The timber resource of North Dakota

Historic, archived document

Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

Cimber Resource
O/NORTH DAKOTA

. @ Loe abe in by
ep s + aes 3 See = a
~~ JOHN R. WARNER
and

CLARENCE D. CHASE

: i STATION PAPER. NO. 36
ny 3 11988 * \ PAPER

(CULTURE
\. > DEPARI MENT OF AGR \

nee

LAKE STATES FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION

; M.B. DICKERMAN -: DIRECTOR
FOREST SERVICE:-U.S.DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

THE FOREST SURVEY OF NORTH DAKOTA

This report of the first systematic forest survey in
North Dakota presents estimates of forest area, volume
of timber, its growth and mortality, and the amount
cut. It is a part of the nationwide survey of timber
resources authorized by the McSweeney-McNary Act of
1928, and conducted by the Forest Service, U. S.
vepartment of Agriculture.

The Lake States Forest Experiment Station gratefully
acknowledges assistance in collecting the data from

the following: Leslie Sachow, Administration Division
Chief of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation
Office, and the many local county secretaries and their
staffs; C. B. Stott, Forester, North Central Region,

U. S. Forest Service; John J. Zaylskie, Extension
Forester, North Dakota Agricultural College; C. N.
Nelson, North Dakota State Forester; John M. Molberg,
Professor, North Dakota School of Forestry; E. J.
George, Silviculturist, Northern Great Plains Research
Station; and Lyness Lloyd, Director, Elmer L. Worthing-
ton, Assistant Director, Soil Conservation Service, and
the several Area and District Conservationists of the
SCS.

Members of the Station who assisted in planning the
survey or collecting the data are: M. B. Dickerman,
Director; R. N. Cunningham, Chief, Division of Forest
Economics; Clarence D. Chase, Field Supervisor; Suren
R. Gevorkiantz, Mensurationist; Arthur G. Horn, Timber
Drain Economist; and Vernon L. Lindholm, John R, Warner,
Ross D, Cowan, and Paul C. Guilkey, Foresters,

THE TIMBER RESOURCE

OF NORTH DAKOTA

by

John R,. Warner

and Clarence D, Chase

Station Paper No. 36 February, 1956
Lake States Forest Experiment Station

Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture

CLOON LEN hs

Page
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FOREST SURVEY FOR NORTH DAKOTA. ........ sual
HN GRODUGTLON gee PRE Mi ciicuMcarieimicwine. elie) tei kes Ge le kr even Se 1
HONesitSmare Natnve to coe monster locations: .< 2. .«.~«+«-. 1
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Lreenmplantinrters waeMajorerorestury: CLrOrt iS % “sie ie) ee ue le le 3

DOMINANT FEATURES OF LAND AND CLIMATE ....
andere acune sanGguenOnesicSel a) <6 ict ies eens 6) ee eee el eee 4

Climaticyfractorsmarcecting, Lorest distribution ~~ . . 9. « « + 6
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BPOREVeOUStCrEUOUcEONTOF TOreStS.. .. «6.6 <2 8 8 © «© «6 6 )
Redneiions@ineareavor natural forest land . .. . 2 <« « «s 9
hescription-ofwnative forest» types. . . . « .« « « «« « « « 9
Nana PemenLnOrenaLivie PhOnCS GS... sh o/s 6 6 6) 6 6 6 wo 6. es 16
PCM hOECS te LATC ear anieii ct hele) Volt eo uei.e le, © te, fe 6) us Sas ee, 8 ve 16
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RoCehiebOLe st RVaWwOUleuetits 6 os) So 6-6 6 3 8 os eye ee Ss 19
Increased planting program calls for more research. .... 20

PIMBER RESOURCE, STATISTICS. . « se ee Scie eee RetiiTen cual ome 21

Handectres. Dyelajor classes Of Land, 1954. . . 2. 6. 6 6 ew sw 21
Distribution of total land area and forest land
See yO Teter TOl Ss) LOOD sects) eles) lee 66 (6 6 @ 1s) 6) © 22

Commercial forest land area by ownership and

Se Coe emer Na Semele! fen ciel ele .s)n eu se) © ©) = ss) « @ 23
Net volume of live sawtimber and growing stock on

commercial forest land by ownership class, 1954 ...... 24
Commercial forest land by major forest type,

esa see ana mdenSttbYy.) WLIOA 5 Sais 6 «sll 6 6 «(8 «eo 25
Net volume of live sawtimber and growing stock on

commercial forest land, by species and stand-

eA) el Secrest ee ely iets) ole): eliie e> eee lol eo) '@ ), s 26
Net volume of all live timber on commercial forest

Land by species’ and Stand=size class, 1954. . . 2 . « « « 27
Net volume of live sawtimber on commercial forest

iand by diameter class groups and species, 1954 ..... . 28
Net annual growth, annual mortality, and commodity

drain on live sawtimber and growing stock on

Meche hatenOLesibe Laid LIS. eo. veoioile lke Hensel iol ve) otlicl ia vet) 1 ZO

LITERATURE C ITED ° ° e ° ° e e °. e ° e e ° ° e e e . e e ° e ° ° e 30

APPENDIX, e . ° ° ° e oe e . e . ° e . . e e ° e s . e e e e e e e Sal
Definition of terms. . . . . . ° es ° e s . e . e . J e ee es e e Sjal
eee Sri eu Me CHOC Se io. ic)" . tere) sth wi tEWice (esr ello: eee c enle tes 33

etic yiOmseStiMVtCCS cule ys eo wire Nel Ween et “en ee SO O.0 20. Gc 36

SC aE on nO: NORTH DAKOTA, ". « ss © «0s » ese « © © 6 « 37

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FOREST SURVEY FOR NORTH DAKOTA

Forests occupy 468,000
acres of the land area
in North Dakota,

All but 16,000 acres of
forest area is commercial
forest land,

Lowland and upland types
occupy about equal pro-
pertions of the forest
land,

Forest area by stand-size class

LEBEN.

wtimbe

Ownership of commercial forest land

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Over two-thirds of the com-
mercial forest area is in
private ownership, Forty
percent is owned by farmers,

Most of the forest area under
"Other Federal" ownership was
acquired during the drought-
stricken thirties and is now
administered by the Forest
Service,

Ownership of timber volume is
proportionate to area,

Volume by species

Cottonwood eae aimee cua
Aspen The total volume of grow-
ing stock is 258 million
cube feet. (Of this, atl:
a but 200,000 cubic feet is
TeEeepicatare in hardwood species,
Ash PONV TSU sty) Onno eA Cottonwood and aspen to-
RAL gether account for nearly
Oak ieee easter & 40 percent of the total

growing stock,
Basswood

Other species

O20 30" 40) 50
Million Cubic Feet

Growth of all growing
stock exceeded drain by
more than 10 percent
during 1954,

Nios dave
habe
st

Mortality accounted for
over 60 percent of the
total drain,

Million Cubic Feet

tf HOR iieM BoE R ROE Ss OUR iC Ee
OF

Ne OV Rei oH DEAK Oneal

1/

by John R. Warner and Clarence D, Chase _

INTRODUCTION

North Dakota is a prairie state in the geographical center of

the North American continent, Though richly endowed with a var-
iety of mineral resources, its basic prosperity has been due to
its fertile fields and abundance of grazing land, Oil is chang-
ing the picture. Its discovery and subsequent stimulation of
industrial development create bright prospects for the future of
the state. This type of development provides another stable ele-
ment of support within a predominantly agricultural economy. The
following report deals with still one other resource of value--
the forests of the state.

Forests are Native to the Moister Locations

The native forests of North Dakota occur in the moister locali-
ties along stream banks, on lake shores, and in the draws and
coulees of the hills. Periodic droughts are the chief factor
restricting forests to their present location. More than half
of the forest area is contained within two hilly sections along
the Canadian border, North Dakota is one of the few states
where forests occur within the geographic limits of both eastern
and western timber types of the United States,

1/ Foresters at the Lake States Forest Experiment Station, The
Station is maintained at St. Paul 1, Minnesota, by the Forest
Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with
the University of Minnesota,

Use of Timber in the Past

One can only speculate as to the extent of forests during the early
days of settlement, but judging from scattered statements in historical
accounts they were not much more extensive than they are today.

The Mandan Indians were among the first inhabitants of North Dakota,
Unique earth lodges, supported by timbers of oak, cedar, and cotton-
wood, were the homes of these early settlers, and it is their remains
which provide us with some interesting history. Studies of these
village sites, found in the valley of the Missouri River near Bismarck,
indicate that the Mandans may have occupied them as early as 1200 A.D.
There is good evidence that they were cutting timbers for use in con-
struction of their earth lodges at least 450 years ago, Oak and cedar
appear to have been favored, but indications are clear that by 1700
A.D. the exhausted supply of these species forced the substitution

of cottonwood,

Early homesteaders used material available to them, For lack of
fuelwood they burned buffalo chips and any other available combustible
material; and where timber was scarce their homes were made from stones
and prairie sod,

While the lack of abundant wood may have been a deterring influence
to permanent settlement, the open plains early became arteries of
travel to the west, The state's wood resource was an element of
importance in this early period: Steamboat travel was made possible
by timbered river banks which provided an abundance of fuel, and
the early railroads were heavy users of timber for ties and fuel,
In this connection, the Northern Pacific Railway was responsible
for the only logging camp to be operated commercially in North
Dakota. The trees were cut and floated down the Little Missouri
River to Medora to be utilized in the construction of the Northern
Pacific's main line west,

Use of Woodlands Today

Today the natural forest areas of the state provide some of its
wood requirements, Although there is insufficient raw material to
support forest industries of the types found in states with more
woodland area, there is very positive utilization of the state's
timber, For example, in 1954 (in addition to receiving the gener-
ally recognized indirect benefits of tree shelter), woodlot owners
harvested 2,550,000 fence posts, 2,350,000 board feet of lumber,
and 40,000 cords of fuelwood--very desirable farm assets in a
prairie state.

SOs

The number of small mills which are operating in the state is un-
certain, but at one time 109 North Dakotans were listed as owning
sawmills. A survey conducted in 1949 by the Extension Service of
North Dakota Agricultural College contacted these owners by mail
questionnaires, Of the 42 respondents, 25 still had their mills;
17 had cut lumber during 1949, but only 9 of these had lumber for
sale (1). The picture is still much the same. Woodlands are
utilized chiefly for home consumption, and seldom are the products
placed for sale. Survey data show that about 12 percent of wood
cut in 1953 was manufactured into lumber, 37 percent of the cut
was used for fuelwood, and 51 percent was utilized as fence posts.

Less apparent, though probably more important, are other values
that have no dollar measurement. The forests not only protect
watersheds, thereby minimizing erosion and flood danger, but also
they shelter wildlife, help produce game for thousands of hunters,
and provide picnic grounds and camp sites as well as other recrea-
tional possibilities.

Tree Planting is a Major Forestry Effort

Trees give protection from the wind, This simple fact affords them
their greatest utility in North Dakota. The state's forestry activ-
ities are primarily associated with efforts toward windbreak estab-
lishment for protection of homes, cattle, and wildlife. Effective
windbreaks, whether they be planted or natural, are a valuable
integral part of a prairie farm.

North Dakota leads all other Plains States in the establishment of
windbreak plantings. It is because of this predominating interest
in protective forestry that a section of this report has been
devoted to a discussion of tree-planting efforts on the prairie,

DOMINANT FEATURES OF LAND AND CLIMATE

The natural establishment and growth of trees is in response to

favorably combined factors of soil and climate. There is abundant
proof that thousands of years ago conditions for forest development
in North Dakota were more favorable than they are now, Of the fac-
tors contributing to the establishment of forests, moisture is the
most critical, Today's forests are found in scattered areas of the

state where soil and moisture have combined to stimulate and nurture
tree growth,

Land Features and Forests

The land surface of the state rises in three broad steps from east
to west, The fertile valley of the Red River, the lowest of these
steps, was formed some 10,000 years ago when the receding Wisconsin
ice sheet backed up a huge lake approximately 700 miles long and
200 miles wide, During this period of inundation some 20 to 30
feet of silt was deposited. Today farming predominates on this
rich soil. Its table-like expanse is broken by narrow strips of
woodland along stream banks and by numerous shelterbelt plantings
(fig. 1) protecting its fertile fields and home sites,

Figure 1,.--Shelterbelt Plantings in the Red River Valley.
(Photo through courtesy of SCS)

The second step, extending over the central portion of the

state and elevated 200 to 400 feet above the old glacial lake
bed, is known as the Drift Plain, It is the product of glacial
deposits of gravel, sand, and finely~-ground rock laid down during
the last Ice Age. During one geologic era, luxuriant forests of
semi-tropical trees including juniper, cypress, and sequoia
covered the land, It was during this period that the extensive
lignite deposits of the state were formed, The thousands of
intervening years have changed this area leaving it almost

devoid of tree cover (fig. 2).

The surface of the third step, known as the Missouri Plateau,
extends westward to the Rocky Mountains, The eastern edge of
this step, rising 300 to 400 feet above the Drift Plain and cut-
ting north and west through the central part of the state, is
the Coteau du Missouri. Near the eastern edge of this escarp-
ment and marking the furthest advance of the Wisconsin ice sheet
lies the Altamont Moraine; within it on the Missouri slope are
the Badlands of the Little Missouri, This area, formed by

Figure 2.--The plains of central North Dakota.

ree ater smtcos ma

OLE ESD ie pe calle emma (a 5 RIOT ag
. sina - —- é

Figure 3,--Juniper persists on the north slopes and
draws in the Badlands,

erosion, is characterized by steep-sided buttes and semi-barren mesas

of striking form and color and is suitable primarily for grazing, forage,
and mineral production, Trees persist only on the moister north slopes
and in the deeper draws and coulees (fig. 3).

Climatic Factors Affecting Forest Distribution

Small amounts of moisture inadequately distributed, wide extremes of
temperature, and drying winds are the three most important climatic
factors restricting tree growth in North Dakota,

Periodic droughts are particularly effective in holding natural forests
to moister sites where the trees can endure several successive years of
dry weather, These cyclical variations in available moisture are illus-
trated by a study of tree-ring growth in North Dakota by George F. Wills
(9). This study has produced an excellent chronological record of
moisture availability and, hence, a fair measure of precipitation since
about the year 1400 (fig. 4). Average annual rainfall is 17 inches,
ranging from a maximum of 22 inches in the Red River Valley to a min-
imum of 14 inches on the Montana border,

FIGURE 4: CYCLIC VARIATION OF WET AND DRY YEARS IN
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA, 1407-1939.

DRY YEARS AVERAGE YEARS WET YEARS

1400 A.D, 1400 A,

450 1450
1500 1500
1550 1550
1600 1600
1650 1650

1700 1700

¢
Y 3
: 4

1750 8 1750

Varied from year to year totaling:

9 15 12

1800 1800
Varied from year to year totaling:

7 14 7
1850 1850
1900 2 1900
1950 1950
Total 238 49 245
years

Recording a total of 532 years,

SOURCE : GEORGE F. WILL, 1946 (9).

Temperatures of this region are subject to the wide fluctuations
typical of continental climates and can be tolerated by only a
limited number of tree species, The maximum temperature spread
thus far recorded in North Dakota is 184 degrees--from a high of
124°F, at Medora in 1912 to a low of -60°F, at Parshall in 1936,
Chinook winds in the western part of the state have caused tem-
perature rises of as much as 75°F, within a 24-hour period.

Without mention of the wind, the climatic picture of North Dakota
would not be complete. Its chief retarding effect on vegetative
growth is through desiccation of the soil by direct evaporation
and increased transpiration. Although tornadoes do occur,
straight blows by severe windstorms cause the most extensive
damage; velocities of over 70 miles per hour are not uncommon,

FORESTS OF THE STATE

There are an estimated 466,800 acres of native forest land in
North Dakota of which 451,000 acres are considered sufficiently
productive to be classified as commercial forest land. Through
the years, this area of natural woodland has been supplemented
by nearly 90,000 acres of plantings (not included in survey
statistics) composed largely of shelterbelts and windbreaks,
Some of this planted area has reverted to prairie, but much of
it survives and is a symbol of what can be done in establishing
trees on the plains,

Native Forests

It is widely recognized that forests provide values both tangible
and intangible beyond their price as raw materials for conversion
into products of wood or fiber, In North Dakota, these “other
values," often referred to as secondary, give timber its primary
value, This report, however, deals with the more measurable
aspects of forests, namely, those of area, species, volume,
ownership, growth, and drain. A complete breakdown of statistics
within these major divisions is presented later in this report.

Soe

Spotty Distribution
of Forests

More than 60 percent of the forests in the state are found in
three blocks--the Turtle Mountains, the Pembina Hills, and the
vicinity of Devils Lake. An additional one-quarter is strung
along the bottoms of the Missouri, Red, and Sheyenne Rivers
and their tributaries. The small remainder is scattered in
the Badlands, on lower north slopes of the Kildeer Mountains,
in coulees along the canyon of the Little Missouri River, and
in widely dispersed patches elsewhere in the state, Figure 5
locates these areas, their margins often being as sharply dis-
cernible on the ground as on the map.

Reductions in Area
of Natural Forest Land

Some recent developments are causing a net reduction in the
area of natural forest cover. The brisk demand in late years
for agricultural land has resulted in a measure of land clear-
ing in the Pembina Hills and in the Turtle Mountains, The con-
struction of two large dams in the development program of the
Missouri River Basin will drastically reduce the forested area
along that river. When the Garrison Dam reservoir is filled
it will inundate nearly all forest land upstream from the dam
site to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers
near the North Dakota-Montana border, The Oahe dam, located
not far north or Pierre, South Dakota, will form a reservoir
extending northward to within 30 miles of Bismarck.

Description of
Native Forest Types

North Dakota has a surprisingly large number of trees and shrubs
common to its area, Interested readers are referred to a recent
publication by the North Dakota School of Forestry at Bottineau,
which describes and illustrates 16 tree and 13 shrub species of
common occurrence and lists an additional 15 tree and 8 shrub
species as found, "but probably not common enough to merit
description. . . in this bulletin" (5).

Forest vegetation divides into six broad types which change from
east to west. In the east along the Red, Pembina, and Sheyenne
Rivers and their tributaries, the ash-elm type dominates many of
the river flats where trees occur. In the Turtle Mountains,
Pembina Hills, and the area south of Devils Lake, oak and aspen
types appear far more frequently than others. In the central
part along the flats of the Missouri River, cottonwood occurs
most commonly. The typically western types of ponderosa pine
and juniper (also called cedar) begin to appear in the Kildeer
Mountain region and in the Badlands of the Little Missouri.

This pattern is largely a matter of site, with moisture avail-
ability playing the critical role,

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Ash-elm The ash-elm type is the most important of
the six principal forest types occurring
in the state in terms of both acreage and

volume, It occupies nearly 35 percent (156,000 acres)

of the state's forest area and accounts for approx-
imately 60 percent of the total volume. It varies
widely in species composition, quality, and form, rang-
ing from scrubby clumps of green ash in some western
parts of the state to a few stands of elm, basswood,
and ash of good form, quality, and size in the Red and

Missouri River valleys. For the most part, however,

the ash-elm forests are stocked with rough and defect-

ive timber, making them more valuable as watershed,
wildlife, and recreational areas than as a present or
potential source of timber (fig. 6). Ash-elm, and
basswood contribute 97 percent of the board-foot
volume of the type.

Figure 6.--A young stand of ash-elm on a good site on
the shoreline of Devils Lake.

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Aspen Although aspen trees occur widely over
the state, the aspen type is concen-
trated chiefly in the Turtle Mountains
and the Pembina Hills, It is found on 126,000
acres of land, comprising 28 percent of the state's
forest area, Within much of this type the form and
quality of the trees are poor; only 4 percent of the
sawlog volume and 19 percent of the total forest vol-
ume in the state are made up of aspen and species
associated with the aspen type.

The better sites for aspen in North Dakota are con-
centrated largely in the Turtle Mountains (fig. 7).

Figure 7,.--A mature stand of aspen on the banks
of Lyde Lake in the Turtle Mountains,

Bur oak Bur oak, as a tree and as a type,
is indigenous to the drier ridges
and the southern slopes within the

Pembina Hills and the Turtle Mountains, and to

the area south of Devils Lake. The type is

dominant over about 19 percent (84,000 acres)
of the forest area and accounts for 12 percent
of the forest volume, Growth, form, and size

of trees are poor (fig. 8).

Figure 8.--Bur oak on a southeast slope in the
Turtle Mountains, When trees are
present on these drier exposures,
the dominant type is principally
bur oak,

Cottonwood Cottonwood is found extensively along the bottoms
of the Missouri River, It is commonly found in
pure stands but occurs also as an occasional tree

in the ash-elm type. The cottonwood type covers 10 percent of the

state's forest area, provides 18 percent of the total forest vol-

ume

» and 25 percent of the sawtimber volume, As a tree (Populus

deltoides), it has moderately-good growth, form, and size character-
istics; however, the larger trees frequently are defective (fig. 9).

In 1953 a statewide contest was
North Dakota, The winning tree
of Mayville, which measured 108
cumference at 44 feet above the
64 feet and an estimated age of

held to find the largest tree in
was a cottonwood 4 miles southeast
feet in height and 23 feet in cir-
ground; it had a crown spread of
approximately 300 years, Although

extreme, this is indicative of the size which can be attained by

this species,

Figure 9,--A pure stand of mature cottonwood on a Missouri River
flood bank, Although of fair size and form, these
trees contain considerable quantities of defect in the
form of rot and shake,

Ponderosa pine The ponderosa pine and cedar (Rocky Mountain

and cedar juniper) types, which make up the only native
softwood forests, constitute less than 1 per-
cent of the state's forest resources, Found

chiefly in the region of the Little Missouri River and the Kildeer

Mountains, they mark the eastern limits of these types, Patches

of pure juniper are commonly found in the Badlands (fig. 10).

The largest single concentration of ponderosa pine type in the
state is a mixture of pine and Rocky Mountain juniper covering
an area of about 2,000 acres on the south bank of the Little
Missouri River about 10 miles northeast of Amidon. For nine
years most of this tract was a part of the Dakota National For-
est, established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. It was discon-
tinued by Woodrow Wilson in 1917 because of its high cost of
administration (7). Today there are hopes of setting apart this
terrain or at least a portion of it, as a state park,

Figure 10,.--A pure stand of juniper in the Badlands, It spreads
and persists in the moister draws and coulees and on
many slopes with northern and western exposures, but
fails to become established on the drier sites,

Management
of Native Forests

Native forests receive a bare minimum of attention, Most of them
are grazed or freely accessible to cattle, while few are managed
for the products they are fully capable of producing.

There is need for serious consideration of what forestry possibil-
ities exist in these native woodlands, Based upon their productivity,
how best can they be managed? Undoubtedly, many forested areas are
more suited to game management than to forestry. How productive are
the various types within different sections of the state? Is pro-
ductivity sufficient to encourage the efforts of private owners in a
program of woodland management? On which areas is applied manage-
ment economically feasible? These are only a few of many questions
which can best be answered through research, and which must be ans-
wered if management by private owners is to be made feasible,

Planted Forest Land

Most forestry activities in North Dakota are focused on planting trees
in groves and strips. Both state and federal agencies encourage and
actively participate in planting programs directed towards establish-
ing shelterbelts and windbreaks, Protection of homes, livestock,
soil, roads, pastures, crops, and wildlife is the chief function of
these plantings, though incidental: wood production does serve as a
valuable by=product. Over the past 10 years, farmstead windbreaks
(fig. 11) and field shelterbelts (fig. 12) have accounted for 94
percent of the planting activity. Miscellaneous plantings consist-
ing largely of wildlife thickets, living snow fence, and field and
gully settings, comprise the remaining 6 percent,

Early Planting
Efforts

Efforts to encourage the planting and growing of trees on the plains
began early but were largely ineffective. In 1863, when the Dakota
Territory was opened for settlement, a 160-acre homestead was free
to anyone over 21 years of age who would cultivate it, improve it,
and live on it for 5 years, This was supplemented by the Timber
Culture Act in 1873 which granted a settler partial title to a tree
claim of an additional 160 acres if he planted 10 acres of this
quarter-section in trees. A clear title to the land could be
obtained when the trees were 8 years old. In 1905 the state legis-
lature passed a tree bounty law providing monetary incentives for
tree planting. As a result of these efforts some groves were
established in the eastern and central parts of the state, but most
of them were unsuccessful, largely because of insufficient knowledge
on how to plant and care for trees on the prairie,

Gh

Oalai . BY é : “ve the

Figure 11.--A well-deployed,

Figure 12.--A 5-row, mile-long field windbreak or shelterbelt
the Red River Valley.

bon el "
, ; $A : f “4. ¥ ¥ ENS 8) i x es " A. ‘EN 2 ‘
xk Sa a Ein Le PEAT C Pee av are “easel é
effective farmstead windbreak in the
Red River Valley.
in

During the early years of this century a number of railroad com-
panies made extensive plantings along their lines over the northern
Great Plains to protect them from snow, From 1905 to 1919 the
Great Northern Railway planted more than 25 miles of protective
belts along its main track between Grand Forks and Williston (8).
Some of these are still effective after 50 years, (fig. 13). oe

Forest Research
Has Helped

In 1912 the U. S. Department of Agriculture established the Northern
Great Plains Field Station at Mandan. It was here in 1914 that the
first systematic research in shelterbelt growth and survival was
begun in an effort to discover and correct the causes contributing
to the large number of failures in planted stands. The current
status of this work is effectively summarized by two U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture Circulars: "Tree and Shrub Species for the
Northern Great Plains” and "3l1-Year Results in Growing Shelterbelts
on the Northern Great Plains” (3 and 4).

Figure 13.--An early shelterbelt established by the Great Northern
Railway, west of Leeds, North Dakota,

In 1929 the Lake States Forest Experiment Station, in cooperation
with the North Dakota School of Forestry, initiated a forest re-
search project near Denbigh, The original purpose of this project
was to determine from experimental plantings the feasibility of
establishing national forests on the sand plains. By 1937 the
project indicated the plan was not feasible. Subsequent research
showed that the best system would be to plant trees on the sand
dunes, and on wind-eroded and other submarginal areas (about 10
percent of the land surface) to anchor the soil and prevent fur-
ther erosion,

Recent
Forestry Work

The dust storms of the thirties precipitated an ambitious drought-
relief planting program known as the Prairie States Forestry Project.
From 1935 to 1942, 30,223 belts were set out extending from the
Canadian border into central Texas and covering a linear distance

of 18,600 miles and an area of 238,000 acres (6). Of this area,
34,700 acres of belts extending over 2,645 miles were planted in
North Dakota on 3,954 farms,

The School of Forestry at Bottineau has been active for more than
30 years in supplying planting stock and supervision for experi-

mental plantings east of the 100th meridian. Other conservation

offices promoting tree planting through extension, demonstration,
planning, or active aid programs include the State Farm Forester,
the State Extension Forester, the Soil Conservation Service, and

the Fish and Wildlife Service,

The Soil Conservation Service has given a prominent place to tree
planting in its programs of farm planning and active aid to owners,
Since their initial shelterbelt and windbreak demonstration project
was established at Park River, North Dakota, in 1935, the Service
estimates it has helped establish some 54,400 acres of plantings
throughout the state, These, together with the 34,700 acres of
belts planted by the Prairie States Forestry Project, account

for an estimated 96 percent of the plantings undertaken within

the state. During the past 5 years the rate of planting has
varied between 7,300 and 8,500 acres each year--ranking North
Dakota first in the Plains States in the number of trees planted
for protective purposes,

= Ns)

There are three public and four commercial nurseries producing seed-
lings for the state's forestry work, The two largest suppliers are
Soil Conservation Service nurseries at Oakes and Fort Lincoln. These
are owned by local SCS districts and are operated on a nonprofit
basis. The third public nursery is the state-operated Clark-McNary
unit, under the direction of the State Forester and management of

the School of Forestry, with one division at Bottineau and a second
at Towner, During the 1954 planting season public nurseries supplied
approximately 75 percent of the required 5,900,000 seedlings, while
commercial nurseries filled the remaining needs,

Cultivation is an essential step to successful belt establishment;
the lack of it has been termed the bottleneck to increased plant-
ing in North Dakota, Basically, the problem is to cultivate both
between rows and within rows to destroy competing vegetation.
Recent machinery developments which will facilitate within-row
cultivation may improve this situation.

Increased Planting Program

Calls for More Research

The formula of trial and error plus research has gone far in over-
coming numerous obstacles to establishing tree belts throughout
the state. Often, solution of one problem leads to the discovery
of one or more other problems, The need for research thus becomes
a continuous and fundamental part of windbreak establishment and
care,

Before planting can be successful on many areas, much more research
will be essential. More needs to be known about planting methods,
species arrangements adapted to soils and climate, and site require-
ments for major species, Aliso more effort is needed on the develop-
ment of drought-resistant varieties through tree breeding and develop-
ment, Such additional knowledge would make possible greater success
in future plantings.

= 20" =

TIMBER RESOURCE STATISTICS

Table 1,--Land area, by major classes of land,

North Dakota

1954

See

yy
Class of land
Forest:
Commercial
Noncommercial:
Reserved from commercial timber use
Unproductive for timber use
Total
Nonforest
2/

Total all classes

1/ See Appendix for definition of terms,
2/ From Census of Agriculture, 1950,

* Less than 0.05 percent.

SS

Area
Thousand
acres Percent
451.0 1,0
See *
12.6 oak
466.8 ineak
44 ,369,7 98.9

a ee

44,836.5 100.0

Tab

le 2.--Distribution of total land area and forest land area by

major regions, North Dakota, 1954

i/ : All : 3/
Forest area sland area; Total forest
eo 2/ e
Thousand Thousand
acres acres Percent
Concentrated areas:
Turtle Mountains 341.9 126.9 37
Pembina Hills 286.3 71.4 25
Devils Lake 138.5 14,0 10
Red, Sheyenne, and
Pembina Rivers 533.2 50.1 9
Missouri River 200.2 31.6 16
Little Missouri River
and Kildeer Mountains 430.7 55.9 13
Badlands and misc. areas 236.4 8.8 4
Total area 2,167.2 358.7 17
1/
Scattered areas— 42 ,669.3 108.1 *
All areas 44, 836.5 466.8 1
1/ See Appendix for definition of terms,

From Census of Agriculture, 1950,

Includes 3,200 acres of land reserved from commercial timber
use, and 12,600 acres forested but considered unproductive
for timber use,

Less than 0.5 percent,

5 ODS

Table 3.,--Commercial forest land area by ownership and

Ownership
class

Federally owned
or managed:

Indian

Bureau of
Land Mgt.

Other federal
All federal
iL
State
Farmer
Other private

All ownerships

1/ No county or

stand-size class,

North Dakota, 1954

= EE SE SE

Total

71.4

182.1

130.0

451.0

(In thousands of acres)
:Seedlings:
:Sawtimber: Poletimber: and
: saplings:stocked

stands

11.0

°
.

: stands

28.5

47 .0

163.2

: Non-

11.0

38.1

municipal ownership was found in the state,

ay

Table 4,--Net volume of live sawtimber and growing stock
on commercial forest land by ownership class
North Dakota - 1954

Ownership
class

Federally owned
or managed:

Indian

Bureau of
Land Mgt.

Other
All federal
Staten
Private:
Farmer
Other private
All private

All ownerships

stock

Million
Cul hit.

40.8

74.3

178.4

297.8

Growing

eo ee oo

Sawlog
material
Million Million
bd. ft. cu, ft.
80.6 17.0
06 ol
63.9 13.5
145.1 30.6
11.7 2.4
205.6 43.4
146.8 31.0
352.4 74.4
509.2 107.4

ee ee ee

Cordwood
material

Million

Cul sete

23.8

60.7

43.3

104.0

150.4

1/ No county or municipal ownership was found in the state.

= Dal

Table 5.--Commercial forest land by major forest type, stand-size,
and density, North Dakota, 1954

(In thousands of acres)

: . ; : j : Seedling and ;
: : Sawtimber : Poletimber sapling ;
Forest type ; Total ;:Fair to; RIDE ILI» OR :Fair to: : Non-

well :Poorly : well :Poorly : well :Poorly ;:stocked
stocked: stocked: stocked:stocked: stocked: stocked:

Ponderosa pine 0 - - - 1,0 - —_ as
Juniper (cedar) 2.6 es - - - - 2.6 -
Ash-elm 155.6 41.4 4,1 20.3 33.0 18.6 38.2 -
Cottonwood 43.7 9,5 11.4 12.3 6.7 2.2 i3.6 =
Aspen~birch 126.1 54) ~ 40.7 30.6 46.9 7.0 -
Oak 83.9 BS) 1bSG3 13,2 22.3 20.6 25,5 -
Upland brush 8.8 - ~ - - - - 8.8
Lowland brush 29.3 = - - - = = 29.3

Total 451.0 92.7 16.9 86.5 93.6 88.3 74.9 38.1

Percent 100 12 4 19 21 20 16 8

SOS

Table 6,.--Net volume of live sawtimber and growing stock on commercial forest land,
by species and stand-size class, North Dakota, 1954

Seedling and

; Total *Sawtimber stands *Poletimber stands’ i *Nonstocked stands

Species H : 8 : 3 i : sapling sicends Gen cy
8 :Growing: :Growing: :Growing: :Growing: :Growing
:Sawtimber: stock :Sawtimber: stock :Sawtimber: stock :Sawtimber: stock :Sawtimber: stock
Million Million Million Million Million Million Million Million Million Million
bdivetitie (cucititon ybdna titi.) CUnmttews Ddijetite iC Ul tir wu DG yetitrwe CU metic We DC\gs titi wallet.

Ponderosa pine = 0.2 = = - 0.2 - - - -
Juniper (cedar) - * - - - - = = = =
Total softwood - 0.2 - = = 0.2 = = = =
Ash 58.9 36.4 35.7 13.3 23.2 20.2 = 2.8 - 0.1
Elm 149.3 38.3 136.8 30.6 3.0 5.0 5.3 1.8 4.2 0.9
Basswood 80.0 21.9 77.9 19.7 2.1 2.0 - 0.2 - -
Oak 59.1 31.8 36.9 9.3 15.0 15.4 7.2 Coal - -
Cottonwood 129.3 52.7 pa) 28.4 17.2 23.1 0.8 1,2 = a
Aspen 9.0 49.1 = 0.1 8.8 43.5 - 5.4 0.2 0.1
Balsam poplar 6.3 ie) - - 6.3 10.7 = 1,2 - -
Paper birch 5.5 Io - - 5.5 4.7 - 0.6 - -
Box elder 6.3 Ut} 6.3 39) - 1.8 - 0.7 - 1.4
Other hardwoods 5.5 2.4 5.5 2.1 = 0.3 = = = =
Total hardwood 509.2 257.6 410.4 107.4 81.1 126.7 13.3 21.0 4.4 2.5
All species 509.2 257.8 410.4 107.4 81.1 126.9 13.3 21.0 4,4 2.5

* Less than 0.05 million cubic feet.

= 6a

Table 7,--Net volume of all live timber on commercial forest land

by species and stand-size class, North Dakota, “1954
H H Growing stock : Other material
S = H Sawlog material 3 Cordwood material :Limbs of
Species VAL : - : In ln p :Upper stem: thardwood
: volume : Total : Total :sawtimber: other : Total :of sawtbr.: Pole :sawtimber: Cull
: : stands : stands ; : trees : trees :; trees : trees

Million Million Million Million Million Million Million Million Million Million
Cunent. CuLunt. bd. ft. bdekte, bd otit. Cul tit. cu. ft. CUmcit eC ULmEtitLaenC Usmnni bs

Ponderosa pine 0.2 es - = - 0.2 - 0.2 - *
Juniper (cedar) * = = - - * - * - *

Total softwood 0.2 = = = = 0.2 - 0.2 - *
Ash 47.1 10.3 58.9 35.7 23.2 26.1 2.3 23,8 ees 9.0
Elm 65.5 25.6 149.3 136.8 12.5 12.7 5.1 7.6 5.9 21.3
Basswood 37.7 14.0 80.0 77.9 2.1 7.8 3.0 4.8 6.1 9.8
Oak 44,4 10.0 59.1 36.9 22.2 21.8 2.0 19.8 2.3 10.3
Cottonwood 66.0 23.3 129.3 111.3 18.0 29.4 4.8 24.6 5.1 8.2
Aspen 52.9 1.6 9.0 - 9.0 47.5 0,4 47.1 0.2 3.6
Balsam poplar 12.2 1.2 6.3 - 6.3 10.8 0.2 10.6 0.2 *
Paper birch 5.8 1.1 5.5 - 5.5 4.2 0,2 4.0 0.1 0.4
Box elder 43.9 inal 6.3 6.3 - 6.7 0.3 6.4 0.2 35.9
Other hardwoods 3.1 0.7 5.5 5.5 - ees 0.2 1.5 0.1 0.6

Total hardwood 378.6 88.9 509.2 410.4 98.8 168.7 18.5 150.2 21.9 SOM
All species 378.8 88.9 509.2 410.4 98.8 168.9 18.5 150.4 21.9 99.1
Percent 100 23 100 81 19 45 bs) 40 6 26

x Less than 0.05 million cubic feet.

SOS

Table 8.--Net volume of live sawtimber on commercial forest land by

diameter class groups and species, )

1/

Species—

Ash

Elm

Basswood

Oak

Cottonwood
Aspen

Baisam poplar
Paper birch
Box elder
Other hardwoods

Total hardwoods

Percent

(In millions of board feet)
D.B.H. class in

Total : 15
98.9 29.9
150.5 VON
80.0 14,7
99.1 6.0
129.3 21.6
9.0 6.9
6.3 Ie}
9.9 4.9
6.3 4.8
4.3 0,3

909.2 106.1

100 21

14

9.2

19

16

21

North Dakota

°
e
°

inches

18

22.9

97,9

1954

20+

141.7

l/ No softwood sawtimber was found in North Dakota,

= 9 eiv=

Table 9,--Net annual growth, annual mortality, and commodity drain on

live sawtimber and growing stock on commercial forest land,
North Dakota, 1954

SS HS

: Sawtimber es Growing stock
Item : Total :Softwoods:Hardwoods: Total :Softwoods:Hardwoods
Million Million Million Million Million Million
lel, sews loels szb6 bdeette (Cis hc. =CuUL tt. Cllen tate
Net annual growth 28.2 - 28.2 10.3 - 10.63
Annual mortality SG - 9.6 5.3 - 5S

1
Commodity ee!

Lumber 2.0 - 2.0 0.4 - 0.4
Fuelwood eel = aa veel - Sal
Fence posts 1.6 0.1 1.5 WSC O.l1 1.6
Logging waste 0.4 = 0.4 0.3 - 0.3
Total 9.1 ORE 5.0 3.5 OF 3.4

All drain 14.7 0.1 14.6 8.8 0.1 8.7

1/ There is negligible or no drain for the following timber products:
Veneer, cooperage, or pulpwood logs and bolts; piling; poles; ties;
and mine timbers,

OG

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

LITERATURE CITED

Anderson, Harry G.
1949, Sawmilling in North Dakota,
Ext, Serv., N, D, Agr. Col. 4 pp. (Processed).

Bavendick, Frank J.
1946. Climate and weather in North Dakota,
U. S. Weather Bureau cooperating with
North Dakota State Water Con. Com,
96" pp.) t1ius 3

George, Ernest J.
1953. Tree and shrub species for the northern Great
Plains, U. S. Dept. of Agr. Cir. 912, 46 pp., illus:

George, Ernest J,
1953. 3l-year results in growing shelterbelts.
U. S. Dept. of Agr. Cir. 924,57 pp., iilus:

Molberg, John M,
1950, Common trees and shrubs of North Dakota,
North Dakota School of Forestry, 31 pp., illus.

Munns, E, N. and Stoeckeler, Joseph H.
1946. How are the Great Plains shelterbelts?
Jour, of Forestry 44: 237-257,

Potter, Loren D,
1952, North Dakota's heritage of pine.
State Historical Society. Reprint from
Vol. 19), No.) 3.7 12 pp. Ltlus.

U. S. Forest Service,
1935. Possibilities of shelterbelt planting in the
plains region. U. S. Dept. of Agr., Forest
Service. 201 pp., illus.

Will, George F,
1946, Tree ring studies in North Dakota,
Agr. Expt. Sta., N. D. Agr. Col.
Bul, 338, 24 pp., illus.

= SY) S

APSO EN Dx:

Definition of Terms
Land Area

Land area.-- Includes dry land and land temporarily covered with
water, streams less than 1/8-mile in width, and ponds less than
40 acres in area, Source: United States Census of Agriculture,
1950, U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census,

Forest land area.--Includes (a) lands which are at least 10 per-
cent stocked by trees of any size and capable of producing timber
or other wood products, or of exerting an influence on the climate
or on the water regime; (b) land from which the trees described in
(a) have been removed to less than 10 percent stocking and which
have not been developed for other use; and (c) afforested areas,
(Timbered tracts of less than 1 acre or forested strips of less
than 120 feet wide are not included.)

Concentrated forest land area,--Requires a minimum area of 5,000
acres of forest land in blocks at least 5 percent wooded,

Scattered forest land area.--Includes areas less than 5 percent
wooded and blocks with fewer than 5,000 acres of forest land.

Commercial forest land area,--Forest land which is (a) producing
or physically capable of producing usable crops of wood (usually
sawtimber), (b) economically available now or prospectively, and
(c) not withdrawn from timber utilization,

Noncommercial forest land area.~-Forest land (a) withdrawn from
timber utilization through statute, ordinance, or administrative
order but which otherwise qualifies as commercial forest land,
and (b) incapable of yielding usable wood products (usually
sawtimber) because of adverse site conditions,

Forest Types

A forest type is classified with respect to species predominant
volume-wise in the stand regardless of stand size, For example,
the ash-elm type is a stand of bottomland hardwood species in
which ash and elm predominate, Six types were recognized in
North Dakota: Ash-elm, aspen-birch (trembling aspen and paper
birch), cottonwood, oak (bur oak), juniper, and ponderosa pine,

= eh

Forest Stand-Size Classes

Sawtimber stands.--Stands with sawtimber trees having a minimum
net volume per acre of 1,500 board feet, International 1/4-inch
rule,

Poletimber stands.--Stands failing to meet the sawtimber stand
specification, but at least 10 percent stocked with poletimber
and larger (5.0 inches diameter at breast height and larger)
trees with at least half the minimum stocking in poletimber
trees,

Seedling and sapling stands.--Stands not qualifying as either
sawtimber or poletimber stands, but having at least 10 percent
stocking of trees of commercial species and with at least half
the minimum stocking in seedling and sapling trees,

Tree Classes

Sawtimber trees.--Trees of commercially used species meeting
regional use requirements for soundness and form, with a mini-
mum diameter at breast height of 11.0 inches for hardwoods and
9.0 inches for softwoods,

Poletimber trees.--Trees of commercially used species meeting
regional use requirements for soundness and form, with a diameter
range at breast height of 5.0 to 10.9 inches for hardwoods and
5.0 to 8.9 inches for softwoods,

Cull trees.--Live trees of sawtimber or poletimber size that
are unmerchantable for sawlogs now or prospectively because
of defect,

Timber Volume

Net volume.--Gross wood volume less deductions for rot and
defect,

All timber volume.--Net volume in cubic feet of live and salvable
dead sawtimber trees and poletimber trees of commercial species,
and of cull trees of ali species from stump to a minimum 4,0-inch
top diameter inside bark, Includes bole only of softwoods but bole
and limbs of hardwoods to a minimum 4,0-inch top diameter (of cen-
tral stem) inside bark.

239 0=

Upper stem portion,--Net volume in cubic feet of bole of sawtimber
trees between merchantable top and a point on the bole with a mini-
mum top 4,0 inches in diameter inside bark when it exists,

Hardwood limbs.-~-Limbs of live hardwood sawtimber trees and saw-
timber-size cull hardwood trees to a minimum diameter of 4.0
inches inside bark,

Growth

Net annual growth.--The change in net volume of growing stock on
commercial forest land for a specified year,

Mortality

Annual mortality of growing stock.--The net cubic-foot volume re-
moved from growing stock during a specified year through death from
natural causes,

Drain

Timber products output.--The volume of timber products cut from
growing stock and other sources,

Forest Survey Methods

Area

In North Dakota two broad strata (called concentrated and scattered
areas) were dot-sampled to determine the forest land areas, ASC
photos with a scale 8-inches-to-the-mile were used, Thirty-nine

of the 53 counties in the state were sampled, (see accompanying
table).

= BS)

Surveyed counties in North Dakota wit

County

Adams
Barnes
Benson
Billings
Bottineau
Burke
Burleigh
Cass
Cavalier
Dickey
Dunn
Eddy
Emmons

Golden Valley
Grand Forks

Grant
Griggs
Hettinger
Logan
McKenzie
McLean
Mercer
Morton
Oliver
Pembina
Pierce
Ramsey
Ransom
Richland
Rolette
Sargent
Slope
Sioux
Stutsman
Towner
Trail
Walsh
Ward
Williams

Total

34,285

and commercial forest arex

5

1954

416.0

a7, From Census of Agriculture, 1950.
2/ See Appendix for definition of terms,

Sey

h tetal land area

1: 2/
Land area: Commercial forest area.
Thousand Thousand
acres acres Percent
634 52 03
957 Zyl! 2°22
915 9.6 1,05
729 11.8 1,62
1,087 45.1 4.15
717 co O07
1,072 6.1 ood
eS 10.9 SIL
968 91.4 9.0L
732 ots} sabal
1,324 37.3 2.82
412 2.0 49
989 4.5 46
649 0 (0)
920 19.5 25L2
1,070 238 O77
457 3.0 - 66
726 2 03
642 0 O
1,819 19.3 \ 1,06
1,464 7.6 202
710 2.0 29
Ij awe: 4.9 239
461 3.1 67
719 47.3 6.98
674 mie 03
777 4.8 62
552 6.1 Ie, Akal
934 4.8 ool
600 82.1 13.68
547 3.0 Preys)
785 5.4 69
725 4.4 61
1,455 3.8 26
668 9 ol3
sol 4.1 74
826 2.1 20
oad Se 52S
1,344 1.0 O07

Concentrated areas,--One hundred percent coverage was achieved by
laying a 20-dot grid over alternate photos in every flight line
(alternate photos give full coverage), Forest area proportions
were determined by counting and classifying the points as forest,
nonforest, or water, A photo-determined description indicating
type, size class, and density was given for a 23-acre area sur-
rounding each fourth forest dot. To verify and adjust these photo
classifications, every fifth photo-classified forest dot was ground
checked,

Scattered areas.--Twelve-and-one-half percent coverage was achieved
by laying a 100-dot grid over every fourth photo in every fourth
flight line. The field procedure from this point on corresponds

to the description given under "concentrated areas.”

Volume and Growth

The volumes on 1/5-acre circular plots were tallied at each ground-
check point that was classified as sawtimber or poletimber, at
alternate check points classified as restocking, and at every fourth
nonstocked or noncommercial classified point. Growth data were
computed from sample tree measurements recorded at each ground=-check
point. Sample trees were selected as follows:

1. Every sawtimber tree on the NE-} of the 1/5-acre
plot.

2. Every poletimber tree on a 1/50-acre plot at the
center of the 1/5-acre plot,

3. Every tree in the 4-inch d.b.h. class on the NE-}
of the 1/50-acre plot.

Commodity Drain

All known sawmill owners were contacted for an estimate of their pro-
duction, No other wood-using industries are present in North Dakota,
To arrive at an estimated volume use for fuelwood and fence posts,
the landowner nearest each ground-check point was contacted and his
requirements recorded,

x) BIR

Accuracy of Estimates

The errors of estimates in this report are attributable to samp-
ling errors and to human errors in classifying, cruising, and
computing. Human errors were held to a minimum by careful train-
ing and painstaking work. Calculations of standard error indicate
that the chances are 2 out of 3 that the estimated forest area is
within + 2.9 percent of the actual forest area, and that the esti-
mated total volume is within + 3.2 percent of the actual volume,
Statistical accuracy of any portion of the area or volume varies
with size of the figures; the larger the quantity, the smaller

the sampling error associated with it.

=n 36

STANDARD TABLES FOR NORTH DAKOTA

The following material has been prepared for readers who may wish to com-
pare statistics for North Dakota with those in other Forest Survey state
reports. When any one of the 10 standard tables appears in the body of
the report only its caption has been given together with the page number
on which it can be found.

Table I.--Land area by major classes of land, 1954. .... . .page 21.

Table II.--Commercial forest land area by ownership
and’ ‘stend=sizerclass, 1954, . 5... 2... « « «. «page 23,

Table III.--Area of commercial forest land

by major forest types, 1954

Forest type : Thousand acres
Ponderosa pine 0
Juniper (cedar) 2.6
Ash-elm 155.6
Cottonwood 43.7
Aspen-birch 126.1
Oak 83.9
Upland brush 8.8
Lowland brush 29.3

Total 451.0

Table IV.--Net volume of live sawtimber and growing stock on

commercial forest land by stand-size class, 1954

Stand-size class : Sawtimber j Growing stock

Million bd. ft. Million cu. ft.

Sawtimber stands 410.4 107.2
Poletimber stands 81.1 127.1
Seedling and sapling stands 13/33 21.0

Nonstocked and other areas
not elsewhere classified 4,4 o} 50)
Total 509.2 257.8

Table V.--Net volume of live sawtimber and growing stock on

commercial forest land by ownership class, 1954

Ownership class * Sawtimber p Growing stock

Million bd. ft. Million cu. ft.
Federally owned Tevet Te
or managed:
National forest = =

Indian 80.6 40.8

Other 64.5 CART

Total 145.1 73.5

State Walz 5.9

County and municipal - -
Private:

Farm 205.6 104.1

Industrial and other 146.8 74.3

Total 352.4 178,4

All ownerships 509.2 257.8

Table VI.--Ket volume of live sawtimber aud growing stock on
commercial forest land by species, 1954
pier ee eee

Species : Sewtimber " Growing stock

Million bé. ft. Million cu. ft.
Sof twoods:

Ponderosa pine = 2
Juniper (cedar) - Q/)
Total - m2
Hardwoods:
Ash 58.9 36.4
Elm 149.3 Sé.3
Basswood 80.0 Pee)
Oak 59.1 SAS
Cottonwood U2S3: PASC
Aspen 2.0 49.1
Balsam poplar 6.3 ILS)
Paper birch 5.5 Sos}
Box elder 6.3 7.8
Other hardwoods Pate) 2.4
Total 509...2 257.6
All species 509.2 257.8

i/ Less than 0.05 million cubic feet.

Table VII.--Net volume of live sawtimber on commercial
forest land by diameter class groups and
Bynes CRS elo Gg oo Oo 6 O06 6 o PERS 28s

Table VIII.--Net volume of all timber on commercial forest land

by class of material and species group, 1954

Class of material : Total : Sof twoods 3 Hardwoods

He oN ALIS Opa OWA SEG SS

Growing stock:
Sawtimber trees:

Sawlog portion 88.9 = 88.9
Upper stem portion 18.5 - HS
Total 107.4 = 107.4
Poletimber trees 150.4 = 150.4
Total growing stock 247.8 = 257.8

Other material:

Sound cull 59.4 - 59.4
Rotten cull Bele th - SOR
Hardwood limbs PAS) = 21.9
Salvable dead Q/) - Q/)

Total other material 121.0 - S210

Total all timber 378.8 = 378.8
1/ Less than 0.05 million cubic feet.

Table IX,--Net annual growth, annual mortality, and
commodity drain on live sawtimber and
growing stock on commercial forest land,
by Species seroups,, U9S4 5 2 ew ee Dagen2or

Table X,--Total output of timber products and commodity drain

on live sawtimber and growing stock, 1954

: - Cc dity drai
Volume of product arel/ Commodity drain ommo' y drain
: : on sawtimber : on growing stock
SoouCE : Standard : : Thousand : Q : : : :
z * Number * *“ Total ‘“Softwoods‘Hardwoods* Total “Sof twoods Hardwoods
a unit : SeCUS Gs H $ : : :
Million board feet Million cubic feet
2/
Sawlogs Mobde) £t en 2,350 447 2.0 - 2.0 0.4 - 0.4
Veneer logs
and bolts Mibd'eet c. - - - - - - = =
Cooperage logs
and bolts M bd, ft. - - - - - - = —
Pulpwood logs M bd, ft. - - - - - = = =
3/
Pulpwood bolts Std.cords - - - - = < = =
3/
Fuelwood Std.cords 40 ,000 1,084 1.1 — ab oal atoal = Iboal
Piling M linear ft. - - - - - 5 5 es
Poles M pieces = - - - - o = =
Posts M pieces 2,550 1,712 1.6 0.1 1.5 LEA 0.1 1.6
Hewn ties M pieces - - - - - = = =
Mine timbers Micugt bie - - - - - = 2 =
4/
Miscellaneous Mucus ft. - - - - - S = =
Total 3,243 4.7 0.1 4.6 3.2 0.1 3.1

lf Includes material from both growing stock and other miscellaneous sources.
2/ International 1/4-inch rule,

3/ Roughwood basis.

4/ Includes chemical wood, excelsior, handle stock, shingle bolts, etc.

=39R—