61,900
3,100
620,000
4,2
White oak
137,500
136,600
44,500
22,300
6,500
397,900
2.7
Ash.
l $1,500
40,900
43,600
6,000
2,500
232,500
1.9
Others
311,200
235,000
254,300
60,900
22,000
333,400
5.9
Total
2/143,100
x,4o3,ioo
1,139,300
326,600
34,4oo
5,401,500
36.5
Cypress
466,900
2Q4,4oo
i7it4oo
39,300
i4,3oo
396,300
6.0
Total. all
species
3,369,300 2,723,4oo
6,151,200 1,626,400 447,100
14, 322,400
100.0
Percent of
total
26.1
13.4
41.5
11.0
3.0
100.0
1/ Includes 64 million board-feet on the areas classified as reproduction
and clear cut.
- 10 -
PINE TYPE GROUP
NET VOL-PER-ACRE CLASS
(board feet-int. /a in. rule)
LESS THAN 1,000
1.000 TO 1,999
2.000 TO 3,999
4.000 TO 5,999
6.000 TO 7,999
8.000 TO 9,999
10.000 ANDOVER
PERCENT
6 10 [6 20 25 30 35 40 45
LESS THAN 1,000
1,000 TO 1,999
2.000 TO 3,999
4.000 TO 5,999
6,000 TO 7,999
8.000 TO 9,999
10.000 AND OVER
HARDWOOD TYPE GROUP
figure 2- PROPORTIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF AREA AND BOARD-
FOOT VOLUME IN THE SAWLOG-SIZE CONDITIONS
BY VOLUME-PER-ACRE CLASSES
- 11 -
board feet per acre and contains g percent of the volume. If a density
of 2,000 board feet per aero is considered a minimum for profitable log-
ging other factors being favorable, then nearly three-quarters of the saw-
timber area carrying nine-tenths of the volume in these important type
groups offers operating possibilities.
• »
In the sawlog-size conditions of the hardwood type groups, which
includes the cypress type, stands with less than 2,000 board feet per
acre occur on less than 20 percent of the total sawtimber area in these
conditions and type groups. Comparison of the heaviest stands of pine
with hardwood shows that a substantially higher proportion of the hard-
wood sawtimber occurs in densities of 10 M or more board feet per acre
than is true of the pine.
Table 5* - Average net sawtimber volume per acre classified by type
group, species group, and forest condition
HV'nfi ^rirj'h ayw3
Forest condition
Sawlog size
: Average :
:all saw-:
:log size:
: condi- :
: tions :
All
under
sawlog
size con-
ditions
‘Weighted
: average
jail con-
ditions
»«; cr'r’fmns
Old growth : Second
growth
UJU Ov A o ctJ vwyw
Uncut
Partly:
cut :
Uncut
: Partly
: cut
Pine type
Species group
Pine
10,030
58o4-o
4,330
2,750
4,260
260
2,660
Hardwood
1,230
54-0
330
2g0
3&)
20
230
Total
11,260
5,5«0
4-, 660
3,030
4,64o
2g0
2, £90
Hardwood type^/
Species group
Pine
6go
4-oo
4go
370
500
50
350
Hardwood
10,260
5 » 060
3,170
2,430
5,670
150
3 9 770
Total
10,9^0
5,4-60
3,650
2, &>0
6,170
200
4,120
Average all types
Species group
Pine
2,730
2,250
3,490
2,320
2,950
200
1,900
Hardwood
g,2g0
3,260
950
670
2,230
60
i,4oo
Total
11,010
5,5io
4,44-0
2,990
5,160
260
3,300
1/ Includes cypress type.
12 -
MILLION BOARD FEET (INTERNATIONAL 1/4 INCH RULE)
8
SPECIES
DIAMETER
GROUP
GROUP
10 - 12
ALL
PINE
14- 18
SPECIES
20-24
26 AND
LARGER
14- 18
ALL
HARDWOOD 20-24
SPECIES
28 AND
LARGER
figure 3- DISTRIBUTION OF NET BOARD-FOOT VOLUME
BY DIAMETER GROUP AND FOREST CONDITION
For purposes of comparison with similar forest conditions and spe-
cies groups in other forested areas of the South, the data in table 5 are
significant. Old-growth uncut pine in the pine type group averages more
than 10 M board feet per acre, and the average for these species in all
sawlog-size conditions is 4,260 board feet per acre. The volume of hard-
woods in hardwood types ranges from 2,^30 to 10,260 board feet per acre in
the sawlog-size conditions, with an average of 5*670 board feet per acre
for the four sawlog-size conditions. The average stand for all types to-
gether runs heavily to hardwoods in the old-growth conditions and heavier
to pines in the second-growth conditions. The average for sawlog stands,
regardless of type group or species, is 5*1^0 board feet per acre, and for
the entire forest area 3*300 board feet per acre. These averages are
larger than similar figures for any other coastal Survey unit in the
South .y
Figure 3 illustrates a further classification of the total net
board foot volume according to diameter groups and forest conditions. In
the pine species the largest proportion of board foot volume in the 10 and
12-inch diameter classes is in the second-growth, sawlog size condition,
although considerable volume in these tree sizes occurs in the old-growth
Forest Survey Releases 26 and 29* Southern Forest Experiment Station,
New Orleans, La.
- 13 -
and in the under-sawlog-size conditions. In the larger diameters, the
volume derived from the under-sawlog-size conditions becomes negligible.
In the 20 to inch diameter classes the ratio between old-growth and
second-growth is about even, and in the diameter groups 26 inches and over
the old-growth condition is the leading source of all pine volume.
Among sawlog-size hardwoods , including a small volume of cypress ,
the 1^ to 16-inch diameter groups are derived chiefly from the old-growth
condition. The second-growth hardwood stands appear to be of less impor-
tance as an immediate source of sawtimber than the corresponding pine
stands , particularly the diameter classes 20 inches and larger.
Cordwood Yolumes
Table 6 shows the volume of all sound material expressed in standard
cords. 5/ These volumes are derived from the following sources:
1® The sawlog portion of sawtimber trees.
2o‘ That portion of sawtimber trees not usable as sawlogs
but acceptable as cordwood. This includes the upper
stems of pines, and the upper stems and limbs of hard-
woods and cypress to a minimum diameter limit of Cl-
inches outside bark.
3- The sound under-sawlog-size trees at least 5 inches
d.b.h. in which the entire stem is included to a
variable top diameter not less than 4 inches outside
bark.
The estimated sound material in cull trees.
Deductions for cull include only the volume in defects which cause
the material to be unsuited for cordwood. Sweep and slight crook are not
regarded as defects.
Accessibility and economic availability of the cordwood volume de-
pend upon many of the same factors that affect sawtimber, although the
smaller average size of the trees and the lower quality permissible in
marketing this class of material increases the quantity acceptable. The
estimated volume in tops, approximately 11,620,000 cords, is available
only as the trees are cut for lumber, cordwood or other use. A few com-
panies use the tops following pulpwood or logging operations, but the
practice is by no means general and only a small part of the volume in
tops is utilized. The fact that 57 percent of the total cordwood volume
occurs in the hardwood species indicates opportunities for more intensive
use of these species. The large volume of cull black and tupelo gum is
particularly significant as these species are becoming increasingly impor-
5/ Standard cord is equivalent to 126 cubic feet (ty® x Ii’ x 6*) of
stacked bolts including bark.
tant as pulpwood and the ©ull material, occurring chiefly in pure stands
in the Ngum heads S! is suitable only for this use.
Table 6. - Net cordwood volume classified by species
group and source of material
Source of material
Propor -
Species group
Sawlog
material
Tops of :
sawlog :
size :
tree ah/ *•
Under
sawlog
size
tress
Cull
trees
Total
tion of
total
- Cords - -
Pines:
Loblolly
Longleaf
Other pines
13,^55,600
3,133,100
1,995,000
2,53$,400
747,400
43l,6oo
2,311,300
1,475,400
679,300
335,100 19,590,400
61,600 5,417,500
142,000 3,297,900
26.3
7.3
4.4
Total pines
1^,9^3,700
3,767,^00
4,966,000
533,700 23,305, $00
3$.0
Hardwoods:
Red gum
Black gum
Tupelo gum
Oaks
Other hardwoods
3, ^97, $oo
2,979,200
1,153,500
2,619,200
2,909,400
2,376,300
1,433,900
596,000
1,413,700
i,5$o,6oo
2,069,700
4,530,600
695,600
1,774,900
3,070,200
799,300 9,143,600
2,370,500 11,414,200
1.033.900 3,529,000
2.791.900 3,599,700
2,613,000 10,173,200
12.3
11.5
13.6
Total hardwoods
13,559,100
7,451,000
12,191,000
9,653,600
jgjgjjgo
57.4
Cypress:
2,096,700
601,200
396,400
316,100
3,4ios4oo
4.6
Total all
species
loo.
1.1,319,600 17,553,400
10., 563,400 7». 575,900
100.0
Percent of total 46.5
15c3
23*5
14.2
100.0
1/ Includes the usable portion of the upper stems of pines and of the upper
stems and limbs of hardwoods and cypress to a minimum diameter of 4 inches
outside bark.
«■
- 15 -
The total inventory is also shown in a condensed form in table 7
expressed in cubic feet.
Table 7* - Net cubic foot volume (inside bark) of all material
classified by species group and source - 1936
Source of material
Propor-
tion of
total
Species
group
:Sawlog-size trees :Under saw-
: Sawlog : y : log size
’.material: * — ' : trees
Cull
trees
! Total
- Percent
Pines
1,360,540 270,710 326,170
42,060
2,021,500
4o.4
Hardwoods
919,650 443,550 776, i4o
592,500
2,731,S4o
54.6
Cypress
163,120 36,550 26,330
24,200
252,200
5.0
Total
2,463,310 750,610 1432,64c
656,760
5,005,5!*)
100.0
Percent
of total
49,2 15*0 22.6
13.2
100.0
V Includes the usable portion of the upper stems of pines and of the
upper stems and limbs of hardwoods and cypress to a minimum diameter
limit of 4 inches outside bark.
Poles and Piles
A conservative estimate was made of the number of pine trees suit-
able for poles and piles. These premium trees occur as scattered individ-
uals throughout the area but are most common in the uncut second-growth
stands in the lower Coastal Plain counties. Of the 11,760,000 sticks
(table 6), nearly three-fourths fell in the 20 and 25-foot length classes.
Since many of these trees will be cut for lumber or pulpwood instead of
poles, the table is chiefly significant as an indicator of the relative
occurrence of poles by length and diameter classes in the pine stands of
the uni t<,
- 16 -
Table 6. - Total number of pine poles and piles classified by length
and diameter
Diameter
0
Length
in feet
0 1
Propor-
class!/
; 20 ;
25
; 30
: 35 :
4o ;
1/ x on c i
total
Inches
- - - -
- - -
- Thousand sticks - -
- -
- - - -
Percent
7-0 - 6*9
2*566
520
96
—
—
—
3,14^
27.1
9.0 - X0o9
2,121
654-
*03
266
—
—
3.69^
31.4-
11.0 - 12.9
979
796
566
316
125
32
2,6l6
24-0 0
13.0 - i4-o9
14-6
510
4-27
193
77
66
1, 4-4-1
12o2
15.0 - 16.9
14-1
190
63
36
55
507
4.3
17 oO - 16.9
—
13
55
19
10
19
116
1.0
Total
5,616 2,634
1.769
499
250
192
11*760
100 c0
Percent of
total
^9. 5
24-. 1
15°l
7.6
2.1
1.6
100 o0
£/ Diameter 4-§ feet
above
ground
, outside
bark.
Forest Xacreaient
Although the forest area has been described and classified as the
Forest Survey found it in 1936 and its aggregate volume estimated as of
January 1, 1937 > these conditions must not be considered as static. For-
est growing stock volume is an ever-changing quantity subject to the in-
fluences of a complex pattern of physical factors. Excluding the factor
of cutting^ the growth of individual merchantable trees in a stand and the
additional volume recruited from young trees bring about a natural tenden-
cy toward increase in volume. Opposing these elements of increases the
factor of mortality constantly operates to remove volume , thereby reducing,
or possibly entirely off-setting, any possible increase. The composite
effect of these contrasting elements on stand volume over a given period
is the net increment for that period. During 1936 the total growth that
accrued to the forests of this unit, amounted to 766,300,000 board feet
(table 12} o Deducting the mortality of 130,500,000 board feet leaves a
net increment, exclusive of commodity drain, of 655*600,000 board feet.
Similarly 9 the cubic-foot growing stock has a gross growth of- 160,3^0,000
cubic feet; mortality amounted to 4-0,270,000 cubic feet, leaving a net in-
crease of 14-0,090,000 cubic feet (table 13) °
The item of mortality is the volume lost annually through the death
of trees as a result of overcrowding, fire, disease, insect attack, wind-
throw or other causes. In 193& it amounted to approximately 1J percent of
the gross board- foot growth and 22 percent of the gross cubic-foot growth.
A substantial part of this loss is due to death through competition, and
is a normal and desirable characteristic Gf stand development on forest
properties not under intensive silvicultural management. Much of the loss,
however, is due to unnatural causes, principally fire, which is particu-
larly damaging to the seedlings and saplings and also takes a heavy annual
toll of merchantable trees. As an indirect factor, fire damage is respon-
sible for a considerable proportion of the losses directly chargeable to
other causes, in that disease, insect attack, and windthrow frequently
follow in severely burned stands.
While mortality cannot be eliminated, a substantial reduction in
the loss can be realized through control of fire and through utilization
of damaged and suppressed trees.
Table 9* * Average net increment per acre classified by forest
condition and type of material - 1937
Sawlog-size material
: All sound material
Forest condition
Pines
: Hardwood1
* *
• •
Total
including
: bark
: Excluding
: bark
• Board feet
- Cu» ft. -
Sawlog-size :
Old growth
Uncut
33
146
179
•37
25.7
Partly cut
46
39
135
.41
23.1
Second growth
Uncut
204
44
243
.69
^7.7
Partly cut
129
46
175
• 51
35-3
Under sawlog-size:
Second growth
63
3
76
.4o
26.3
Reproduction and
clear cut
3
l
9
.03
1.8
Weighted average
all conditions
106
43
149
.46
31.6
An analysis of the ret increment on a per-acre basis by forest con-
ditions and broad species groups (table 9) affords a clearer picture of
forest growth and serves as a basis for comparison with similar forest
areas in the South. The weighted average board-foot increment per acre in
this unit, 14-9 board feet, exceeds by a substantial margin comparable fig-
ures in other coastal plain Survey units in the South, the closest being
11$ board feet per acre in southwest Alabama .6/
Economic Aspects
The amount of industrial and domestic drain to which the forest is
subjected each year is perhaps the best measure of the usefulness of this
resource to the individuals and communities of the area. The magnitude of
the industrial structure which the resource supports, the capital invest-
ment, employment, wages and profits, as well as more indirect benefits,
establish the whole business of wood utilization as an important component
in the economic life of the area.
Wood-using Industries
During the slimmer of 1937 a complete survey of the forest indus-
tries was made, to determine production in the calendar year 193&* This
included the production of lumber, veneer, cooperage, pulpwood, and piece
products, as well as the estimated amount of fuelwood cut for both commer-
cial and domestic purposes.
The 267 sawmills operating during some portion of the year 1936
produced 4l0,5°0»000 board feet of lumber. Two hundred twenty-six, or $5
percent of these mills, were the portable type cutting from one to 10 M
board feet per 10-hour day. These small mills cut 43 percent of the en-
tire 1936 lumber production. Such mills generally operate in wood-lots
and in tracts of timber where small private ownerships predominate.- In
this Survey unit there was concentration of small mills in Richland, Ker-
shaw, and Chesterfield Counties, and a smaller group in the northeast sec-
tion of Horry County (fig. 4). In the remaining counties, except those
along the coast, there is a fairly uniform distribution of these mills.
Where forest land is held in large tracts by lumber companies, pulp mills,
game clubs, estates, or the Federal Government as in Charleston, Berkeley,
and Georgetown Counties, there are few portable mills. The presence of
large numbers of such mills in a region is a typical symptom of the stage
reached in the exploitation of its forest resources, since they are com-
monly found where the available timber is too young, too widely scattered
or too low in quality to be cut profitably by the larger mills. Moreover,
a large number of small mills is evidence that the industry has passed
through the era of large sawmills, and that an adjustment is being brought
about which is gradually accommodating the methods of lumber manufacture
to an altered form of resource material.
6/ Forest Survey release No. 35» Southern Forest Experiment Station.
- 19 -
20
The 33 medium size mills, cutting 10 to 40 M board feet per day,
accounted for 23 percent of the 1936 lumber production in this Survey Unit.
There were only 3 mil]s cuiting 40 M board feet or more per day, but they
produced almost 34 percent -of the total lumber cut. Thirty-four non-lum-
ber plants scattered throughout the unit produced veneer, shingles,, cooper-
age, furniture, and paper pulp. The production of fueTwood, crossties, and
poles and piling rank high among the forest industries. The production cf
fuelwood alone, including wood for tobacco curing, constitutes a wood use
second only to lumber in volume consumed. Approximately 60 percent of the
fuelwood is cut from the stems of living sound trees, the remainder coming
from cull and dead trees and from limbwood.
Table 10. - Production and employment in the primary wood-using
industries - 193&
Number
. Quantity
! produced
Employment
Commodity :
of
plants
: In
: woods
: At :
• plants •'
Total.
Lumber
267
M bd. ft.
*4-10,500
541
Thousand man-days - - -
743 1,239
Veneer
15
76,900
145
293
443
Shingles
12
4,500
9
10
19
Poles and piles
Pieces
1^9 M
42
42
Crossties
--
292 M
4l
—
4i
Other commercial usesV
7
Cords
66 M
70
33
153
Fuelwood£/
943 M
1,133
1,13s
Domestic farm use?/
— —
39 M
43
43
Total
2,029
1,139
3.16*
2/ Includes *4- cooperage plants, 2 furniture factories, and 1 pulp mill.
2/ Includes fuelwood for tobacco curing „
3/ Includes fence posts and other farm items exclusive of fuelwood.
The labor requirements of these industries totaled more than three
million man-days in 193& (table 10). Forty-one percent of the employment
was provided by the lumber industry, 36 percent by the fuelwood industry,
and the remaining 23 percent by the smaller commercial plants and domestic
activities. On the basis of 250 working days per year, regular full-time
employment was provided for more than 12,000 workers, but with many part-
time employees particularly in the woods, the actual number receiving em-
ployment in the wood using industries was probably several times this num-
ber.
- 21 -
Naval Stores
At one time a major forest industry in this part of South Carolina,
the naval stores industry has been reduced during the past few decades to
one of comparatively minor importance. Only 6 turpentine stills were op-
erating in 1956 (fig* 4). The activities of the stills and the 6$ gum
producers without stilling facilities provided about .50,000 man-days of
employment. The supply of unworked or Ground*5 timber available for Naval
Stores operations is ample for present requirements, or for a moderate ex-
pansion, but the attitude of the timber owners, together with the general
depressed condition of the turpentine and rosin markets, does not encourage
new ventures in this field.
Commodity Drain
The total annual cut from the forest growing stock of the unit, re-
gardless of destination or point of manufacture, together with the inci-
dental woods waste, constitutes the commodity drain. Table 11 lists the
total forest drain classified according to general species groups and com-
modity. For purposes of comparison the drain for all commodities derived
from sawlog material is listed in board feet. Cubic foot measure is used
to express the drain from all sizes of sound trees 5” in diameter and
larger .
Table 11. - Commodity drain from sound trees - 1936
Commodity
' Sawlog size material ‘
All material
* Pine
• Hard- . Total "
: wood :
Pine * ^art*“ ■ Total
wood :
Thousand board feet
Thousand cubic feet
Lxxmber
Yeneer
Shingles
Other commercial use
Foies and piles
Crossties
Fuelwood
Domestic farm use
303,100
12, $00
2,600
2,900
16,600
7,600
61,500
3,900
103,300 4o6,4oo
69,100 61,90c.
1.900 4,500
11,700 i4,6oo
16,600
7.900 15,500
26,300 69,600
1,100 5,000
55,340 16,470 71,610
2,330 11,070 13,400
46o 290 770
94o 2,360 3,300
3.060 — 3,060
i,4oo 1,260 2,660
24,700 15,250 39,950
2.060 560 2,64o
Total
411,200
223,300 634,500
90,310 137,590
Lumber is the leading drain item, with fuelwood ranking second,
veneer third. Approximately 4-7 percent of the total fuelwood drain ceme
from se.wtimber trees, in spite of the fact that there were standing in
the forests of the unit a sound volume in cull trees of more than 10|
million cords. About 13 percent of the cubic foot drain was used in the
manufacture of veneer, shingles, furniture, cooperage, and paper pulp.
Another 4 percent went into poles, piles, and crossties.
- 22
The new pulp mills in Charleston and Georgetown were under construc-
tion in 1936 and their wood requirements were not included in the drain fig-
ures for this report. These two mills qre reported to have a combined ca-
pacity in excess of 450,000 cords annually , and at capacity operation should
provide about one million man-days of labor.
The Balance between Increment and Drain
Having described the forest, estimated its volume and increment,
and determined its natural and commodity drain as of 1936, the foundation
is laid for an analysis of these elements which show the status of the for-
est resources for that year. The net change in the amount of growing stock
between January 1, 1936# and January 1, 1937? and the factors responsible
for it are summarized in tables 12 and 13« In the sawtimber material
(table 12) the hardwood growing stock was reduced by more than 32 million
board feet. Sawlog-size pine growing stock, conversely, was increased by
more than 53 million board feet, a volume sufficient to offset the reduc-
tion in the hardwood species and bring about a unit-wide increase of more
than 21 million board feet.
Table 12. - Comparison between increment and commodity drain -
sawtimber material
* Pine
Hardwood
1 Total
Growing stock, January 1, 193&
- - - - Thousand board feet -----
6,470,500 6,330,600 i4, 601,100
Growth
531,700
254,600
766,300
Mortality
66,900
63,600
130,500
Forest increment
464, 600
191,000
655,600
Commodity drain
4-11,200
223,300
634,500
Net change in growing stock, 1936
+53,600
-32,300
+21,300
Growing stock, January 1, 1937
3,524, 100
6,296,300
14, 622,400
The 21 million board foot surplus indicates a favorable balance for
one year only - 193& ~ and should not be construed as indicative of the
existence of any positive trends in the supply of forest growing stock.
Even though, for example, the hardwood growing stock was decreased and the
pine growing stock increased in 193&? it does not follow that the same con-
ditions existed in 1935 nor in 1937® Until a series of annual balances can
be posted no definite indication of trends may be delineated. There are,
however, a number of economic factors which had a significant bearing on
the 1936 balance, and others will probably affect subsequent balance sheets.
- 23 -
Forest industries , particularly the lumber mills, although experiencing
their best year since 1930, nevertheless operated below their 1920=1930
average . Many of the smaller mills operated only a few days during the
year or not at all, so that the general demand on the forest resources was
probably below that which might be expected during an active year* On the
other hand, the effects of fire protection are already beginning to show
in faster growth and better stocked stands* The effort at forest manage-
ment and the application of silvicultural measures now being practiced by
leading pulp and lumber companies, and by Government agencies should con-
tribute during the next decade to a more favorable balance in the growing
stock ledger, provided there is no great increase in wood consumption in
the unit*
Of particular importance to the lumber industry is the progressive
depletion of the old-growth timber* Analysis of the commodity drain and
increment data indicates that these high quality stands, both pine and
hardwood, are being cut much faster than they are growing* This situation
is not brought out clearly in table 12 because the increment occurring on
the younger stands of sawtimber is sufficient to offset the losses in the
old-growth stands* Thus, although there is a distinct deterioration in the
quality of the timber available, there can be no significant change in the
total board foot inventory as long as the rapidly growing second growth
can keep pace with the drain and offset the losses in the older age classes*
Although the hardwood sawtimber growing stock suffered a 32 million
board foot reduction during 19 36 , the hardwood stands as a whole, including
both sawtimber and the smaller cordwood material, were increased by a small
volume* This is shown in table 13, expressed in cubic feet* The pine bal-
ance also shows a small increase and the net change in the entire forest
growing stock during 1936 was an increase of more than 2§- million cubic
feet*
Table 13. - Comparison between increment and commodity drain =
all material
0
Pine
° Hardwood
Total
- - - - Thousand cubic
feet ~
Growing stock, January 1, 1936
1,977,630
1,336,530
3,364,160
Growth
10^,760
71,600
130,360
Mortality
l6 , 660
23,610
40,270
Forest increment
92,100
^7,990
140,090
Commodity drain
90,310
47,280
137,590
Net change in growing stock, X93&
V79Q
710
2,500
Growing stock, January 1, 1937
1,979. ^20
1 p 337 9 24o
3,366,66o
- 24 -
Here again it should be pointed out that the small surplus in the pine
volume does not justify too optimistic a viewpoint. The two new pulp
mills, under construction during 19365 had not yst added their demands to
the industrial drain from this area. These mills will probably draw one-
half of their pulpwood from this unit. If one-half of their estimated
combined capacity requirements had been drawn from the unit in 19365 the
pine commodity drain would have been increased 17 percent. Instead of a
surplus of more than 1-3 A million cubic feet, as shown in table 13, there
would have been a depletion of pin© growing stock of about A million cu-
bic feet.
Summary and Conclusions
The northern coastal plain of South Carolina Is especially adapted
to the continuous production of forest products. With nearly 60 percent
of the land area forested , climate and soils that favor rapid tree growth,
the presence of excellent diversified local markets for forest products, an
adequate transportation system augmented by shipping facilities to northern
centers, and a rural population available for employment in all types of
forest industries, it is evident that the forests and forest industries
will continue to rank as important factors in the general economy of this
region.
Notwithstanding three centuries of indiscriminate timber cutting,
land clearing, and until recently,, little or no protection from fire, much
of the present forest area is in remarkably good condition. At the time
of the field survey 62 percent of the forest area was in the sawlog-size
condition — either second growth or old growth. Stands of 2,000 board
feet or more per acre, which may be considered operable, occur on Kj per-
cent of the forest area. The aggregate area classified as clear cut, where
little or no stocking exists, amounts to only two percent of the total for-
est area, a comparatively low proportion with respect to other Forest Sur-
vey units in the South.
Despite the favorable situation these conditions appear to indicate,
there are extensive areas where much improvement could be realized under
more adequate fire protection and reasonable management. One-fourth of the
area in the sawlog-size conditions has timber stands of less than 2,000
board feet per acre. The clear-cut area of almost 102,000 acres is produc-
ing practically nothing. Moreover, much of the area in both sawlog-size
and under sawlog-size conditions is yielding but half the site capacity,
and the presence of cull trees, inferior species, or worked-out turpentine
trees materially lowers the value of the stands.
The comparison of growth and drain indicates that the forests as a
whole, in their present condition, probably can support a demand equivalent
to the 1936 requirements, which excludes the two pulp mills, without de-
pleting the growing stock. Some adjustment would have to be made, however,
in manufacturing methods and plant capacities to offset the declining vol-
ume of old-growth timber and to make efficient use of the smaller second-
growth material. The small margin of increment over drain allows no pro-
vision for expansion of industry or for such exigencies as unusually bad
fire years or insect epidemics, nor does it provide the surplus growth
- 25 -
necessary to build up understocked stands. The requirements of the two
new pulp mills alone will more than offset the surplus increment and result
in a depletion of forest capital unless net growth can be increased suffi-
ciently to offset this additional drain through a reduction in mortality
and an increase in growing stock.
The forests of the unit are capable of producing adequate timber to
meet these additional requirements and to allow for even further industrial
expansion in future years s but concerted action will be necessary 9 on the
part of both public and private agencies to attain this desirable objective.
Th© primary step is to increase stocking through adequate fire protection
and improved cutting practice designed to build up and maintain the forest
in a reasonably productive condition.
Good progress has been made along these lines in recent years. The
South Carolina State Commission of Forestry in cooperation with the U. S.
Forest Service has established fire protection areas in all but two coun-
ties in this Survey Unit and the beneficial results are already evident.
Including th© acreage in the Francis Marion National Forest approximately
percent of the forested area is under organized protection. The Forest
Management Division of the State Forestry Commission and the State Exten-
sion Service have been active in reforestation and have given advice to
timberland owners regarding management of their holdings.
In the Francis Marion National Forest nearly 2^5s>°00 acres have been
placed under a definite plan of management for the production of high qual-
ity sawtimber with intermediate cutting for pulpwood and other products.
This area provides a large scale demonstration of the approved principles
of timberland management.
The new pulp mills established on the coast have purchased large
areas of forest land* over 200„0GQ acres in this unit,, and have placed them
under management to assure a continuous supply of pulpwood for their mills.
Gutting rules to govern contractors working on company and other private
lands have been adopted with a view toward integrated and complete utiliza-
tion of their timber stands. Other forest owners 0 including lumber compa-
nies s ©states and hunting clubs have initiated various forms of conserva-
tion measures on their properties.
These are encouraging indications that timber owners are beginning
to realize the value of forest management. Much remains to be done,, how-
ever, An extension of the educational program directed toward all forest
land owners a particularly farmers s stressing fire protection and woodland
management seems vitally necessary. The united efforts of public agencies
with the cooperation of the industries and the forest land owners should.
In a reasonable times develop the forest resources of the unit to the point
where they assume their full share of responsibility in the economic wel-
fare of this region.
- 26 -
EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Forest survey unit. — A subdivision of a state of from 6 to 10 million
acres in which forest 0 topographic and economic conditions are reason-
ably homogeneous o
Non-productive forest area- — Forest land that does not have the qualities
necessary for the production of commercial timber <=
Cropland . land being used for the production of farm or orchard crops,
or showing evidence of having been so used during the preceding 5
years, and still in such condition that it can be easily cultivated.
Abandoned cropland. — land formerly cultivated or pastured now showing
distinct signs of having been abandoned for such use.
Improved pasture. ~ Cleared or open land under fence 9 used primarily for
grazing.
D.BcH. «=- Diameter breast high. The diameter outside the bark of a tree
measured at a. point tyg- feet above the ground.
Diameter class. All trees were recorded in 2-inch diameter classes,
that is, trees measuring 5°0 to &°9 inches d.b.h. are in the 6-ineb
diameter class.
Merchantable tree. — Any sound, well formed tree that is, or gives prom-
ise of becoming, a sawtimber tree.
Cull tree. — One that, because of form, limbiness, rot, or similar defect,
will not qualify as a merchantable tree.
Sawtimber tree. The following minimum requirements are necessary for
hardwoods? 13.0 d.b.h., at least one sound butt log 12 feet long, or
50 percent of the gross volume of the tree in sound sawtimber material;
for pine and cypress, at least $oQ inches d.b.h., at least one sound
butt log 12 feet long, or 50 percent of the gross volume of the tree
in sound sawtimber material.
Under»sawlog-size tree. -- A merchantable pine or cypress measuring 5»0 to
* g$ incEeT^Vb'rK7, a merchantable hardwood tree measuring 5°0 to 12.9
inches dob.h.
Pole or pile tree. -- A pine tree from which a pole or pile could be cut
conforming in general to specifications as set up by the American
Standards Association.
Standard cord. — A stacked pile of round or split wood bolts measuring
"T® x A9' x and estimated to contain 90 cubic feet of wood and bark
in pine and cypress species, and $0 cubic feet of wood and bark in
hardwood species.
- 23 -
Round timber. ~ A stand of turpentine pin© trees (longleaf or slash pine)
that has not been worked or chipped for gum production .
Dominant and oo^dominant trees . =»- Trees which dominate and overtop the
general surrounding stand .
A
Forest Type Groups
Loblolly pine,, -- Stands in which pines make up 25 percent or more of
the dominant and eo=dcminant stems with loblolly pine predominating.
Longleaf pin©. *=» Stands in which pines make up 25 percent or more of the
dominant and co-domlnant stems with longleaf pine predominating.
Bottomland hardwoods, and cypress. =•*» Stands of mixed hardwoods „ or hard-
woods and cypress usually found in the larger river bottoms , which
together make up 75 percent or more of the dominant and co-dominant
stems.
Upland hardwoods . -» Stands of mixed oaks and other hardwoods occurring
on the drier upland sites. Together these species make up 75 percent
of the dominant and c ©-dominant trees. Tills type group includes a
small area of scrub oak.
Forest Conditions
Sawlog Size
Old growth, uncut. Areas with stands composed predominantly of trees of
sawtimber size having the characteristics of the original s mature tim-
ber of the region and containing at least 19000 board feet per acre
of merchantable hardwoods g or hardwoods and pine^ in hardwood types.
In pine types a minimum, of 600 board feet per acre is required. Less
than 10 percent of the volume has been cut.
Old growth,, partly-cut o =- Areas with old growth stands from which 10 per-
cent or more of the volume has been eutc leaving a minimum of Xa000
board feet per acre in the hardwood types v or 600 board feet per acre
in the pine types.
Second growth,, uncut. — Areas with stands of second growth having at least
Ӵ00 board feet per acre in trees of sawlog sizes and with less than 10
percent of the sawtimber trees cut.
Second growth., partly-cut. — Areas with stands of second growth in which
10 percent or more of the sawtimber trees have been cut but with the
remaining stand containing 600 board feet per acre or more.
- 29 -
Under Sawlog Size
Second growth. — Areas of young second growth in which the volume of timber-
in trees of sawtimber size is less than 600 board feet per acre with
the remainder of the stand under sawtimber size.
Reproduction. — Areas not qualifying, for any. of the above conditions but
which have at least 30 well established and well distributed seedlings
and sprouts of commercial species per acre.
Clear-cut. — Cut-over areas having, insufficient young growth to qualify
for second-growth or reproduction conditions.
- 30 -
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