Forest Sewice 

resource 

oody B omass 

n North Caro 

Southeaseern Forest 

Experiment Station 

Research Paper Noel C). Cost 

S E-261 
Multiresource Inventories: 

Woody Biomass in North Carolina 

Noel C). Cost 

Resource Analyst 

Forest Inventory and Analysis 

Asheville, North Carolina 

ABSTRACT 

North Carolina's 31.2 million acres of land area 

support 1.7 billion tons of woody biomass. Of this 

total, 94 percent is on timberland, 3 percent on nonforest areas, and 3 percent on reserved timberland and 

woodland areas, Over the next two decades, more than 

12.8 million tons of woody biomass could be harvested 

annually from timberland without adversely affecting 

timber supplies. 

Keywords: Growing stock, timberland, ~lultiple use. 

Wood is being used as a source of energy for both domestic and industrial needs. 

There is considerable interest in any 

opportunity to rid timberland of vast 

quantities of wood and bark in lowquality trees. There is also concern 

that large-scale use of wood for energy 

could jeopardize supplies of growing 

stock counted on for other products. 

Although this uncertainty makes it difficult to differentiate between energy 

wood and growing stock, it is imperative 

that the quantity, composition, distribution, and prospective availability of 

total woody biomass be evaluated. 

Traditionally, State and regional 

forest inventories have been designed to 

estimate the volume of wood from a 1-foot 

stump to a 4.0-inch top diameter outside bark (d,o,b.) for trees 5.0 inches 

and larger in diameter at breast height 

(d.b.h.), Recently prepared statistical 

reports for North Carolina focus primarily on volume of growing-stock timber 

measured to these standards (Bechtold 

1985; Craver 1985; Davenport 1984; 

Hutchins 1985; Sheffield and Knight 1986; 

Tansey 1984). Because of the growing 

interest in woody biomass as a source of 

energy, however, the additional amount of 

wood and bark in all trees on timberland 

and the total wood and bark biomass on 

reserved timberland and woodland and nonforest areas must be analyzed. 

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) at 

the Southeastern Forest Experiment 

Station is in a particularly favorable 

position to make a statewide biomass 

assessment because it has a permanent set 

of sample plots uniformly scattered 

across all forest and nonforest areas in 

North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, 

Florida, and Georgia. The advantages in 

having permanent sample plots are that 

they can be revisited, subsampled, or 

used as a proportionate sample of the 

entire area base. 

Woody biomass is defined as the green 

weight of aboveground wood and bark in 

live trees 1.0 inch d.b.h. and larger, 

from the ground to the top of the tree. 

All foliage is excluded. The weight of 

wood and bark in lateral limbs, secondary 

limbs, and twigs less than 0.5 inch in 

diameter at the point of occurrence on 

sapling-size trees is included, but that 

on poletimber and sawtimber-size trees is 

excluded. The primary objective of this 

study is to present the distribution and 

quantity of woody biomass on forest lands 

and nonforest areas. Other objectives 

are to compare total biomass including 

bark, as defined, with conventional 

growing stock; to quantify the unutilized 

sources of forest biomass in recently 
harvested areas where wood is left as 

residues; and to identify stands in need 

of regeneration, Finally, this study also 

identifies new opportunities for studying 

forest yields in tems of site, stocking 

and age classes, timber utilization, and 

successional trends, 

Methods 

The 1984 multiresource inventory of 

North Carolina provided a full array of 

biomass data from all lands in North 

Carolina, The techniques and procedures 

used are not the only methods available, 

but their value has been demonstrated in 

the most recent biomass inventory of 

Florida (Cost and McClure 1982). The 

method of inventory is a sampling procedure designed to provide reliable area, 

volume, growth, and removal statistics 

primarily at the State and Survey Unit 

levels, Little is known about degree of 

precision or number of samples needed for 

biomass inventories. Since these guidelines were lacking, this biomass evaluation is for the entire State to 

minimize sampling errors. 

Mithin forest land, numbers of trees, 

sizes, and quality were recorded at each 

sample plot. Trees 5.0 inches d.b,h, and 

larger were measured at 3 to 5 points 

where variable-radius plots were defined 

by a prism with a basal area factor of 

39-5. Trees less than 5.0 inches d.b.h, 

were tallied on 11300-acre plots around 

the point centers. Biomass measurements 

were recorded at 5,355 timberland locations, 46 reserved timberland locations, 

and 12 woodland locations across the 

State, From a crown closure stratification of all nonforest plots, 277 subsample locations representing different 

crown closure classes and land uses were 

visited on the ground, At each location 

the number of trees 1-0 inch d,b.h, and 

larger, species associated with nonforest 

uses and occurring as narrow stringers, 

and small patches of forest and remnant 

parcels of forest land not qualifying as 

timberland were recorded on a 1-acre circular plot. These sample counts were 

expanded to represent the total population of trees on land classified as 

forest and nonforest. Volume equations, 

based on detailed measurements of 

standing and felled trees in North 

Carolina and on similar measurements 

taken from other trees throughout the 

Southeast, were used to compute merchantable and total cubic volume (cost 1978). 

Weight equations provided by the 

Utilization of Southern Timber Research 

Unit of the Southeastern Forest 

Experiment Station in Athens, GA, made it 

possible to convert volume to weight, 

The procedures used for collecting and 

reporting detailed biomass data were 

outlined by Saucier (1979) and Clark 

(1979). 

Sheffield and Knight (1986) described 

timberland in tems of six broad management classes: (1) nonstocked forest, (2) 

pine plantation, (3) natural pine, (4) 

oak-pine, (5) upland hardwood, and (6) 

lowland hardwood, Nonstocked forest is 

timberland less than 16,7 percent stocked 

with growing-stock trees. The other 

broad management classes are based on 

forest type, determined by the stocking 

of all live trees, In all stands where 

pines made up a plurality of the 

stocking, the broad management class was 

either pine plantation or natural pine, 

These two classes were differentiated by 

stand origin, Where there was evidence 

of planting or artificial regeneration, 

the stand was chssified as a pine plantation, Oak-pine was the classification 

assigned to stands where hardwoods 

accounted for a plurality of the stocking 

but in which pines made up 25 to 50 percent of the stocking. In all other 

stands, hardwoods and cypress constituted 

a plurality of the stocking, and forest 

type was used to distinguish between 

upland and lowland hardwood classes, 

Oak-hickory and scrub oak types were 

classified as upland hardwood, Oak-gumcypress and elm-ash-cottonwood forest 

types were classified as lowland 

hardwood. 

Since assignment of forest types is 

based on the stocking of all live trees 

except those overtopped rather than on 

the stocking of growing-stock trees, the 

broad management classes are even more 

meaningful in the evaluation of biomass, 

In this study of woody biomass, the broad 

management class "nonstocked forest" used 
in the timber evaluation was distributed 

among the other classes, based on forest 

type. Although these stands contain 

insufficient growing stock to be considered stocked, many contain substantial 

amounts of biomass in rough and rotten 

trees, 

Acreage of timberland, by broad nranagement classes, was further defined by 

stand-age classes, Ten-year age classes 

were selected for this analysis since 

very little merchantable-size timber 

accrues in a stand before age 10 and many 

pine stands are managed on 30-year rotations, Stand-age data were collected to 

the year rather than in classes; therefore, any age-class distribution could 

have been selected, There are difficulties in determining a meaningful age 

in some natural stands, An understanding 

of these difficulties is important to the 

interpretation and use of some of the 

empirical data on yields of forest 

biomass preseneed in this report, 

Often natural timber stands are a mixture of residual trees from a former 

stand and of younger trees established 

following the most recent harvest or 

disturbance, In these cases, field crews 

recorded the average age of trees of cornmon origin that accounted for a plurality 

of the stocking as Bong as they were of 

sufficient nuder to form a manageable 

stand for kimber production--normal%y 68 

percent or more of the minim number 

required for full stocking. Where insufficient trees of comon origin were present for a manageable stand, the age was 

based on all trees present, 

Also, the acreage within each broad 

management class was further broken dsm 

by site and stocking class, The stocking 

classes were based on aLP live Crees 

rather than on growing stock, Average 

green weight of woody biomass per acre 

was compiled for each subdivision, The 

weight equations used were sensitive to 

species, d.b,h,, and total height, There 

may be additional variation in weight 

attributable to geographical differences, 

stand origin (planted vs. natural), or 

tree section that would not be reflected 

in this study, 

Results and Discussion 

Total Biomass 

The quantity of biomass in each broad 

use category is highly dependent upon the 

acreage within the State as well as on 

the concentration of material on these 

acres, In interpreting biomass quantities, therefore, it is helpful to know 

how many acres are in each category. 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

Timberland 18,450.3 59 

Reserved t irnber land 

and woodland 502.6 2 

Nonfores t 39 

Total 31,228.2 100 

The 31,2 million acres of timberland, 

reserved timberland and woodland, and 

nsnforest Land in North Carolina support 

more than 1,7 billion tons of woody 

biomass, Figure 1 shows the distribution 

of biomass by land use category, 

RESERVED TIMBERLAND-WOODLAND 

Dipre 1.--Percentage distribution of green weight of 

aboveground woody bimss, by land class, North 

Carolina, 1984, 
Timberland Biomass Resource 

A compilation of acreage of timberland, 

by broad management and stand-age classes, 

provides a good basis for examining the 

quantity, composition, distribution, and 

prospective availability of woody biomass 

in North Carolina (table 1). Table 1 

shows a large concentration of pine plantations between 0 and 30 years old and 

natural pine between 21 and 50 years old, 

During the late 1950's and early 1960ts, 

extensive acreage was planted under the 

Conservation Reserve Soil Bank Program, 

During this era, extensive acreage of 

idle cropland reverted naturally to pine 

stands, Since about 1974, North Carolina 

has experienced a sharp reduction in 

acreage of idle cropland reverting to 

forest, Tree planting on old fields also 

decreased sharply following the termination of the Soil Bank Program. The 

acreage figures for natural pine stands 

in table 1 reflect these changes in land 

use, 

For the oak-pine and upland hardwood 

stands, the greatest acreage is in the 

stand-age classes from 31 through 70. 

Many of these stands are on sites that 

previously supported pine, but where pine 

was not adequately regenerated at the 

time sf harvest. Both lowland and upland 

hardwood stands account for over 80 percent of all stands 71 years old and 

older, Most of these stands are located 

throughout the Mountains on steep slopes 

and in the Coastal Plain in deep swamps, 

Over the years, the large and goodquality trees have been high graded from 

these stands, leaving the smaller and 

poorer quality trees. 

Total biomass and biomass of conventional growing stock, For the 18.5 

rniPLion acres classified as timberland, 

green weight of conventional growing 

stock averaged 59*4 tons per acre (table 

2); for total woody biomass, the average 

was 88,6 tons per acre, or 49 percent 

more (table 3). By broad management 

class, the largest difference between 

average weight of conventional growing 

stock and total woody biomass per acre 

was found in hardwood stands. Across all 

ages combined, average weight of total 

biomass exceeded average weight of conventional growing stock by 31 tons per 

acre, or 50 percent, in upland hardwood 

stands. In lowland hardwood stands, the 

average weight difference was more than 

38 tons per acre, 

Table 2 provides measures of the 

average accumulation of biomass within 

each broad management class over time, 

As one would expect, conventional growing 

stock accunrulates somewhat faster in pine 

stands, especially pine plantations, than 

in oak-pine and hardwood stands, Control 

over both species composition and spacing 

in pine plantations shortens the time required to grow merchantable timber products. By broad management class across 

all age classes, average weight of conventional growing stock ranged from a low 

of 28.7 tons per acre in pine plantations 

to a high of 71,5 tons per acre in 

lowland hardwood stands, 

Table 3 shows that natural pine, oakpine, upland hardwood, and lowland hardwood stands keep pace with the more 

intensively managed pine plantations in 

production of biomass up to age 10. 

Beyond age 10, woody biomass accumulates 

much faster in the intensively managed 

pine plantations, The low overall average for pine pfantations is attributed 

to the large proportion (99 percent) of 

these stands that is less than 31 years 

old. On the other hand, more than 72 

percent of the lowland hardwood stands 

were 31 years old or alder, The felatively low production of biomass 

indicated for the oak-pine management 

class can be attributed in part to the 

origin of many of these stands, A large 

portion of this acreage supports sparsely 

stocked conditions on upland sites left 

following the harvest of former pine 

stands , 

Living logging residues, As part of 

the inventory in North Carolina, field 

crews at each sample toeation noted the 

primary treatment or disturbance in evidence that had occurred between 1974 and 

1984. Sheffield and Knight (1986: tables 

IV, V) reported the results, by broad 

management and ownership classes, As 

part sf this evaluation of woody biomass, 

these acreage estimates were recompiled, 

eliminating ownership class (table 41, 
During the 1974-84 period, almost 

600,000 acres annually experienced significant treatment or disturbance, and 

timber harvesting was the most comon 

forestry activity observed. On the 

average, slightly more than 206,000 acres 

underwent a final harvest annually, 

exclusive of intemediate cutting, commercial thinning, harvesting with artificial regeneration, and land clearing. 

Green weight of woody biomass left in 

standing trees for these harvested stands 

averaged 24.2 tons per acre (table 5). 

Since all of these treatments occurred 

during the remeasurement period, one can 

assume that measures of average biomass 

per acre reflect the quantities some 5 

years after the treatment in cases of 

harvesting, thinning, and planting. It 

is important to keep in mind that broad 

management classes describe the forest 

type at the beginning of the remeasurement period rather than at the end. By 

broad management class, average weight of 

woody biomass that was left following 

other harvesting ranged from 12.8 tons 

per acre in pine plantations to 29.7 tons 

per acre in upland hardwood stands. Much 

of the biomass in these stands is in 

rough, rotten, and small trees that compete for growing space, thereby inhibiting the development of a productive new 

stand. An examination of these stands 

shows that they average 499 stems per 

acre, Figure 2 shows that more than 89 

percent of these trees are 1.0 and 5,O 

inches d.b,h. 

The low average for plantation biomass 

reflects areas clearcut, site prepared, 

and planted within the 18-year period. 

The high average for upland hardwood 

reflects quantities sf biomass left after 

high grading of these stands within the 

same period, 

The 24.2 tons per acre of woody biomass 

following other harvesting (table 5) 

include only material in Living trees, 

Stumps, tops, and limbs sf cut trees left 

as conventional logging residues are 

excluded, Even in pine plantations, 

substantial quantities of such residues 

are cornonly pushed up into windrows when 

there is intensive site preparation 

following harvesting. 

PERCENT 

DIAMETER CLASS [INCHES) 

Figure 2.--Distribution of living residues in harvested stands, by diameter class, North Carolina, 

1984. 

Poorly stocked stands. Field crews 

noted obvious opportunities for 

increasing prospective timber growth on 

sample plots, Sheffield and Knight 

(1986: table VII) show acreages providing 

these management opportunities. For our 

study we recompiled the acreage, eliminating ownership class and idle cropland, 

and redistributed nonstocked forest among 

the other management elasses (table 61, 

There are 2,O million acres of timberland in North Carolina too poorly stocked 

with acceptable trees to manage for 

timber production. These acres represent 

the backlog of needed regeneration on 

manageable sites in North Carolina, They 

contained an average of 33.2 tons of 

woody biomass per acre (table 7)* 

Biomass on these poorly stocked acres 
comprised mostly rough, rotten, and other 

low-quality trees. The biomass in these 

stands can be characterized much like the 

biomass in recently harvested stands. On 

the average, these stands contain 489 

trees per acre, More than 85 percent of 

the trees are between 1.0 and 5,0 inches 

d,b,h,, and three-fourths of the biomass 

is in hardwood, Altogether, these acres 

contained about 4 percent of the total 

woody biomass in the State, Practically 

all of this biomass could be removed and 

used for energy without adversely 

affecting prospective timber supplies, 

Another 218,000 acres supported manageable stands but will contribute very 

little net annual growth unless converted 

to species more suitable to the sites, 

Such areas contained an average of 54,7 

tons of woody biomass per acre, 

Over 59,000 acres supported seriously 

damaged stands that needed to be salvaged 

and regenerated, These stands contained 

substantial volume of merchantable timber 

seriously damaged by fire, insects, 

disease, wind, ice, or other destructive 

agents, Woody biomass in these stands 

averaged 123,2 tons per acre, plus an 

undetermined amount of wood and bark in 

dead trees. 

Finally, about 2,3 million acres of 

imature stands were too densely stocked 

with small, merchantable-size trees or 

were receiving serious competition from 

rough trees or other inhibiting vegetation, Without some treatment, growth of 

these stands quite likely will be reduced 

by suppression, Biomass removed during 

thinning or cleaning represents another 

source sf energy wood that would not 

adversely affect prospective timber 

sugpl ies , 

More than 67 percent of the woody 

biomass in North Carolina was either in 

stands in good condition needing no 

treatntent or in stands growing on sites 

limited by year-round water problems, 

More than 9,I million acres supported 

innnature stands in relatively good condition, These stands are at least 60 

percent stocked with trees of acceptable 

quality and free from significant damage 

or competition, On these acres, biomass 

averaged 82,l tons per acre, An additional 2,8 million acres supported stands 

with year-round water problems or on 

slopes of at least 40 percent, On these 

adverse sites, woody biomass averaged 

119.7 tons per acre, Annually, since 

1974, less than I percent of these sites 

have experienced any cutting or treatment. Mardwood stands accounted for the 

Largest portion of these sites, Such 

stands probably will not be cut in large 

quantities at any particular time, 

About 33 percent of the woody biomass 

in Morth Carolina is in stands where 

prospective energy wood could be harvested without adversely affecting timber 

supplies, 

Rough and rotten trees, North 

Carolina" timberland supported 1,638,4 

million tons of woody biomass in 1984, 

Growing-stock trees accounted for 89 

percent of the woody biomass (table 8)- 

The remainkng II percent was in trees L.0 

inch d,b,h, and larger which failed to 

meet minimum standards for growing stock 

because of species, poor form, or roughness, Theoretically, this biomass could 

be rersloved without adversely affecting 

existing and prospective supplies of 

timber, Over 40 percent of the biomass 

in rough and rotten trees 5.0 inches 

d,b,h, and larger was in the bole portion, This biomass could be harvested 

with conventional equipment, The 

remaining 60 percent was in saplings, 

stumps, tops, and limbs and would require 

specialized harvesting methods, 

Other potential sources of woody biomass 

are stumps, tops, and limbs of growingstock trees 5,0 inches d,b,h, and larger, 

Since this material would nomally not be 

available before harvest, the 14 percent 

sf woody biomass in stumps, tops, and 

limbs of growing-stock trees in table 8 

prcbably overestimates the arrrount of this 

kind of material at any given paint, From 

a practical standpoint, the 8 percent 

biomass in growing-stock saplings should 

not be counted in estimates of energy 

wood as this is needed to replace current 

growing-stock supplies, 

Table 8 simplifies the comparison of 

growing stock and totd woody biomass 

among the major species groups, For 
example, hardwoods account for more than 

64 percent (936.9 million tons) of the 

total biomass of growing stock but for 

68 percent (1,114.9 million tons) of the 

total woody biomass, 

Totaling energy bimass, A few reasonable assumptions are required to estimate 

the amount of woody biomass that could be 

harvested for energy in North Carolina. 

The 2-0 million acres of poorly stocked 

timberland classified as offering a regeneration opportunity are the primary 

source of energy wood that could be harvested without adversely affecting 

prospective timber supplies. This area 

supports more than 33 tons of woody 

biomass per acre. If 5 percent of this 

acreage (101,127) is cleared each year 

and an average yield of 33.2 tons per 

acre is assumed, some 3.4 million tons of 

energy wood could be harvested annually 

from these lands during the next 20 years, 

The second major source of prospective 

energy wood is available on the more than 

206,000 acres of timberland harvested 

annually, This area supports more than 

24 tons per acre of woody biomass left 

standing after harvest, If an average of 

24.2 tons per acre is assumed, 5.0 

million tons of additional energy wood 

could be harvested annually from these 

living residues, Based on FZA plot 

remeasurement data and utilization studies, it is estimated that the weight of 

logging slash and logging residues 

remaining in recently harvested stands in 

Georgia is equivalent to 21,l tons per 

acre. A breakdom of this total shows 

conventional logging residues represent 

about 31 percent, or 6,s tons per acre, 

Logging slash is the unmerchantable portion of growing-stock trees (including 

saplings) plus dl cull trees 1,0 inch 

d,b,h, and larger sut or destroyed during 

logging operations and not used, These 

represent 69 percent of the total, or 

14,6 tons per acre, If an average of 

2L,1 tons per acre is assumed, 4,4 

million tons of additional energy wood 

could be harvested annually from these 

fiving residues in North Carofina. It 

should be noted tkat these weights do not 

include those residues available from 

stands experiencing cultural practices 

other than harvest, 

Based on these assumptions, at least 

12.8 million tons of energy wood could 

be harvested annually over the next 20 

years in harmony with conventional 

forestry practices and opportunities, On 

a green weight basis, this tonnage of 

energy wood is about 59 percent of the 

total harvest of industrial products in 

North Carolina in 1983, 

Hardwood in pine stands, On North 

Carolina's 4.7 million acres of natural 

pine, woody biomass consisted of 73 percent yellow pine, 23 percent hardwood, 

and 4 percent other softwoods (table 9). 

Many pine stands between 10 and 40 years 

old were established on idle cropland 

relatively free of hardwood root stocks. 

Yellow pine accounted for a higher proportion of the biomass in these stands 

than in pine stands less than 11 years 

old. Many pine stands established more 

recently were installed on cutover forest 

land where the hardwood root stocks are 

entrenched. Even with intensive site 

preparation for planted pine, hardwoods 

make up 19 percent of the woody biomass 

in stand-age class 0-10, In oak-pine 

stands where pines account for only 25 to 

50 percent of the stocking, the pine 

biomass makes up only 34 percent of the 

total biomass, Pine makes up only 4 percent of biomass in upland hardwood and 3 

percent in Bowland hardwood stands, These 

statistics bear out the region's natural 

successional trends, 

Large trees in young stands. As stated 

earlier, natural pine, oak-pine, upland 

hardwood, and lowland hardwood stands are 

keeping pace with the more intensively 

managed pine plantations in production of 

biomass up to age 10. Table 10 provides 

some indication of bow this has occurred, 

Nore than 69 percent of the total biomass 

in pine plantation 0-10 years old was in 

trees less than 5,0 inches d,b,h, Only 

an average of 32 percent of the trees in 

young natural pine, oak-pine, upland 

hardwood, and lowland hardwood stands 

were in the smallest size class, A 

significant proportion of the biomass in 

the hardwood stands is in larger trees 

tkat were left during harvests of former 

stands, The large trees in the 0-10 age 

class in natural pine and oak-pine stands 

also are residuals from. fomer stands, 
Site and stocking affect yield, Within 

each rnanagement class, the production and 

distribution of woody biomass in North 

Carolina by site, stocking, and age class 

is examined, The site classes are those 

used in the timber evaluation, Good 

sites are those capable of annually producing timber growth of 85 cubic feet or 

more per acre in fully stocked natural 

stands; medium sites, 50 to 85 cubic 

feet; and poor sites, 20 to 50 cubic 

feet. The stocking classes are based on 

all live trees rather than growing stock: 

Fully stocked 100 or more 

Medium stocked 60-100 

Poorly stocked Less than 60 

Tables 11 to 15 show the distribution 

of acreage within each broad management 

class by site, stocking, and age class, 

Statewide, over 65 percent sf the timberland was fully stocked, A breakdom 

of site classes for timberland across the 

State shows 87 percent of the area to be 

either good or medium sites. Among the 

five broad management classes, lowland 

hardwood stands have the highest proportion of good sites, with a high of 38 

percent compared with a low of 30 percent for pine plantations, On the other 

hand, pine plantations had the highest 

proportion of fully stocked stands, with 

a high of 78 percent compared with a low 

of 56 percent for upland hardwood stands, 

The low averages for upland hardwood 

stands reflect both the acreage of scrub 

oak included in this management class and 

inadequate regeneration efforts after 

harves t , 

Tables 16 to 20 show the average green 

weight of woody biomass per acre within 

each broad management class by site, 

stocking, and age class. Since more than 

98 percent of pine plantations were less 

than 31 years old, the relatively low 

value of 46 tons per acre for the 1.6 

milhion acres of planted pine is not 

surprising (table 16). The number of 

sample plantations established before 

the Soil Bank era was too small to estimate yields beyond the 41-50 age class, 

Results show that fully stocked good 

sites will yield 100 tons of biomass per 

acre in 30 years, 

The 4,7 million acres of natural pine 

contained an average of 88 tons of 

biomass per acre (table 171, Fully 

stocked natural pine stands on good sites 

produced more than 100 tons of biomass 

per acre in 30 years, For all age 

classes, fully stocked natural pine 

stands on good sites produced about nine 

times more biomass than did the poorly 

stocked stands on poor sites, 

The average biomass on the 2,3 million 

acres of oak-pine was 80 tons per acre 

(kable 18). Nany of these stands are on 

sites from which pines were harvested 

but not adequately regenerated, Biomass 

yield data presented in table 18 reveal 

that fully stocked oak-pine stands on 

good sites can achieve 100 tons per acre 

in 40 years, For all age classes, fully 

stocked oak-pine stands on good sites 

produced over nine times more biomass 

than did the poorly stocked stands on 

poor sites, 

Upland hardwoods occupied more than 7.1 

million acres. Like oak-pine, many of 

these stands are on sites that previously 

supported pine, Since a large percentage 

of upland hardwood stands are more than 

30 years old, their combined woody 

biomass averaged 93 tons per acre (table 

191, Nany of these stands are on sites 

that were harvested but not akquately 

regenerated. Results show, however, that 

fully stocked upland hardwood stands between 31 and 40 years old and on good 

sites will produce 108 tons of biomass 

per acre; in all age classes, fully 

stocked stands on good sites produce over 

six times more biomass than the poorly 

stocked stands on poor sites, 

Finally, the 2*7 million acres classed 

as lowland hardwood contain more than 109 

tons per acre (table 20), This management class alone makes up 18 percent of 

North Carolina's swosdy biomass. The high 

weight is attributed to the large proportion (92 percent) of these stands that 

are 31 years of age or older, Also, more 

than 68 percent of the stands were fully 

stocked, Fully stocked lowland hardwood 

stands between 31 and 40 years old and on 
good sites will yield LOO tons of biomass 

per acre, For all age classes combined, 

these stands contained about 12 times 

more biomass than the poorly stocked 

stands on poor sites, 

Reserved Timberland and Woodland 

North Carolina's 0-5 million acres of 

reserved timberland and woodland support 

about 52,s million tons of wood and bark 

in trees I,O inch d,b.h, and larger, For 

analysis, each of these areas is further 

classified by forest type (table 211, 

\\\\\\\I LOBLOLLY-SHORTLEAF OAK-HICKORY 

//I& WHITE PINE-HEMLOCK U OTHER 

MAPLE-BEECH-BIRCH v///% OAK-GUM-CYPRESS 

Figure 3.--Percentage distribution of woody biomse 

on resened timberland, by forest type, North 

Carolina, 1984, 

Figure 3 shows that 68 percent of more 

than 459,000 acres of reserved ~imberland 

is classified as oak-hickory and accounts 

for 62 percene of the woody biomass, More 

than 85 percent sf these forests are 

located in the Mountains, mostly in the 

Great Srnoky Mountains National Park and 

wilderness areas on National Forests, 

Yeflow pine types make up 12 percent of 

the acreage and account for about 15 percent of the biomass, Maple-beech-birch 

is the third leading type, accounting for 

8 percent of both the acreage and biomass, 

Oak-gum-cypress, white pine-hemlock, 

spruce-fir, and oak-pine make up the 

remainder of acreage and wody biomass, 

On woodland, oak-gum-cypress stands 

make up about one-half of the acreage and 

account for 72 percent of the biomass an 

these lands, 

Table 21 shows the average green weight 

per acre, by forest type, On reserved 

timberland the woody biomass averaged 113 

tons per acre, By forest type, the 

average weight per acre ranges from a bow 

of 74 tons in spruce-fir stands 60 a high 

of 157 tons in white pine-hemlock stands; 

however, these latter stands support only 

6 percent of the woody biomass because sf 

the small acreage in this type, 

Nonforest Biomass Resource 

Up to this point we have quantified the 

woody biomass on all forest lands in 

North Carolina. To mke a comprehensive 

evaluation sf total biomass for the 

State, we need to evaluate the biomass 

associated with nonforest land uses, In 

many cases this associated biomass takes 

on the appearance of forest land but does 

not qualify because of size or configuration, Good examples are strips or 

stringers along highway medians, riparian 

zones, isolated trees in pastures, trees 

along a fence row, or trees in city 

parks, 

To aid in the stratification of woody 

biomass on the nonforest lands, a crow 

closure code, which reflects the per acre 

stocking of trees 1*O inch d,b,h, and 

larger, was assigned to each plot, For 

example, a crown closure sf zero would 

indicate no biomass, At field points, 18 

percent crown closure classes are 

recognized, For this analysis we developed three classes: 1-29, 30-59, and 60+ 

percent, 

North Carolina's 112.3 million acres of 

nonforest area represent about 39 percent 

of the total land area of the State and 

support over 43 million tons of woody 

biomass, Of the 12-3 million acres, only 

3,7, or 3 out of every 10 acres of nonforest land, have woody biomass, Table 
22 shows that 46 percent of the nonforest 

area consists of urban and other; 20 percent, cropland; 18 percent, improved 

pasture; 9 percent, other farmland; 5 

percent, idle farmland; and 2 percent, 

marsh and water, 

More than 8.6 million acres, or 70 percent, of the nonforest land in North 

Carolina have no woody biomass, The 

majority of this nonforest land (76 

percent) is currently being used for 

agricultural crops and improved pasture. 

Table 23 shows the average tons per 

acre by crown closure, For nonforest 

areas with woody biomass (3.7 million 

acres), the average weight per acre 

ranged from 6 to 40 tons, For all nonforest areas, the woody biomass averages 

about 12 tons per acre. 

About 2.7 million acres of nonforest 

land have a crown closure class of 1-29 

percent, The nonforest uses within this 

class contain an average of 6 tons per 

acre, By land use, average weight of 

woody biomass ranged from 4 tons per acre 

for other farmland to 10 tons per acre 

for both improved pasture and noncensus 

water. The biomass associated with noncensus water is primarily in trees 

standing along canals and on margins of 

ponds, 

Another 0.7 million acres of nonforest 

land have crown closures averaging 30-59 

percent, Woody biomass in these nonforest uses averages 22 tons per acre, 

By land use, average weight of biomass 

ranged from 16 tons per acre for noncensus water to 24 tons per acre for 

improved pasture. 

Finally, more than 0.3 million acres of 

nonforest land have crow closures of 60+ 

percent, These nonforest uses contain an 

average of 40 tons per acre. By land use, 

average weight of woody biomass ranged 

from 17 tons per acre for idle farmland 

to 68 tons per acre for cropland. The 

biomass associated with cropland is 

mainly in trees in small tracts of forest 

less than 1 acre that is interspersed 

between nonforest uses, 

Table 24 shows the distribution of 

forest biomass, by land use and selected 

species groups. Yellow pine is the 

leading species in terms of total 

biomass, followed closely by the oaks. 

Both the yellow pine and oaks combined 

represent over 61 percent of the total 

biomass. By land use, urban and other 

uses support the largest amount of woody 

biomass with 53 percent of the total 

weight; improved pasture supports 19 

percent; cropland, 14 percent; other 

farmland, 9 percent. The remaining 5 

percent is distributed among idle 

farmland, marsh, and noncensus water. 

Conclusions 

Several conclusions can be drawn about 

the quantity, composition, distribution, 

and prospective availability of woody 

biomass in North Carolina in 1984. 

North Carolina's 31.2 million acres of 

land area support 1.7 billion tons of 

woody biomass, Timberland supports 1.6 

billion tons of biomass, or an average 

sf 89 tons per acre; reserved timberland 

and woodland support over 52 million 

tons, or an average of more than 104 tons 

per acre; and nonforest land having 

woody biomass supports over 43 million 

tons, or an average of 12 tons per acre. 

Within timberland the total woody 

biomass on a per acre basis exceeded the 

green weight of conventional growing 

stock by 49 percent. Conventional 

growing stock accumulates somewhat faster 

in pine stands, especially in pine plantations, than in oak-pine and hardwood 

stands, By broad management class across 

all age classes, average weight of conventional growing stock ranged from a low 

of 28.7 tons per acre in pine plantations 

to a high of 71,5 tons per acre in 

lowland hardwood stands, 

Annually, since 1974, over 206,000 

acres experienced a final harvest and are 

not artificially regenerated, This average excfudes commercial thinning, other 

intermediate cutting, and land clearing. 

Woody biomass left in standing trees 

after harvest averaged approximately 24.2 

tons per acre, An examination of these 

shnds shows that more than 89 percent of 

the trees are between 1.0 and 5,0 inches 

d*b,h. 
More than 2.0 million acres of timberland were too poorly stocked with acceptable trees to manage for timber production unless regenerated, This acreage 

supported an average of 33-2 tons per 

acre of woody biomass composed mostly of 

rough, rotten, and other low-quality 

trees, although these acres accounted for 

about 4 percent of the total biomass. 

Host of this biomass could be removed and 

used for energy without adversely 

affecting prospective timber supplies, 

About 33 percent of the woody biomass 

was in stands where prospective energy 

wood could be harvested in harmony with 

conventional forestry practices and 

opportunities for enhancing future timber 

growth. The remaining 67 percent was in 

stands either exhibiting no treatment 

opportunity or on adverse sites. 

More than II percent of the biomass was 

in rough and rotten trees and could be 

removed without adversely affecting 

existing supplies of sawtimber, Over 40 

percent of the woody biomass in rough and 

rotten trees was in the boles of trees 

5.0 inches d,b.h, and larger; 60 percent 

was in saplings, stumps, tops, and limbs, 

Given a few reasonable assumptions 

about the removal of biomass from 

recently harvested stands and poorly 

stocked stands, an estimated 12.8 million 

tons of woody biomass could be harvested 

annually in North Carolina over the next 

two decades without adversely affecting 

timber supplies, The green weight of 

this energy wood is about 59 percent of 

the total green weight of harvest of 

indus trial-roundwood in North Carolina 

for 1983. 

For all management classes, fully 

stocked stands on good sites yield about 

nine times more biomass than the poorly 

stocked stands on poor sites. Fully 

stocked pine stands on good sites can 

produce 100 tons of forest biomass per 

acre in 30 years, but oak-pine and hardwood stands with the same stocking and 

site criteria take 40 years, 

Reserved timberland and woodland make 

up about 2 percent of the land area in 

North Carolina and support over 52 

million tons of woody biomass, or an 

average of 104 tons per acre. Of the 0.5 

million acres of reserved timberland and 

woodland, over 91 percent is classified 

as reserved timberland, Oak-hickory is 

the leading forest type and accounts for 

over two-thirds of the biomass, By 

forest type, the average tons per acre 

ranged from a low of 74 for spruce-fir 

stands to a high of 157 for white pinehemlock, 

Of the 12.3 million acres of nonforest 

land in North Carolina, about one-third 

supports woody biomass, Land for nonforest uses having woody biomass averaged 

from 5,9 to 40,4 tons per acre when sample 

plots were stratified by crown closure. 

Yellow pine is the leading species in 

terms of total biomass, By land use, 

urban and other supported the largest 

amount of total biomass. 
Literature Cited 

Bechtold, William A, Forest statistics for North 

Carolina, 1984, Resour, Bull. SE-78. Asheville, NC: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Southeastern Forest Experiment Station; 1985. 62 pp, 

Clark, Alexander, 111, Suggested procedures for 

measuring tree biomass and reporting tree prediction 

equations, In: Forest resource inventories; 

Workshop proceedings; 1979 July 23-26; Fort Collins, 

GO: Colorado State University; 1979:615-628, Vol. 2, 

Cost, Noel D, Multiresource inventories: a technique 

for measuring volumes in standing trees. Res. Pap. 

SE-196. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest 

Experiment Station; 1978. 18 pp. 

Gost, Noel D,; HcClure, Joe P, Multiresource 

inventories: techniques for estimating biomass on a 

statewide basis. Res, Pap. SE-228. Asheville, NC: 

U,S, Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Southeastern Forest Experiment Station; 1982, 31 pp. 

Graver, Gerald C. Forest statistics for the Mountains 

of North Carolina, 1984, Resour. Bull, SE-77, 

Asheville, NC: U.S, Department of Agriculture, 

Fsrest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment 

Station; 1985. 50 pp. 

Davenport, Edgar L, Forest statistics for the Northern 

Coastal Plain of North Carolina, 1984. Resour. Bull. 

SE-74. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest 

Experiment Station; 1984. 50 pp. 

Hutchins, Cecil 6. Forest statistics for the Piedmont 

of North Carolina, 1984. Resour, Bull. SE-76, 

Asheville, NC: U.S, Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experimnt 

Station; 1985. 46 pp. 

Saucier, Joseph R. Estimation of biomass production 

and removal. In: Proceedings, Impact of intensive 

harvesting on forest nutrient cycling; 1979 August 

13-16; Syracuse, NY: State University of New Vork; 

f979:172-189, unnmbered publ. 

Sheffield, Raymond H.; Knight, Herbert A, North 

Carolinar s forest. Resour. Bull. SE-88, Asheville, 

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

Southeastern Forest Experiment Station; 1986. 97 pp, 

Tansey, John B. Forest statistics for the Southern 

Coastal Plain of North Carolina, 1983. Resour, Bull. 

SE-72. Ashevifle, NC: U,S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Southeastern Forest Experiment 

Station; 1984, 51 pp. 
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Table 2.--Average green weight of conventional growing stocka per acre of timberland, by broad management and stand-age classes, C North Carolina, 1984 

Broad All age Stand-age class (years management 

class classes 0- 10 1 1-20 21-30 3 1-40 41-50 5 1-60 61-70 71-80 61-90 91+ 

---------------------------Tons/aere--------------------------- 

Pine plantation 28.7 1.7 33.5 68.6 62.7 (b) -- -- -- -- -- 

Natural pine 61.8 5.9 25.6 53.5 72.6 80.2 83.1 98.3 88.5 101.9 93.9 

Oak-pine 52.5 9 . 9 21.8 38.9 53.7 67.7 73.6 76.0 97.8 100.1 101.6 

Upland hardwood 62.4 11.2 24.8 36.3 56.0 68.3 77.8 92.2 90.4 86.0 87.0 

Lowland hardwood 71 -5 8*3 17.0 31 03 53.6 78.7 87.7 100.0 104.3 106.9 136.7 

All classes 59.4 7.7 26.4 47.9 62.4 73.5 80.0 92.2 93.7 94.9 103.4 

a Includes wood and bark between a 1-foot stump and &inch top d.0.b. in growing-stock trees 5.0 inches d.b.h. and larger. 

b~ample was too small to provide a reliable estimate. 
Table 3.--Average green weight of forest biomass per acre of timberland, by broad management and stand-age classes, North Carolina, 1984 

Broad All age Stand-age class (years) management 

class classes 0-10 1 1-20 2 1 -30 3 1-40 4 1-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 9I+ 

Pine plantation 45.9 8.1 57.1 93.4 81 -9 (a) -- -- ...- -- - - 

Natural pine 87.9 12.0 50.6 81.7 100.8 108.8 110.6 128.4 119,3 130 . 9 130,O 

Oak-pine 80.2 18.5 46.7 68.3 83.4 101 .O 106.7 108.1 136.6 145.3 138.3 

Upland hardwood 93.4 23.9 52.3 65.1 86,7 101.4 111.5 128.8 129.0 124.8 126.7 

Lowland hardwood 109.5 18.0 40.7 62.1 91 .3 118.0 128.9 145.0 150.2 157.8 199.7 

All classes 88.6 16.9 51.3 76.1 92,6 106.4 113.5 128.5 132.9 137.2 149.8 

a Sample was too small to provide a reliable estimate. 
Table 4,--Area of timberland treated or disturbed annually and retained in timberland, by 

treatment or disturbance and broad management class, North Carolina, 1974 to 1984 

a 

Recent past All Broad management class 

treatment or manageme n t Pine Natural Oak- Upland Lowland 

disturbance classes plantation pine plne hardwood hardwood 

Harvesting followed 

by artificial 

regeneration 53,158 1,335 30,248 7,137 14,283 155 

Other harvesting 206,618 1,322 92,015 27,601 61,114 24,566 

Selection cutting and 

high grading 60,366 680 12,573 10,149 25,300 11,664 

Comercial thinning 29,859 10,570 12,938 1,736 3,306 1,309 

Other cut tingb 51,564 1,286 13,129 5,862 28,509 2,778 

Natural disturbance 196,649 15,187 86,729 24,359 45,423 24,951 

a Classification before treatment or disturbance. 

b~ncludes stand improvement, cleaning, release, intermediate cutting, and other miscellaneous 

treatments. 
Table 5.--Average green weight of forest biomass per acre of timberland, by treatment or 

disturbance and broad mnagement class, North Carolina, 1974 to 1984 

Recent past All Broad management classd 

treatment or management Pine Natural Oak- Upland Lowland 

disturbance classes plantation plne pxne hardwood hardwood 

Harvesting followed 

by artificial 

r e g e n e r a t i o n 6.2 9.1 6-1 6.5 6.0 15.1 

Other harvesting 24,2 12,8 18.3 27.5 29.7 28.1 

Selection cutting and 

high grading 83.1 47.0 

Commercial thinning 75.4 77.3 71.8 -- 79.4 90-0 

Other cuttingb 85.4 42.6 90.7 58.5 89.8 92.5 

Natural disturbance 103.1 65.1 102.4 107.1 172.1 105.6 

a Classification before treatment or disturbance. 

b~ncludes stand improvement, cleaning, release, intermediate cutting, and other miscellaneous 

treatments. 
Table 6, --Area of timberland, by treatment opportunity and broad management classes, 

North Carolina, 1984 

Treatment All Broad mnagement class 

opportunity ntanagernen t Pine Natural Oak- Upland Lowland 

class classes plantation pine pine hardwood hardwood 

Salvage 

Harvest 

Commercial thinning 868,775 290,753 508,332 12,555 26,941 30,194 

Other stand 

improvement 7,364,701 48,997 347,604 236,498 514,086 217,516 

Stand conversion 277,526 7,376 19,712 14,442 118,970 57,026 

Regeneration 2,022,545 14,049 454,000 309,307 797,494 447,695 

e one^ 9,162,776 1,233,207 2,659,422 1,222,788 2,983,983 1,063,376 

Adverse sites b 2,846,986 18,520 220,486 200,568 1,986,320 421,092 

All stands 18,450,269 1,613,802 4,733,074 2,276,670 7,124,854 2,703,869 

a Immature stands sufficiently stocked with growing-stock trees relatively free from damage 

or competition, 

b~reas where harvesting and timber management opportunities are severely limited 

because of either steep slopes or water problems, 
Table 7.--Average green weight of forest biomass per acre of ti&erland, by treatment 

opportunity and broad mnagment classes, North Carolina, 1984 

- 

Treatment All Broad mnagement class 

opportunity management Pine Natural Oak- Upland Lowland 

class classes plantation pine pxne hardwood hardwood 

Salvage 

Warves t 

Comercial thinning 1 23.9 100,l 131.2 137.8 161.9 190.0 

Other stand 

improvement 57.2 38.9 59-5 51.2 57.8 62-8 

Stand conversion 54.7 24.3 39.3 48.4 62.9 48.5 

Regeneration 33.2 16.1 16.5 33.4 39 .O 40.4 

None b 82.1 32.8 83.8 81 ,O 92.7 106.1 

Adverse sitesc 119.7 115-9 102.9 104.0 112.2 171 -9 

All stands 88,6 45,9 87.9 80.2 93.4 109.5 

a Sample was too small to provide a reliable estimate. 

b~mmature stands sufficiently stocked with growing-stock trees relatively free from damage 

or competition. 

C Areas where harvesting and timber management opportunities are severely limited 

because of either steep slopes or water problems. 
Table 8.--Green weight and percentage distribution of wood and bark 

biomags on timberland, by major species group and biomass component, 

North Carolina, 1984 

Species group Biomass All 

component species Yellow Other 'Oft Oaks Other 

pine softwood hardwood hardwoods 

------- Percent of green weight - - - - - - 

Growing stock 

Bole 67.1 77.9 74.5 64.2 69,l 44,8 

Stumps, togs, 

and limbs 14.3 14.3 15.3 12.9 18.0 10.9 

Saplings 7.7 7.0 6,4 11.0 5.2 6.2 

Total 89.1 99.2 96 2 88.1 92.3 61.9 

Rough & rotten 

Bole 4.4 3 2.4 5 4 4. I 12.2 

Stumps, tops, 

and limbs 1.6 1 9 1.7 1.4 5,O 

Saplings 4.9 .4 5 4.8 2 2 20,9 

Total 10.9 .8 3.8 11.9 7.7 38. 1 

All classes 100.0 100.0 100.0 9 00 , 0 108.0 100.0 

Green weight 

(million tons) 1,638.4 458.9 64.6 500.9 380.1 233.9 
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Table 11,--Area of timberland supporting pine plantations, by site, stocking, and standage classes, North Carolina, 1984 

Site and All age Stand-age class (yearsIa 

stocking classes classes 

0-10 1 1-20 21 -30 31 -40 41-50 

Good sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly stocked 

All stands 

Medium sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly stocked 

All stands 1,041,015 462,465 442,641 131,122 4,787 -- 

Poor sites 

Fully stocked 62,502 28,415 24,058 10,029 -. -- 

Medium stocked 29,144 19,631 7,586 1,927 -- -- 

Poorly stocked 2,183 -- -- 2,183 -- -- 

All stands 93,829 48,046 31 ,644 14,139 -- ..- 

All sites 

Fully stocked 1,254,626 437,914 532,929 266,698 13,103 3,982 

Medium stocked 322,424 168,771 101,718 45,026 6,909 -- 

Poorly stocked 36,752 16,636 17,933 2,183 -- -- 

All stands 1,613,802 623,321 652,580 313,907 20,012 3,982 

a~ore than 98 percent of pine plantations were less than 31 years old. 
N 

-c. Table 12.--Area of timberland supporting natural pine stands, by site, stocking, and stand-age classes, North Carolina, 1984 

Site and All age Stand-age class (years) 

stocking classes classes 

0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 9 I+ 

--------------------------Acre~------------------------- 

Good sites 

Fully stocked 1,368,424 45,864 130,096 256,127 368,076 246,267 189,384 88,385 23,383 18,042 2,845 

Medium stocked 252,225 7,625 26,435 51,831 74,115 49,433 25,941 13,980 2,865 -- ... - 

Poorly stocked 34,126 22,433 2,487 6,662 2,544 - - -- - - - - .,. - - - - - - - - - - -- - - 

All stands 1,654,775 75,922 159,018 314,620 444,735 295,700 215,325 102,365 26,203 18,042 2,845 

Medium sites 

Fully stocked 1,549,103 147,525 289,976 312,474 279,776 248,966 120,462 88,361 28,889 10,083 22,591 

Medium stocked 442,590 42,807 54,985 66,664 84,488 89,721 48,536 17,572 10,352 12,022 15,443 

Poorly stocked 115,596 57,2 9,589 11,383 8,381 5,245 17,994 5,801 -- - - - .,. 

All stands 28107,289 247,535 354,550 390,521 372,645 343,932 186,992 11 1,734 39,241 22,105 38,034 

Poor sites 

Fully s toeked 460,196 39,816 75,847 80,966 94,758 68,426 38,321 32,669 20,406 -... 8,987 

Medium stocked 28 1,983 20,965 37,468 26,297 78,462 43,105 36,372 23,758 13,846 1,710 -- 

Poorly stocked 226,831 32,273 14,520 34,381 28,274 29,703 61,355 15,347 -- 3,694 7,284 

All stands 969,olo 93,054 127,835 141,644 201,494 141,234 136,048 71,774 34,252 5,404 16,271 

ALL sites 

Fully stocked 3,377,723 233,205 495,919 649,567 742,610 563,659 348,167 209,415 72,633 28,125 34,423 

Medium stocked 976,798 71,397 118,888 144,792 237,065 182,259 110,849 55,310 27,063 13,732 15,443 

Poorly stocked 376,553 111,909 26,596 252,426 39,199 34,948 79,349 21,148 -- 3,694 7,284 

All stands 4,737,074 416,511 641,403 846,785 1,018,874 780,866 538,365 285,873 99,696 45,551 57,150 
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a\ Table 14.--Area of timberland supporting upland hardwood stands, by site, stocking, and stand-age classes, North Carolina, 1984 

Site and All age Stand-age class (years) 

stockim classes classes 

0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 4 1-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 9l+ 

Good sites 

Fully stocked 1,632,487 163,019 67,803 61,865 223,143 276,643 336,883 258,621 135,088 62,307 47,115 

Medium stocked 916,559 33,082 30,392 66,128 137,296 202,565 187,936 116,988 80,916 17,019 44,237 

Poorly stocked 121,421 42,811 12,681 12,155 14,890 16,783 14,371 3,982 3,74 -- - - 

All stands 

Medium sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly s tocked 

A11 stands 

Poor sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly stocked 

All stands 

All sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly stocked 

All stands 79124,854 956,524 438,478 501,253 819,750 1,061,483 1,191,477 858,767 609,005 284,999 403,118 
Table 15,--Area of timberland supporting lowland hardwood stands, by side, stocking, and stand-age classes, North Carolina, 1984 

Site and All age Stand-age class (years) 

stacking classes classes . 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91+ 

Good sites 

Fully stocked 697,828 60,709 29,121 39,324 74,199 171,464 110,364 91,879 57,030 39,244 24,494 

Medium stocked 270,284 21,523 8,532 30,917 40,863 41,189 46,035 38,171 22,897 9,387 10,770 

Poorly stocked 52,488 5,351 6,908 13,546 14,662 3,351 2,655 2,844 3,171 -- -- 

All stands 

Medium sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stoeked 

Poorly stocked 

All stands 

Poor sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stoeked 

Poorly stocked 

A11 stands 

A11 sites 

Fully stacked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly stocked 

All stands 2,703,869 271,125 238,897 236,463 261,233 431,898 399,954 285,280 190,574 171,523 216,922 
Table 16,--Average green weight of forest biomass per acre of timberland 

supporting pine plantations, by site, stocking, and stand-age elasses, 

North Carolina, 1984 

Site and A11 age Stand-age class (years)" 

stocking classes elasses 

0-10 ?l-ao 21-30 31-40 41-50 

Good sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stoeked 

Poorly s toeked 

A11 stands 

Medim sites 

Fully stocked 

Medium stocked 

Poorly s toeked 

7k3 11.1 7115 114.7 95.2 192.3 

119.0 8-8 51*3 69*4 72.7 -- gel (b I 12,6 -- -- -- 

AIL stands 37.7 7.7 5 85 72,3 -- 

Poor sites 

Fully s tocked 22,7 33.0 43.4 -- -- 

Medium stocked 9.8 623 44,3 (b) -- -- 

Poorly stocked (b) -- -- fad -- ElAll stands 18.2 6.8 283 33.7 -- -.-. 

All sites 

Fully s tocked 5z13 9.0 62,6 98.9 86.8 192,3 

Medium stocked 25,1 6,2 35.4 65.1 72.7 -- 

Poorly s toeked 9.7 3.9 16.3 -- -- -- 

AIL stands 57.1 43.4 81.9 192.3 

a More than 98 percent of pine plantations were less than 31 years old, 

b~ample was too small to provide a reliable estimate. 
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Table 21.--Area and green weight of woody biomass per acre of timberland, by 

forest type, North Carolina, 1984 

Fares-t;yge All Reserved Woodland 811 Reserved Moodland 

- lands timberland lands timberland - - - - - - - 

---".- Acres - - - -. -. - - - - Tonslacres - - - - 

Spruee-f ir 9,525 9,525 -- 74.3 7k.3 -- 

White pine-hemlock 18,713 18,713 -- 156.8 156,8 -- 

LobloZly-shortleaf pine 62,185 54,293 7,892 128.7 147.3 '5 

Oak-pine 3,209 3,209 ._)_I '79.1 79.1 --. 

Oak-hickory 327,691 313,619 13,872 98.2 102.1 10.8 

Oak-gum-cypress 43,837 22,792 21,045 89.5 154.4 19.3 

rJlaple-beech-birch 37,421 34,427 "09.5 119.5 -- 

All types 
Table 22.--Area of nonforest land, by land use and percent crown 

closure, North Carolina, 1984 

All Percent crown closure elass 

Land use classes 1-29 30-59 60+ 

Cropland 7"r, 659 634,589 85,655 20,415 

Improved pasture 663,4887 537,114 88,864 37,509 

Idle farmland 367,327 144,064 12,089 11,254 

Other farmland 326,161 208,478 82,837 3% ,846 

Urban and other 1,689,021 1,080,189 409,932 198,900 

Marsh 30,418 30,418 -- -- 

Noneensus water 43 ,479 29,873 13,606 -- 

AIL uses 3,660,552 2,664,725 692,903 - 
Table 23,--Per acre green weight of wood and bark biomass 

associated with nonforest land, by land use and percent crown 

closure, North Carolina, 1984 

All Percent crown elosure class 

Land use 

classes 1-29 30-59 60+ 

Cropland 8.0 4 . 6 18.9 68,3 

Improved pasture 12*3 10.0 24,l 18.5 

Idle farmland 9e5 8.0 20.3 17.3 

Other farmland 11 e7 3.9 20.9 36.8 

Urban and other 13.7 4,6 23,2 43.6 

Marsh L5 6e5 _.I-- -- 

Nuncensus water 11,6 9e8 15e5 -- 

---- -- 

All uses 11,9 5.9 22,3 40,4 #-- *- 
Table 24.--Total green weight of aboveground wood and bark biomass on nonforest land, by land use and 

species group, North Carolina, 1984 

Land use 

All 

classes 

Yellow 

pine 

-- - - 

Other Soft 

softwoods hardwood Oaks Other hard Noncommercial hardwood - 

--------------------Tons-------------------. - 

Cropland 5,914,442 1,309,327 327,243 2,569,539 1,011,485 583,154 113,694 

Improved pasture 8,183,868 1,027,013 335,099 3,321,727 1,594,288 1,758,169 147,572 

Idle farmland 1,593,862 163,461 94,302 221,693 1,031,583 39,248 43 ,575 

Other farmland 3,823,543 397,497 75,537 236,483 2,111,582 846,149 156,295 

Urban and other 23,199,626 11,270,730 450,052 3,260,192 6,157,037 1,504,218 557,397 

Marsh 197,913 29,537 -- 47,079 121,297 -- -. 

Noncensus water 503,509 21,974 -- 133,789 347,746 -.- -- 

All uses 43,416,763 14,219,539 1,282,233 9,790,502 12,375,018 4,730,938 1,018,533 
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