Forest Service 

Southern Forest 

Erpcrimcnt Station 

New Orleans. 

Louisiana 

Resource Bulletin 

SO-107 

July 1986 

Midsouth Forest 

Area Trends 

~ouiheasiern Forest Experiment Station 

203 iA/eaver Boulevard 

Richard A Birdsey arFdhWdlli %%MCWI lliams 
Midsouth Forest Area Trends 

I 

Richard A. Birdsey and William H. McWllliams 

INTRODUCTION 

The Forest Inventory and Analysis 

Unit of the Southern Forest Experiment 

Station (Forest Survey) conducts periodic 

inventories at approximately 10-year 

intervals of the forest resources of the 

Midsouth States (fig. 1). This report 

contains a summary of forest acreage 

estimates made between 1950 and 1985. The 

statistics are based on published Forest 

Survey reports and survey archives. 

Because each state is inventoried 

successively in a continuous cycle, area 

estimates were adjusted to common years 

through interpolation between actual 

survey dates, and extrapolation to earlier 

or later years. Minor adjustments were 

made for definitional or procedural 

changes that have occurred in the survey 

process. Area estimates by ownership 

classes were adjusted to conform with 

enumerated data on public landholdings in 

each state. Forest Service planting 

records and long-range ownership trends 

were used to provide cross-tabulations by 

owner and forest classes for some of the 

earlier surveys. 

Area estimates for 1985 were based on 

past trends, planting records, and 

statistical reviews by individual State 

study teams. Preliminary estimates from 

ongoing surveys and various midcycle 

survey updates were also used. This 

compilation was part of a review of the 

Southern timber supply situation. 

No estimates of statistical 

reliability have been made due to the 

extensive use of interpolation and 

non-statistical data sources. The reader 

may refer to a companion Resource Bulletin 

to obtain an estimate of data reliability 

for each state and for the Midsouth as 

computed from recent survey data 

(McWilliams and Birdsey 1985). 

FOREST AREA TRENDS 

One of the most significant trends in 

the Midsouth has been the steady increase 

in the acreage of planted pine (fig. 2). 

Between 1955 and 1962, the Soil Bank 

years, many acres of idle farmland held by 

nonindustri a1 private owners were planted 

to pine (fig. 3). Since 1965, the forest 

industry has been increasing the harvest 

of natural pine and oak-pine, and 

replacing these stands with planted pine. 

Forest industry now owns more pine 

plantation acreage than any other forest 

class (fig. 4), and owns 64 percent of all 

planted pine in the Midsouth (fig. 5). 

Currentlx 9 percent of all Midsouth 

timberland is planted pine, up from 6 

percent just 8 years ago. The estimates 

of pine plantation area do 'not include 

stands that were planted but are 1 

classified oak-pine or hardwood because 

hardwoods comprise the majority of 

stocking (table I). Most of this acreage 

represents partially successful planta- : 

tions and plantations with intensive hardwood competition. The situation is very 

conmon in young stands where planted pines 

have not yet attained dominance over nat- : 

ural hardwood regeneration, or where hard- , 

wood control measures have not yet been I 

applied. 

Natural pine accounts for 20 percent 

of all Midsouth timberland, down from 28 

percent in 1952. Nonindustrial private 

owners, holding 58 percent of the total, 

are the principal landholders of this 

forest class (fig. 6). 

Another significant trend in the Midsouth has been the decline in bottomland ; 

hardwood acreage. Landclearing in the , 

Mississippi River delta and other bottomland areas has claimed 4 million acres 

since 1962. Most of the clearing has i 

occurred on land held by nonindustrial 

Richard A. Birdsey and William H. McWilliams are Research Foresters, 

Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Southern Forest Experiment Station, U.S. Forest 

hervice, Starkville, Mississippi, 39759. 
private owners who still control the 

majority of the bottomland forest acreage 

(fig. 7). 

Nonindustrial private owners hold 78 

percent of all upland hardwood acreage, 

and this share continues to climb (figs. 

8, 9). The increase coincides with a decline in natural pine and oak-pine, which 

is caused by selective harvests of pine 

timber and clearcutting without adequate 

pine regeneration. Additions to upland 

hardwood acreage also occur when pasture 

or cropland is taken out of production. 

One-half of all agricultural land that 

reverts to forest is dominated by 

hardwoods (fig. 10). 

The long-term trends indicated by 

these data show that natural pine is 

declining at the fastest rate of any 

forest class in the Midsouth, roughly 300 

thousand acres annually since 1952 (fig. 

11). This overall downward trend occurs 

despite a slight increase between 1952 and 

1962. The decline since 1970 has averaged 

490 thousand acres per year. If this rate 

were to continue unabated, the Midsouth 

would lose all of its natural pine by the 

year 2025. 

It is more likely, however, that an 

equilibrium will be reached before 2025. 

Land clearing and type conversion rates 

respond to economic and social pressures 

which vary over time. For example, the 

rate of bottomland forest clearing was 

much higher between 1962 and 1970 than 

between 1970 and the present. Furthermore, these statistics represent net 

changes, while in fact there is a constant 

shifting among forest types of a magnitude 

much greater than the net shift (Birdsey 

and others 1981). A forthcoming Forest 

Service analysis of the Southern timber 

supply situation will present the current 

"best estimates" of future timberland 

trends. 

DEFINITION OF TERMS 

Timberland. --Land at least 16.7 

percent stocked by forest trees of any 

size or formerly having such tree cover, 

and capable of producing crops of industrial wood. Land that is currently 

developed for nonforest use or withdrawn 

from timber utilization through statute or 

administrative regulation is exluded. 

Forest Class 

A classification of Forest Survey 

plots according to forest type (based on 

the plurality of all live trees tallied) 

and stand origin. 

Pine plantations.--Forests in which 

pinesvural ity of stocking 

and that originated from either planting 

or direct seeding. 

Naturat pine.--Forests in which pines 

comprise the pluralitv of stockinq with no 

evidence of artificiai regeneration (includes stands established by seed trees). 

Mixed pine-hardwoods.--Forests in 

which hardwoods comprise the ~lurality of 

stocking, but in wikich pines ' comprise 25 

to 50 percent of the stocking. 

Uptand hardwoods.--Forests in which 

upland hardwood species, sinqly or in 

combination, comprise the plurality of 

stocking, except where pines comprise 25 

to 50 percent of the stocking, in which 

case the plot would be classified as mixed 

pi ne-hardwoods. 

Bottomland hardwoods.--Includes forest in which bottomland hardwood s~ecies, 

singly or in combination, comprise a 

plurality of stocking except where pines 

comprise 25 to 50 percent, in which case 

the plot would be classified mixed pinehardwoods. 

Ownership Classes 

National yorest.--Federal lands which 

have been legally designated as National 

forests or purchase units, and other lands 

under the administration of the Forest 

Service. 

Other public.--Land owned by federal 

fexcludins National forest land). state. , - 

iounty, or municipal governments. 

Forest industry.--Land owned or 

leased by companies or individuals 

operating wood-using plants. 

Other private. --Privately owned land 

excluaing land owned by forest industry. 
LITERATURE CITED 

Birdsey, R. A.; Van Hees, W. W. S.; Beltz, 

R. C. Pine regeneration in Southwest 

Arkansas. Res. Pap. SO-165. New 

Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern 

Forest Experiment Station; 1981. 10 

P. 

McWilliams, W. H.; Birdsey, R. A. Midsouth timber statistics. Resour. Bull. 

SO-108. Starkville, MS: U.S. Oepartment of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Southern Forest Experiment Station; 

1986. 

Table I.--Area of pZantations with a forest cZass of ked pine-hardwoods or 

hardwoods by state and forest type, 1985 

1 Forest class 

- - - - - - - - - - thousand acres - - - - - - - - - - - 

A1 abama 447 218 665 

Arkansas 307 194 501 

Louisiana 237 280 517 

Mississippi 381 286 667 

Oklahoma 176 131 307 

Tennessee 5 2 7 8 130 

Texas 142 139 281 

Mi dsouth 1,742 1,326 3,068 

State 

- I/ 

Includes upland hardwoods and bottomland hardwoods. 

Total 

Mixed I/ 

pi ne-hardwoods / ~ardwoods- 

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 

SURVEY YEARS 

FOREST CLASS: ---- PINE PLANTATIONS -. - NATURAL PINE 

BOTTOMLAND nwos. ------ MIXED PINE - --- UPLAND HARDWOODS HARDWOODS 

Figure 2.--Timberland area by forest class for all owners in 

the Midsouth, 1952-1985. 

Figure 3.--History of tree planting in the Midsouth by uwnership class 

and year. 

THOUSAND ACRES 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

,'., - PUBLIC I 

r \ 

- ------ FOREST INDUSTRY I 

- I 

- IZ\ ---OTHER PRIVATE , 

I 

- , --' 

- 

- I \ I :' I' - 

- I \ I-*., ',I 

I 

- t 

- I\ 

- I\ ,,-I 

I 

- 

- ,' /-\.,I 

I 

- 

- I \ I /' 

- / /.-->\\ / ,'L- / 

- / : '4. - - / a' x*a*.& ' A /& 

- ,'* .,-.a -..a / LN\~J ? L 

- 

- I 

0,'fl''"' ~""~~"'~1"'1"" 

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 

YEARS 
Figure 4.--Timberland area by forest class for forest industry owners 

in the Midsouth, 1952-1985. 

80 

rr, 60 

b 

z 

Td0- 

Z 

? 

21 

.I 

20 

0 

7FOREST INDUSTRY OTHER PRIVATE 

- /.-'-. 

- 

4. 

-C-. 1. 

- 

L. 

- ---------- -4---- d - /--+- 

------------- a 

- 

- 

1.. /../ - /.. /'. . -.. 

l-r~llllI1lItI1llI1lllI1lllIIlllI 

Figure 5.--Proportion of planted pine by Figure 6.--Proportion of natural pine by 

ownership class in the Midsouth, ownership class in the Midsouth, 

1985. 1985. 

1950 1955 1960 1969 1970 1975 1980 1985 

SURVEY YEARS 

FOREST CLASS: -.- - PlNE PLANTATIONS -.- NATURAL PlNE 

BOTTOMLAND HWDS. ------ MIXED PINE- 

--- UPLAND HARDWOODS HARDWOODS 
rOTHER PRIVATE , OTHER PRIVATE 

- 

INDUSTRY 

Figure 8.--Proportion of upland hardwoods 

Figure 7.--Proportion of bottomland hard- by 'ownership class in the Mid 

woods by ownership class in south, 1985. 

the Midsouth, 1985. 

SURVEY YEARS 

30 

t: 

$20 

T 

Z 

? 

.I 2 IOFOREST CLASS: -..- PINE PLANTATIONS -.- NATURAL PINE 

BOTTOMLAND HWDS. ------ MIXED PINE - 

--- UPLAND HARDWOODS HARDWOODS 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Figure 9.--Timberland area by forest class for nonindustrial private 

forest owners in the Midsouth, 1952-1985. 
PINE PLANTATION 

NATURAL PlNE 

MIXED PINE - ........................... 

HARDWOODS 

HARDWOODS 

L 

= 

I I I I I I I I I I J 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 

PERCENT OF TOTAL REVERSIONS 

Figure 10.--Reversions of agricultural land to timberland by forest class. 

FOREST CLASS 

PlNE PLANTATION 

NATURAL PlNE 

OAK - PINE 

UPLAND HARDWOOD 

BOTTOM LAND HARDWOOD 

ALL TIMBERLAND 

- I I I I 

- 300 - 200 -100 0 100 200 

THOUSAND ACRES 

Figure 11.--Average annual change in timberland acreage by forest class in the 

Midsouth, 1952-1985. 
APPENDIX TABLES 
Table 3.--Area of timberland in Arkansas, by ownership and forest class, 

selected gears 1952-1985 

Ownership and ! Year 

- - - - - - - - - - thousand acres - - - - - - - - - - 

forest class I I I I 

National Forest 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

1952 

Total 

Other public 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

1962 1 1970 

Total 

Forest industry 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

1977 

Total 4,178 ___4,23,9 85 . 4,162 - - 4,365 

1985 

Other private 

Pine plantations 24 75 134 207 276 

Natural pine 1,946 2,180 1,784 1,482 1,225 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 1,136 1,549 1,423 1,549 1,478 

Upland hardwoods 6,059 6,229 5,929 4,745 4,106 

Bottomland hardwoods 3,368 3,060 1,838 1,730 1,569 

Total 12,533 13,093 1L108 9,713 8,654 

Total, a1 1 ownerships 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 4,481 4,690 4,180 3,882 3,377 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 2,181 2,667 2,870 2,956 2,926 

Upland hardwoods 8,500 8,351 7,779 6,691 5,970 

Bottomland hardwoods 4,410 4,102 2,947 2,849 2,687 

Total 19,627 19,971 18,032 16,793 15,950 
Table 4.--Area of timberland in Louisiana, by ownership and forest class, 

selected years 1952-1985 

- - - - - - - - - - thousand acres - - - - - - - - - - 

Ownership and 

forest class 

National Forest 

Pine plantations ' 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Year 

Total 

1952 

Other public 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Up1 and hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

1962 

Forest industry 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

1970 

Other private 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

1977 

Total, a1 1 ownerships 

Pine plantations 103 89 3 1,248 1,424 1,475 

Natural pine 4,625 4,575 4,048 3,636 3,483 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 2,644 2,242 2,199 2,131 1,891 

Upland hardwoods 2,046 1,800 1,734 1,845 2,213 

Bottomland hardwoods 6,621 6,526 5,901 5,256 4,735 

Total 16,039 16,036 15,130 14,292 13,797 

1985 
National Forest 

Pine plantations 7 9 123 101 80 99 

Natural pine 436 460 467 519 378 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 288 241 228 252 283 

Upland hardwoods 108 145 133 143 161 

Bottomland hardwoods 125 140 132 129 132 

Table 5.--Area of timberland in Mississippi, by ownership and forest class, 

selected years 1952-1985 

Total 1,036 1,109 - L119 _ 1,123 1,053 . 

Ownership and 

forest class 

Other public 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottoml and hardwoods 

Tot a 1 

- - - - - - - - - - thousand acres - - - - - - - - - - 

Year 

I 

Forest industry 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

1952 

Total 

Other private 

Pine plantations 117 297 460 531 609 

Natural pine 3,643 3,593 3,489 2,644 1,781 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 3,174 2,406 2,265 2,393 2,496 

Upland hardwoods 3,007 3,642 3,334 3,466 3,588 

Bottomland hardwoods 2,672 2,704 2,572 2,498 2,381 

1962 

Total 12,61312,64_2_- 1EL-m __ 11,532 10,855 

Total, all ownerships 

Pine plantations 284 645 933 1,121 1,724 

Natural pine 5,147 5,133 5,108 4,180 2,951 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 4,309 3,305 3,162 3,452 3,560 

Upland hardwoods 3,541 4,319 3,992 4,240 4,347 

Bottom1 and hardwoods 3,572 3,642 3,522 3,512 3,490 

Total 16,853 17,044 16,775 16,505 16,072 

1970 1977 1985 
Table 6.--Area of timberZand in OkZahoma, by mnership and forest class, 

selected years 1952-1985 

Ownership and I Year 

------ - - - - thousand acres - - - - - - - - - - 

forest class 

National Forest 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottoml and hardwoods 

Total 

1952 

Other public 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottoml and hardwoods 

Total 

1962 

Forest industry 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

1970 

Other private 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

1977 

Total, all ownerships 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

1985 

Total 5,075 4,892 4,620 4,319 4,270 
Table 7.--Area of timberland in Tennessee, by ounership avd forest class, 

selected years 1952-1985 

Ownership and 

forest class 

National Forest 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottom1 and hardwoods 

Total 

Other public 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Forest industry 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottom1 and hardwoods 

Total 

Other private 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Total, all ownerships 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Year 

- - - - - - - - - - thousand acres - - - - - - - - - - 
Table 8.--Area of timberland in Texas, by ownership and forest class, 

selected years 1952-1985 

Ownership and 

forest class 

National Forest 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Other public 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Forest industry 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Other private 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mi xed pi ne-hardwoods 

Up1 and hardwoods 

Bottomland hardwoods 

Total 

Total, all ownerships 

Pine plantations 

Natural pine 

Mixed pine-hardwoods 

Upland hardwoods 

Bottom1 and hardwoods 

Total 

I Year 
I 

Birdsey, Richard A.; McWilliams, William H. Midsouth 

forest area trends. Resour. Bull. SO-107. ~eh Orleans, 

LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Southern Forest Experiment Station; 1986. 17p. 

Timberland area trend estimates are presented for 

the Midsouth and for its individual states. Planted 

pine has increased to a 9 percent share of all Midsouth 

timberland. Natural pine has decreased from 28 percent 

to 20 percent of timberland between 1952 and 1985. 

Bottomland hardwood areas continue to decline. Upland 

hardwood type acreage is increasing. 

i Additional keywords: forest area, forest trends, forest 

ownership, forest type. 

I 

*US. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 19 0 6 -6 59 - 0 8 4 4 D 0 3 0 REGION NO. I