FOREST STATISTICS FOR THE 

ARKANSAS OZARKS 

A PROGRESS REPORT OF THE SOUTHERN FOREST SURVEY 

Wlll~arn A Duerr, In Charge 

SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION 

Chas. A. Connaughton, Director 

New Orleans, La. 
THE SOUTHERN FOREST SURVEY 

The Southern Forest Survey, an activity of the Southern 

Forest Experiment Station, covers the seven States of the 

Station's territory-Alabama, krkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oldaham, Tennessee, and Texas. This Survey is 

a part of the nation-wide Forest Survey authorized by the 

IlcSweeney-McNary Forest Research Act of 1928. Its fivefold purpose is (1) to take inventory of the supply of 

stading timber and other forest products; (2) to ascertain the rate at which this supply is being increased 

through growth; (3) to determine the rate at which this 

supply is being diminished through industrial and local 

use, and by fire, insects, disease, and other agencies; 

(4) to estimate the present requirements and the probable 

fut.ure trend in the requirements for timber and other 

forest products; and (5) to correlate these findings with 

existing and anticipated economic conditions, in order 

that policies may be formulated for the effective use of 

lands suitable for forest ~oduction. 
Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accuracy of the data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figures: 

1. The Oearks in relation to the other Forest Survey 

regions in Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Generalized forest types in the Arkansas Ozarks . . . . . . Tables: 

1. Land area by type of use, 1946 . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Forest land by class of ownership, 1948 . . . . . . . . 3. Land area and commercial forest by county, 1948 . . . . . . 4. Commercial forest land by stand-size class and forest tme,1948. 

5. Commercial forest land by degree of tree stocking and 

forest type, 1948 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Commercial forest land by degree of tree stocking and 

stand-size class, 1948 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Area of saw-timber stands by stand-quality class and 

forest type, 1948 . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . 8. Growing-stock basal area per acre, by forest-type group, 

stand-size group, and tree diameter class, 1948 . . . . . 9. Distribution of total growing stock by species within 

each forest type, 1948 . . . . . . . , . . . . . 10. Total volume by class of timber and species, 1948. . . . . . 11. Total growing stock by species and stand-size class, 1946 . . 12. Average volume per acre of total growing stock by standsize class and forest type, 1948 . . . . . . . . . - 

13. Sawlog and total growing stock by species group and county,1948. 

14. Sawlog volume by species and tree dianeter class, 194e . . . 15. Sawlog volume by species and stand-size class, 1348 . . . . 16. Sawlog volume by softwood tree grade, hardwood log grade, 

and stand-quality class, 1948 . . . . . . . . . . . 17. Average sawlog volume per acre by stand-size class and 

forest type, 1948 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18. Current annual net growth of sawlog and total growing stock, 

by species group and class of timber, 1948 . . . . . . . 19. Average current annual net &growth per acre of sawlog and total 

growing stock, by forest-type goup and stand-size group,l948 . 

Definition of terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . Forest land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tree species , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forest type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Class of timber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stand-sizeclass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tree stocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~Iolume and basal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iliameter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Log and tree grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Standquality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Page 

1 

3 
Figure 1.--The Ozarks in relation to the other Forest Survey 

regions in Arkansas. 
FOREST STATISTICS FOR Ti% ARKANSAS OZARKS 

This publication smarizes the data on forest area, timber 

volume, and timber growth collected by the Southern Forest Survey in 

the Ozark region of Arkansas, the 24 counties in the mountainous north 

west portion of the State (figure 1). The Survey, made between April 

1947 and April 1948, was the first of its kind in this section of the 

State. The remairder of Arkansas, covered by the Southern Forest Survey in 1935 and 1936, will be resurveyed in 1949. 

The current Survey found that nearly 60 percent of the land-- 

over 6 million acres--is forested. The even distribution of the forest is shown by the fact that only 5 couhties of the 24 are less than 

half forested. 

Private owners hold 02 percent of the forest land. Fifteen 

percent is in the Ozark National Forest, and 3 percent is held by 

other public agencies. 

The principal forest types (fi,me 2) are upland hardwood and 

upland hardwood-pine, which together cover 79 percent of the total 

forest land. The shortleaf pine type, which is scattered throughout 

the Ozarks, includes 12 percent of the forest. Bottouiland hardwood, 

occurring chiefly along the eastern and southern edges of the Ozarks, 

includes 5 percent. The cedar type, localized in the northern portion of the region, includes 4 percent of the forest. 

The timber is small. More than half the forest acreage is in 

cordwood stands and an additional 31 percent is below cordwood size. 

Only 17 percent is in saw-timber stands. 

The density of growing stock is low. One-third of the forest 

is well stocked, but close to a half is partially stocked and the 

rest is poorly stocked or nonstocked. The volume of cull trees is 

nearly three-fourths as great as the volume of growing stock. 

Growing-stock volume is low, and half of it is in cordwood-size 

trees. The total powing stock is 1,667 million cubic feet, or an average of 273 cubic feet per acre. Volume per acre is heavier in the 

shortleaf pine and bottomland hardwood types than it is in the upland 

hardwood and upland hardwood-pine types. 

Hardwoods comprise 83 percent of the total growing stock. Black 

oak and other species in the red oak group are 30 percent of the total; 

white oaks, 23 percent; and other hardwoods--mainly hickory and gums-- 

30 percent. The volume of softwoods is reldtively mall: shortleaf 

pine is 16 percent of the total; redcedar and cypress, only 1 percent. 

Sawlog growing stock is low: 5,434 million board feet, or 889 

board feet per acre. Some 47 percent of the sawlog volume occurs in 

trees scattered through cordwood and smaller stands, which emphasizes 

the fact that much of the volume cannot be harvested economically because of its sparse distribution. 

Sawlog growing stock, like total growing stock, occurs principally in hardwood species. Red oaks are 35 percent, white oaks are 

22 percent, and gums, hickory, and other hardwoods are 29 percent. The 

remaining 14 percent is softwood. 

Not only does sawlog volume occur mainly in small trees and often in insufficient concentration for commercial cutting, but quality 

is outstandingly poor. Grade 2 and better logs occur on only 15 percent of the saw-timber area. Only one-fourth of the hardwood sawlog 

volume is in grade 1 or grade 2 logs; three-fourths is low-grade. In 

softrfoods, one-half the volume is in low-grade trees. 

Current growth of the total growing stock is 23.7 million cubic 

feet, of which 60 percent is being added in trees of cordwood size. 

The average growth per acre of forest land is 14 cubic feet per year, 

including pine as well as hardwood areas. Saiilog gro>hh amounts to 

302.5 million board feet, or an average of 49 board feet per acre per 

year. 

Accuracy of the Data 

The Ozark forest data were obtained from a sampling of aerial 

photographs and from on-the-ground rneasurements on pairs of quarteracre sample plots located every 3 miles on lines 3 miles apart throughout the region. Statistical analysis of the data indicates a sampling 

error of 0.5 percent for the estimate of total forest area, and of 3.4 

percent for total board-foot volume. As these totals are broken down 

by county, forest type, species, and other subdivisions, the possibility of error increases and is greatest for the srilallest items. The 

m&nur;, sampling error to which the estimates are liable, on a probability of two chances out of three, is approximately as follows: 
The estimates of sam7ling error do not include errors in volume tables, cull allowances, or other such measurements. 1,tethods of 

estimating errors of this type have not been developed. 

Haximwn sampling 

error in boardMaximum sampling 

error in forest 

area 

Definitions of terms used in this report will be found on 

pages 20 to 23. 

~,:'..,',,.,i ,.,- 7 .'... - ,L.2L2 a.=LL.l.l~i: ~, 

error in cubicThousand Percent Nillion Percent Million Percent 

acres - error cu. ft. - error b2. ft. error 

foot volume foot voluiie 
Table 1.--Land area by type of use, 1948 

Forest: 

Commercid 

Noncommercial 

Land use 

Total forest 

Farm nonforest: 21' 

Cropland in use 

Idle or fallow 

Pasture 

Other farm 

Area 

Thousand acres Percent 

Proportion of 

total area 

Total farm nonforest 3,853.7 36.1 

Other nonforest land 672.3 6.3 

All land 10,660.5 100.0 

lJ Based on 1945 Census of Agriculture. 

I I 

Thousand Thousand 

- acres Percent acres - - 

Percent 

Table 2.--Forest land by class of ownership, 1948 

Private. 

Famu 2,372.7 38.8 1.3 6.2 

Other 2,641.5 43.2 1.4 6.8 

Total private 5,014.2 82.0 2.7 13.0 

Public : 

National forest 

Class of ownership Noncommercial forest 

Public domain 

Other federal 

State 

County 

Commercial forest 

Total public 1,099.5 18.0 18.1 87.0 

All ownership 6,113.7 100.0 20.8 100.0 

1/ Based on 1945 Census of Agriculture. 

2/ Negligible. - 
Table 3.--Land area and commercial forest by county, 1948 

Baxter 

Benton 

Boone 

Carroll 

Cleburne 

County 

Conway 

Crawford 

Faulkner 

Franklin 

Fulton 

All land 

Independence 483.2 

Izard 367.1, 

Johnson 432.6 

Madison 532.5 

Narion 401.9 

Thousand 

- acres 

Newton 

Pope 

Randolph 

Searcy 

Sharp 

Stone 

Van Euren 

Washington 

White 

I Commercial forest I 

Thousand Percent 

P 

acres 

All counties 10,660.5 6,113.7 57 
Table 4.--Commercial forest land by stand-size class and forest 

type, 1948 

Softwood twes: 

~hortleay pine 740.7 30.6 148.7 476.8 53.4 31.2 

Cedar 250.3 . . . ... 63.8 124.9 61.6 

Forest type 

Total 991.0 30.6 148.7 540.6 178.3 92.8 

------ Thousand acres - - - - - - 

All 

stand 

sizes 

Large 

saw 

timber 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland 

hardwood 321.6 56.2 76.7 133.2 34.6 20.9 

Upland hardwood 4,094.8 202.5 417.5 2,100.7 1,020.3 353.8 

Upland hardwoodpine 706.3 38.4 55.5 414.6 159.9 37.9 

Total 5,122.7 297.1 549.7 2,648.5 1,214.8 412.6 

All types 6,1W.7 327.7 698.4 3,189.1 1,393.1 505.4 

Small 

saw 

timber 

Cordwood 

Seedling 

and 

sapling 

Restocking 

and 

denuded 
Table 5.--Commercial forest land by degree of tree stocking and 

forest type, 1948 

Softwood types: 

Shortleaf pine 740.7 284.0 339.7 111.7 5.3 

Cedar 250.3 41.7 138.9 59.2 10.5 

Total 991.0 325.7 478.6 170.9 15.8 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 321.6 120.4 134.9 57.5 8.8 

Upland hardwood 4,094.8 1,453.5 1,830.9 747.4 63.0 

Upland hardwood-pine 706.3 297.2 306.2 95.1 7.8 

Forest type 

Total 5,122.7 1,871.1 2,272.0 900.0 79.6 

All types 6,113.7 2,196.8 2,750.6 1,070.9 95.4 

---- Thousand acres - - - - 

Poorly 

stocked 

Table 6.--Commercial forest land by degree of tree stocking and standsize class, 1948 

Nonstocked 

Partially 

stocked 

All 

stocking 

Large saw thber 327.7 172.7 135.4 19.6 . .. Small saw timber 698. 4 366.0 301.0 31.4 .. . Cordwood 3,189.1 1,245.4 1,333.8 609.9 ... Seedling and sapling ~1,393.1 412.7 980.4 (Lo ... Restocking and denuded 505.4 ... . . . 410.0 95.4 

Well 

stocked 

All sizes 6,1W.7 2,196.8 2,750.6 1,070.9 95.4 

Stand size 

1;/ Stands of seedling and sapling size less than 40 percent stocked are 

classed as restocking. 

---- Thousand acres - - - - 

Poorly 

stockd 

Nonstocked Partially 

stocked 

All 

stocking 

Well 

stocked 
Table 7.--Area of saw-timber stands by stand-quality class and 

forest type, 1948 

Softwood types: 

Shortleaf pine 740.7 . 164.9 575.8 

Cedar 250.3 5.7 244.6 

Total 991.0 170.6 820.4 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 321.6 80.0 241.6 

Upland hardwood 4,094.8 558.5 3,536.3 

Upland hardwood-pine 706.3 84.8 621.5 

- 

Forest type 

Total 

All types 

- - - Thousand acres - - - 

All 

qualities 

Fair or 

better Poor 
Table 8.--Growing-stock 1/ basal area per acre, by forest-type group, 

stand-size group, and tree diameter class, 1948 

class I sizes 1 stands I stands IstandsI stands I stands Istands 

- - - - - - - Square feet - - - - 

Tree 

diameter 

30 (2,') ... ... ... .2 2,' ... 32 (2,') ... ... ... .1 ... ... 34 (2,') 0.. ... ... .1 ... ... 40 (2,') ... ... ... .I. ... ... All 

diameters 36.0 58.0 44.7 14.7 57.4 37.6 20.3 

- 1/ Including sound, well-formed, 2- and &-inch trees. 

- 2/ Negligible. 

All tmes 

and stand 

SofY:.rood types I Hardxooc ~::ves 

Saw-tinber lCorcwood Ikher 1S;aw-YimSerl Cordwoodl Other 
Shortleaf pine JJ 16.0 76.1 3.4 . . . ... 15.6 

Other softwood 1.2 1 34.2 3.8 0.4 1.2 

Table 9.--Distribution of total growing stock by species within 

each forest type, 1948 

Total softwood 

Species 

Black oak 

Northern red and 

Water Shmard oaks 

Other red oaks 

White oaks, except 

post oak 

Post oak 

Sweetgum 

Blackgum 

Hickory 

Other hardwood 

Total hardwood 82.8 23.8 62.4 96.2 99.6 83.2 

------ Percent - - - - - - 

A11 species 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

*I1 

types 

Principally redcedar and some cypress. 

Nuttall, water, and willow oaks. 

Shortleaf 

pine 

Cedar 

Bottomland 

hardwood 

Upland 

hardwood 

Upland 

hardwoo& 

pine 
- - -- 

All species 3,336.8 1,666.8 871.0 758.5 478.8 1,191.2 

Table 10.--Total volume by class of timber and species, 1948 

Includes tops of softwoods. 

g Principally redcedar and some cypress. A/ Nuttall, water, and willow oaks. 

Species All Growing stock Tops Sawloe. Cordwood and cull timber I trees I trees I trees (limbs I 

---- Elillion cubic feet - - - - 

Shortleaf pine 281.1 267.2 118.4 113.3 ... 13.9 

Other softwood g 29.1 19,3 6.1 1l.h ... 9.8 

Total softwood 310.2 286.5 124.5 124.7 . . . 23.7 0 

Black oak 595.9 30h.6 173.0 131.6 119.8 171.5 

Northern red and 

Shmard oaks 237.4 114.8 69.8 45.0 44.8 77.8 

Water oaks 2/ 64.3 34.1 26.8 7.3 16.5 13.7 

Other red oaks 97.9 55.8 31.4 24.4 19.3 22.8 

White oaks, except 

post oak 451.7 222.0 110.7 111.3 71.1 158.6 

Post oak 443.3 166.6 80.0 - $6.6 59.3 217.4 

Sweetp 132.7 83.5 53.4 30.1 26.8 22.4 

Blackgum 170.3 73.5 57.5 16.0 32.7 64.1 

Hickory 33h.6 181.2 66.4 114.8 38.3 115.1 

Other hardwood 498.5 144.2 77.5 66.7 50.2 304.1 

Total hardwood 3,026.6 1,380.3 746.5 633.8 478.8 1,167.5 
Table 11.--Total growing stock by species and stand-size class, 1948 

Shortleaf pine 267.2 - 19.1 102.3 138.4 6.0 1.4 

Other softwood l~' 19.3 .6 4.5 10.5 3.4 .3 

Species 

Total softwood 

Black oak 

Northern red and 

Shwnard oaks 

'.+later oaks 

Other red oaks 

White oaks, except post oak 

Post oak 

Sweetgum 

Slackgum 

Hickory 

Other hardwood 

- - - - Million cubic feet - - - - 

All 

stand 

sizes 

Total hardwood 1,380.3 193.8 321.3 724.5 112.3 28.4 

All species 1,666.8 213.5 428.1 873.4 121.7 30.1 

Frincipally redcedar and some cypress. 

Nuttall, water, and willow oaks. 

Large 

saw 

timber 

Small 

saw 

timber 

Cordwood 

Seedling 

and 

sapling 

nestocking 

and 

denuded 
Softwood t~rpes: 

Shortleaf pine 425 752 8U 3 44 101 48 

Cedar 82 ... ... i'i9 61 23 

Table 12.--Average volume per acre of total growing stock by stand-size 

class and forest type, 1948 

A11 softwood types 8 752 8U 324 73 31 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 477 804 630 3 83 130 206 

Upland hardvrood 245 608 548 86 

25g 100 

61 

Upland hardwood-pine 247 578 544 252 32 

All hardwood types 260 641 559 264 89 66 

811 types 273 652 6W 274 87 60 

Forest type 

----- Cubic feet - - - - - 

All 

stand 

sizes 

Large 

saw 

timber 

Small 

saw 

timber 

Corawood 

Seedling 

and 

sapling 

Restocking 

and 

denuded 
Table 13.--Sawlog and total growing stock by species group and 

county, 1948 

Baxter 

Benton 

Boone 

Carroll 

Cleburne 

County 

Conway 

Crawf ord 

Faulkner 

Franldin 

Fulton 

Total growing stock I Sawlog growing stock I Softwood l~ard~od 1 1 ~oft~~odl Harwood species species 

Independence 

I zard 

Johnson 

Madison 

Marion 

Million cubic feet Million board feet 

Newton 

Pope 

Randolph 

Searcy 

Sharp 

Stone 

Van Buren 

Flashington 

hlit e 

All counties 1,666.8 286.5 1,380.3 5,434.0 744.2 4,689.8 
Table 14.--Sawlog volume by species and tree diameter class, 1948 

Shortleaf pine., 710.1 235.1 177.0 257.4 31h.5 6.1 . . . Other softwood 2 ' 34.1 10.5 14.5 6.6 2.5 . . . . . . 

Species 

Total softwood 744.2 245.6 191.5 264.0 37.0 6.1 . .. 

Black oak 1,105.0 . . . 240.5 418.8 271.2 125.1 49.4 

Northern red and 

Shumard oaks 469.3 . . . 90.8 166.0 97.6 50.8 &.l 

Water oaks 170.6 ... 20.8 64.5 53.5 20.6 11.2 

Other red oaks 197.0 ... 57.1 89.0 29.8 16.1 5.0 

White oaks, except post oak 705.9 ... 184.7 279.4 135.4 72.6 33.8 

Post oak 482.1 . . . 123.3 225.8 107.8 20.3 4.9 

Si;eetqum 33 ... 65.9 134.1 85.2 39.2 9.3 

Blackgm 366.3 ... 45.7 137.9 126.0 29.9 26:8 

Hickory 399.3 . . . 126.3 194.7 56.0 17.7 4.6 

Other hardwood 480.6 . . . 120.9 184.4 100.6 51.3 23.4 

Total hardwood 4,689.8 . . . 1,076.0 1,894.6 1,063.1 443.6 212.5 

kll species 5,434.0 21b5.6 1,267.5 2,158.6 1,100.1 449.7 212.5 

&/ Cypress and redcedar in roughly equal amounts. 

Nuttall, water, and willow oaks. 

-,--- - Million board feet - - - - - 

All 

diameter 

classes 

10 . Inches inches 

14 

and 16 

inches 

18 

and 20 

inches 

22 

and 24 

inches 

26 inches 

and 

above 
Table 15.--Sawlog volume by species and stand-size class, 1948 

Shortleaf pine 

Other softwood Ll 

Total softwood 

Black oak 

Northern red and 

Sh~mard oaks 

'dater oaks g 

Other red oaks 

White oaks, except post oak 

Post oak 

Sweet gum 

Blackgum 

Hickory 

Other hardwood 

---- Million board feet - - - - 

Small 

saw 

timber 

Large 

saw 

timber 

Species 

Total hardwood 

All 

stand 

sizes 

All species 5,434.0 1,125.6 1,776.8 2,077.6 355.6 98.4 

Cordwood 

l~' Cypress and redcedar in roughly equal amounts. 

g Nuttall, water, and willow oaks. 

Seedling 

and 

sapling 

Restocking and 

denuded 
Table 16.--* 

grade, and stand-quality class, 1948 

Softwood 744.2 74.4 290.2 125.3 254.3 

Hardwood 4,689.8 375.2 750.4 1,069.3 2,494.9 

Species 

group 

A11 species 5,434.0 449.6 1,040.6 1,194.6 2,749.2 

Table 17.--Avera~e sawlog volume per acre by stand-size class and forest 

type, 1948 

- - - - Million board feet - - - - - 

All 

grades 

Softwood types: 

Shortleaf pine 1,145 3,183 3,057 5g5 292 67 

Cedar 208 . . . . . . 500 131 62 

All softwood tqpes 909 3 3,057 575 179 64 

Grade 1 

Forest type 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 1,967 4,422 2,780 1,047 572 555 

Upland hardwood 817 3,308 2,343 646 260 217 

Upland hardwood-pire 78i+ 2,859 2,353 654 240 111 

All hardwood types 885 3,461 2,405 667 266 224 

All types 889 3,435 2,544 651 255 195 

Grade 2 

--- - Board feet - - - - - 

All 

stand 

sizes 

Grade 3 

Small 

s?.w 

timber 

Large 

saw 

timber 

In fair 

and better 

stands 

ID poor stands 

Cordwood 

Seedling 

and 

sapling 

Restocking and 

denuded 
Table 18.4urrent annual net growth of sawlog and total mowing 

stock, by species group and class of timber, 1948 

Sawlog tree$ 33.7 12.6 21.1 302.5 74.9 227.6 

Cordwood trees 50.0 5.7 44.3 ... ... . . . 

Total growing stock I Sawlog growing stock 

All trees 83.7 18.3 65.4 302.5 74.9 227.6 

Class of timber All 

species 

Table 19.--Average current annual net growth per acre of sawlog and 

total growing stock, by forest-type croup and standsize group, 1948 

Softwood Hardwood I *I1 ~Softwood~Hnrdwood species 

Million cubic feet Million board feet 

Saw timber 19 30 17 117 111 

Cordwood 15 25 13 50 75 45 

Other stand sizes 9 8 9 12 26 10 

Total growing stock 1 Sawlog growing stock Stand-size 

All stand sizes 14 21 12 49 75 45 

group 

All 

types 

Cubic feet Board feet 

Softwood 

types 

Hardwood 

types 
Definition of Terms 

Forest Land 

Forest land. Land which bears forest growth, or land from which the 

forest has been removed and which has not been put to other use. Each 

tract classed as forest is at least one acre in size. 

Commercial forest land. Land bearing, or capable of bearing, timber 

of commercial quantity and quality, and not withdrawn from commercial 

timber use. 

Noncommercial forest land. Includes (1) land in public parks or 

preserves withdrawn from cormnercial timber use, and (2) land which 

appears to be permanently incapable of commercial timber production 

because of low productivity. 

Tree Species 

Softwoods. I'ine, eastern redcedar, and cypress. 

Hardwoods. Any broadleaved species. 

Forest type is determined only from dominant and codominant 

growing-stock and smaller somd trees. 

Shortleaf pine. Stands in which pine comprises at least 25 percent of 

the trees. 

- Cedar. Stands in which eastern redcedar co~nprises at least 25 percent 

of the trees. 

3oi,toxland i:srciirooi. S~ar.c;z in c:!iich bcttor:.;ind ?.zrd;:ozts ::nd c:,?ress 

corc~risc 76 percent or zore of the Lrecz. 

Upland hardwood. Stands containing no pine, in which upland hardwoods 

comprise 76 percent or more of the trees. 

Upland hardwood-pine. Stands classifiable as upland hardwood but 

containing some pine. 
Class of Thber 

Growing stock. Sawlog growing stock is the sawlog portions of sawlog trees. Total growing stock includes sawlog growing stock, and 

upper stems of softwood sawlog trees and entire stems of cordwood 

trees to a minimum diameter of 4 inches inside bark. 

Sawlog tree. A live, merchantable softwood 9.0 inches or larger in 

d.b.h., or a live, merchantable hardwood 11.0 inches or larger in 

d.b.h. To be merchantable, the tree must have at least a merchantable 1.2-foot butt log or 50 percent of its gross volume in merchantable logs. 

Cordwood tree. A l i v e t r e e 5.0 inches or larger in d.b.h., but 

smaller than sawlog size, which would become a sawlog tree if it 

should grow to sawlog size. 

Cull tree. A live tree 5.0 inches or larger in d.b.h., which because of decay or sound defect fails to meet the specifications 

for a cordwood or sawlog tree. 

Tops and limbs. Upper stems and limbs of hardwood sawlog trees 

between the top sawlog and a minimum diameter of 4 inches inside 

bark. 

Stand-Size Class 

Large saw timber. Stands having a net volume of at least 1,jOO 

board feet per acre in sawlog trees and at least half of this volume in softwoods 15.0 inches d.b.h. and larger, and hardwoods 17.0 

inches d.b.h. and larger. 

Small saw timber. Stands which do not meet the specifications for 

large saw timber but which do contain a net volume of at least 1,500 

board feet per acre in sawlog trees. 

Cordwood. Stands below saw-timber specifications, with at lezst 10 

percent of the growing space occupied by growing stock, and with at 

least 5 percent of the growing space occupied by cordwood trees. 

Seedling and saplinz. Stands below saw-timber and cordwood specifications, in which at least 40 percent of the growing space is occupied by growing stock and smaller sound trees of com~rercial species, but with less than 10 percent of the space occupied by growing stock. 

Restocking and denuded. Comnercial forest land which does not qualify for any other stand-size class. 
Tree Stocking 

Degree of stocking is determined by the ratio of the actual 

number of trees in the stand to the number of trees of the same size 

recjuired to occupy the site fully. Under this criterion, stands are 

well stocked when the percentage of full stocking is 70 or above, 

partially stocked when the percentage is 40 to 69, poorly stocked 

when the percentage is 10 to 39, and nonstocked when the percentage 

is under 10. 

Volune and Basal Area 

Sawlog volume. Net volume in merchantable sawlo,:s in sawlog trees, 

measured by the International 1/4-inch log rule. 

Total volume. Volume of sound, usable wood in stems of softwoods 

and stems and branches of hardwoods between stump and minimum top 

diameter of l+ inches inside bark, measured in cubic feet. 

Basal area. Cross-sectional area of trees at breast height, measured in square feet . 

Diameter 

D .b.h. (diameter breast high). Tree diameter in inches, outside 

bark, measured at 4$ feet above ground. 

Diameter class. Each %-inch diameter class includes diameters 1.0 

inch below and 0.9 inch above the stated midpoint. E.g., the 12- 

inch class includes trees 11.0 up to and including 12.9 inches. 

Growth 

Current annual net ,eowth. A forecast of the average annual increase 

in the reported growing stock over a decade if no cutting should take 

place, allowing for normal tree mortality due to suppressj on, fire, 

windthrow, and other causes. 
Log and Tree Grade 

Tree grades for softwoods: 

Grade 1 (smooth trees). Not less than 20 feet of clear 

bole and at least 40 percent of the merchantable length 

clear of limbs and hots in sections not less than 8 feet 

in length. 

Grade 2 (limby treesl. Not less than 12 feet of clear 

bole and 25 to 39 percent of the merchantable lenF$h clear 

of liinbs and knots in sections not less than S feet in 

lengbh . 

Grac?e 3 (rough bees). blerchantable trees below grade 2 

specifi cetions, 

Log grades for hardwoods: 

Grade 1. Smooth, generally clear logs which yield at least 

one-half of their volume in higher grades of lumber. 

Grade 2. Logs of average clearness and medium size which 

yield from one-third to one-half of their volume in higher 

grades of lumber. 

Grade 3. %all logs or logs of less than averaze clearness 

which yield less than one-third of their volume in higher 

grades of lurnber, or sound logs with coarse defects which 

make them suitable only for ties and timbers. 

Stand Guality 

Fair and better. A stand in which grade 2 or better hardwood logs 

or softwood trees are present. 

- Poor. A stand in ~nihich no grade 2 hxd-k>rood logs or softwood trees 

are present. 

For external s?ecifications of log grades used., see "Interin 

Sa>,log Grades for Southern >I-?rd~troods," Southern Forest Experi~ent Station, 9 pp., January 1946.