FOREST STATISTICS FOR 

THE GLACIATED, REGION 
: · ... 

,· . 

·. ~-.: 

FOREWOlW 

Thia is the first of two preliminary reports on forest areas 

and timber volu,mes in Ohio. It is a product of the Forest Survey 

of the Central States, an activity of the Central States Forest 

Experiment Station ~nd a part of the nationwide survey of forest 

resources being made by the Forest Service, U. S.-Department of 

Agriculture. 

Field work for the survey_in the Glaciated Region of Ohio 

was done during the period August 1951 to January 1953. 

Forest Survey reports are the result of a group effort. 

From initial planning to final compilation the following people 

have made contributions to this forest inventory report. 

General Supervision 

R. K. Winters, R. N. Cunningham, J. T. Morgan 

Photo Interpretation 

K. E. Moessner, F. D. Freeland, C. E. Jensen 

Field Inventory 

M. E. Becker, K. L. Quigley, P. L. Thornton, R. A. Whitmore, 

W. B. Metcalf, R. A. Harmon, E. F. Youngblood, J. D. Burton 

Statistical Computations 

C. E. Jensen, L. F . Compton, M. K. Peirsol 

Report 

0. K. Hutchison 

"·'"" 

.•• . , . r . ....... ... :.' 11 .p .f 1r- • • 

.. 
Significant facts 

Tables . . . . . . 

Forest survey methods 

Accuracy of data .. 

Explanation of terms . 

CONTENTS 

LIST OF TABLES 

2 

7 

26 

27 

28 

Page 

Number Title Northeastern 

Ohio Region 

l Forest and nonforest area by county 7 

2 Commercial forest area by ownership 

class 8 

3 Commercial forest area by type and 

stand-size class 8 

4 Sawtimber volume by species and 

stand-size class 

5 Sawtimber volume by species and 

tree-diameter class 

6 

7 

Hardwood sawtimber volume by species 

group and log grade 

Total cubic volume of sound material 

by s~0cies and class of material 

8 Cubic volume of growing stock by 

species and stand-size class 

9 Cubic volume of growing stock by 

stand-size class and tree-diameter 

class 

10 Average volume per acre by stand-size 

class 

9 

10 

ll 

12 

13 

14 

15 

Western 

Ohio Region 

16 

18 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 
AREAS COVERED 

IN THIS REPORT 

[illill 

E2l 

tJJ 

OH IO 

PERCENT 

FOREST 

0-19 

20-39 

40-59 

Frontispiece.--Forest survey regions in Ohio. 
FOREST STATISTICS FOR 

THE GLACIATED REGION 

I ';, 

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I . . I ' 

In this report ~orest-area and timber-volume statistics for 

Western and Northeastern Ohio (frontispiece) are shown separately. 

Regional boundaries were established in order to group counties 

having similar forest, soil, and economic conditions. The two 

forest regions include most of the areas commonly known as the 

Ohio Corn Belt and the Dairy Region. 

Western Ohio includes a large share of the State's level-torolling, glaciated land. Farming and manufacturing are the main 

activities here. Forests are largely confined to the "back forties" 

and the banks of streams--places that are too rough or too wet to 

farm or that the owner has not gotten around to clearing. Woodland 

grazing, destructive to the forest, is common practice. Although 

markets exist for high-quality logs, a certain amount of mature 

timber is kept from the market because it is in small lots or 

because of the owner's indiffere nce or his desire to keep the trees. 

Northeastern Ohio's topography becomes rougher from west to 

east, culmin ~ing in the Alleghany foothills. Tree species here 

are more typical of northern hardwood forests, and the stands often 

occur in deep gorges and on swampy uplands. The forests of this 

area are best . " . " known as a source of maple syrup and car block1ng. 

Maple products are a traditional and lucrative sideline on many 

farms. Management favors the larger trees, the best sap producers, 

at the expense of younger growing stock, with the result that many 

stands will not be perpetuated. The steel mills of the Mahoning 

Valley provide a ready market for "car blocking," short timbers 

used to hold heavy steel pieces on railroad cars. This market 

makes cutting pole-sized and poorly formed trees profitable; such 

trees would not ordinarily be cut as sawlogs elsewhere in the 

State. 
SIGNIFICANT. FACTS 

The total land area o f Western and Northeastern Ohio is 18 

million acres with 12 percent ( 2.2 million acres) of it forested.!/ 

By counties, the amount of fore s t ranges from 4 to 41 percent. The 

most heavily forest ed a rea is in the e xtreme northeastern counties 

where the Appalachian topography overlaps into Ohio. White pine 

and hemlock are found in many of the deep gorges , giving the stands 

the appearance of northern types. The counties of the Western 

region are les s heavily forested. The fore sts , more typical of 

the Corn Belt, a re small blocks on the poorer land or stringers 

along streams. 

Ninety-eight percent of the commercial forest land is 

privately owned (fig . l ). St ate , county, and municipal owne rships 

account for most of the remainder . I n addition to the commercial 

forest land, there are about 37,000 acres of noncommercial (re -

served) forest land in public ownership. Many of the reserved 

forests are in municipal park s and watersheds. All of the forest 

area, including res erved areas, is capable of growing commercial 

timber. Throughout th8 Glaciated Region , farmers own 78 percent 

of the commercial forest land, but in the Northeastern area more 

than one -third of the fore s t land is owned by industries and 

other private, non-farm concerns. 

2 

F igure 1 . --For e st-land 

owner s h ip . 

y For d efinition of forest land see page 2?. 
Three forest types--oak-hickory, elm- ash-cottonwood, and 

maple - beech--occu r on 97 percent of the forest area. Most of the 

maple-beech type is in the Northeastern section where the maple 

trees are tapped for sap. The elm-ash-cottonwood type, with elm 

dominating, is the most common type in the Glaciated Region. Because elm isn't a choice lumber tree, logging favors the accumulation of elm in many stands. The choice species are cut leaving 

the elm to dominate the stands . In the Northeastern area sugar 

maple is favored in many stands; other trees are cut as needed but 

the "sugar bush" is saved. Some stands eventually become filled 

with over-mature sugar maple trees that are of little value for 

lumber . 

Fifty-six percent (1.2 million acres) of the commercial 

forest area bears 1,500 board-feet or more per acre and is classified as sawtimber (fig. 2). Of this, 916,000 acres support large 

sawtimber i.e., more than half the volume is in t rees 15 . 0 inches 

or larger. Poletimber stands occupy 31 percent of the forest area, 

seedling and sapling stands 11 purcent. The rema inder is nonstocked. 

Figure 2.--Forest area by 

stand-size class . 

Nons toe ked 

In the Glaciated Region, sawtimber totals 7 . 1 billion boardfeet. About 77 percent (fig. 3) of this volume is in stands classed 

as large sawtimber. About 17 percent is in small sawtimber stands, 

and only about 6 percent is scattered in the o t her stand-size 

classes. Many stands are dominated by elm, which makes up about 

20 percent of tho board-foot volume ; all oaks combined account for 

only 28 percent of the volume. .Maple and beech account for another 

20 percent of the volume and the remaining 32 percent is scattered 

among many species . 

3 
inches 

logs. 

Figure 3.--Sawtimber volume 

by stand-size class. 

Although 71 percent of the board-foot volume is in tree s 15 

d.b.h. and larger, little of this volume is in high-quality 

Only 23 percent of the volume (fig. 4) is in grade l and 2 

logs, which provide the clear material demanded by many wood-using 

industries. Many practices contribute to the low quality of the 

timber. In many cutting operations, only the better tree s ar e 

taken and the low-quality t rees remain to produce the next crop . 

Pastureland is in great demand in this region and many stands are 

grazed so heavily that they are noticeably damaged. Little demand 

for timber in some areas or no interest in the timber on the part 

of the owner has resulted in decadent stands. 

Figure 4.--Hardwood sawtimber 

volume by log grade. 

4 
The sawtimber stands average 5,400 board-feet per acre; 

those that are classed as large sawtimber average 6,000 board-feet 

per acre. This average volume is high for the Central States but 

the quality and species composition of the stands could be greatly 

improved. Immediate improvement calls for cutting that will remove 

overmature and other poor-risk trees and culls. While the carblocking market encourages clear cutting, thereby greatly delaying 

the time when the stands can be cut again, this market does provide 

an outlet for low-quality trees that otherwise might not be 

harvested. 

The total growing-stock volume in the Glaciated Region is 

1,737 million cubic feet. The average volume per acre, 792 cubic 

feet, could be more than doubled by intensive management. Seventythree percent of the growing-stock volume is in sawtimber trees ~nd 

27 percent is in poletimber trees. 

In addition to the growing stock, the Glaciated Region has 

632 million cubic feet of sound wood in cull trees and in the limbs 

of merchantable sawtimber trees. This is an average of 288 cubic 

feet or about 4 l/2 cords per forest acre, but the amount of such 

wood available in sawtimber stands is much greater. 

,.;:;( 

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5 

NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 1.--Forest and nonforest area by county, 1952 

County 

Ashland 

Ashtabula 

Columbiana 

Cuyahoga 

Erie 

Geauga 

Huron 

Lake 

Lorain 

Mahoning 

Medina 

Portage 

Richland 

Stark 

Summit 

Trumbull 

Wayne 

All counties 

Total . 

land area.!/: 

Thousand 

acres 

268 

452 

342 

292 

169 

260 

318 

148 

317 

268 

271 

323 

318 

367 

264 

397 

353 

5,127 

Forest area 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

51 

119 

78 

55 

23 

107 

47 

46 

48 

53 

44 

76 

55 

47 

49 

91 

39 

1,028 

19 

26 

23 

19 

14 

41 

15 

31 

15 

20 

16 

24 

17 

13 

19 

23 

11 

20 

Nonforest area 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

217 

333 

264 

237 

146 

153 

271 

102 

269 

215 

227 

247 

263 

320 

215 

306 

314 

4,099 

81 

'74 

77 

81 

86 

59 

85 

69 

85 

80 

84 

76 

83 

87 

81 

77 

89 

80 

.!) Source: Area of the U. S. 1950. U. S. Bureau of the Census. 

7 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 2.--Commercial forest area by ownership class, 1952 

Ownership class Commercial forest area 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

Public: 

State 12 1.2 

County & municipal ll l.l 

Total public 23 2.3 

Private: 

Farm 613 61.1 

Industrial & other 368 36.6 

Total private 981 97.7 

All ownerships 1,004 100.0 

NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 3.--Commercial forest area by forest type and stand-size class, 1952 

(In thousands of acres) 

Large Small Pole- : Seedling:Nonstocked 

Forest type Total sawtimber : sawtimber: timber:& sapling: and other 

stands stands stands: stands : areas 

Percent 

Oak-pine 8 0.8 4 4 

Oak-hickory 360 35.8 94 42 132 82 10 

Oak-gum 46 4.6 9 10 21 6 

Elm-ashcottonwood 326 32.5 94 71 138 23 

Maple-beech 264 26.3 144 30 54 36 

All types 1,004 100.0 345 153 345 151 10 

Percent 100.0 34 .4 15.2 34.4 15.0 l.O 

8 
• 

NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 4.--Sawtimber volume on commercial forest area by species 

and stand-size class, 1952 

(In million board-feet) 

Large Small Pole- : Seedling 

Species Total sawtimber: sawtimber: timber: & sapli!J 

stands stands stands: stands1 

Percent 

Pine 11 0.4 11 

Other softwoods 47 1.6 36 10 1 

White oak 198 6.9 169 24 3 2 

Other white oaks 60 2.1 32 19 8 1 

Black oak 113 4.0 91 13 9 

Northern red oak 194 6.8 133 44 14 3 

Scarlet oak 22 .8 18 3 1 

Other red oaks 86 3.0 49 18 18 1 

Hickory 98 3.4 64 21 12 1 

Ash 191 6.7 131 49 11 

American elm 465 16.3 294 117 40 14 

e Slippery elm 93 3.2 57 23 13 

Cottonwood 27 .9 10 16 1 

Yellow-poplar 125 4.4 69 42 10 4 

Sugar maple 336 11.8 310 16 7 3 

Soft maple 190 6.6 134 42 14 

Sycamore 68 2.4 47 18 2 1 

Beech 291 10.2 254 32 5 

Black walnut 23 .8 17 5 1 

Post speciesY 18 .6 17 1 

Other hardwoods 202 7.1 138 40 21 3 

All species 2,858 100.0 2,081 553 191 33 

Percent 100.0 72.8 19.4 6.7 1.1 

y Includes the volume on nonstocked and other areas. 

y See page 32 for species list. 

9 . 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Tabl e 5.--Sawtimber volume on comme rcial for est area by species a nd tre e-d

1-' (I n million board-feet) 

0 

: : Tree-diame ter class (inche

Spec i es Total 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 

: : : : : : : : 

Pi n e ll -- -- -- -- -- -- ll 

Othe r softwoods 47 !.h6 12 14 5 

White oak 198 19 23 30 32 21 9 6 

Othe r whit e oa k s 60 15 12 6 9 2 -- ll 

Bla c k oa k 113 10 8 15 2 16 16 8 

Nor ther n r e d oak 194 29 26 28 16 ll 14 10 

Sc a rle t o ak 22 4 -- 2 5 2 8 -- 

Other red oa ks 86 24 22 16 15 2 2 5 

Hi cko ry 98 2) 26 17 9 7 10 

Ash 191 31 51 39 21 15 19 10 

Ameri can elm 465 82 80 74 36 50 4 3 21 

Slippery e lm 93 17 1 9 '7 16 14 2 3 

Cotto:nwooc 27 3 8 7 2 -- 3 4 

Yellow-pop l ar 125 15 27 14 25 16 ll 17 

Sugar maple 336 42 35 39 5 2 76 38 23 

Soft maple 190 36 30 30 17 32 14 7 

Sycamore 68 6 12 8 13 8 6 ll 

Beech 291 22 27 48 47 36 48 31 Black walnut 23 4 7 5 l -- 6 

Po s t species 18 3 4 7 2 2 

Other hardwoods 202 58 38 4 5 22 ll 18 5 

Al l species 2,858 465 467 451 347 321 267 183 

Percent 100.0 16.3 16.3 1 5 .8 12.2 11.2 9.3 6

y I ncludes 7 mi l lion board-fee t o f the 10-i nch diameter class . 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 6.--Hardwood sawtimber volume by species group 

and log grade, 1952 

Species group 

Total 

volume Log grade 1 Log grade 2 Log grade 3 

Million Million Percent Million Percent Million Percent 

board- board- board- boardfeet feet feet feet 

White oavY 258 24 9 19 8 215 83 

Red oaks 2 415 47 ll 18 4 350 85 

Hickory 98 3 3 95 97 

Elms 558 73 13 68 12 417 75 

Yellow-poplar 125 25 20 19 15 81 65 

Sugar maple 336 47 14 41 12 248 74 

Other hardwoods 1,010 76 8 83 8 851 84 

_. 

All hardwoods 2,800 292 10 251 9 2,257 81 

!./ Includes white oak, chestnut · oak, and other white oaks. 

y Includes black oak, northern red oak, and other red oaks. 

ll 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 7.--Total cubic volume of sound mater ial on commercial forest 

area by species and class of material, 1952 

(In million cubic feet) 

Growing stock Other material Total :Sawtimber trees:Pole-: :Cull :Hardwood Species sound :Total: Sawlog :Upper : tim- :Total:trees: limbs material. :portion stem ber y y 

Pine 1.8 1.8 1.6 0.2 

Other softwoods 10.6 10.3 7.7 1.0 1.6 0.3 0.3 

White oak 51.7 39.8 29 .8 4.1 5 .9 11.9 .7 11.2 

Other white oaks 24.2 18.9 9.6 . l. 9 7.4 5 .3 1.9 3.4 

Black oak 29.6 22.8 17.4 2.4 3.0 6.8 .4 6. 4 

Northern red oak 57.0 44.0 29.9 4.5 9.6 13.0 1.9 11.1 

Scarlet oak 6.6 4.4 3.3 .5 .6 2.2 .7 1.5 

Other red oaks 31.2 26.5 13.5 2.3 10.7 4.7 ,., •"" 4. 5 

Hickory 50.3 43.2 15.6 2.5 25.1 7.1 1.4 5.7 

Ash 71.0 55 .1 30.1 4.2 20.8 15.9 3.4 12 . 5 

American elm 156 . 6 125 . 3 72.5 13.0 39.8 31.3 6.0 25.3 

Slippery elm 35.7 29 . 0 14 .4 2.3 12.3 6 .7 1.4 5 .3 

Cottonwood 7.4 5 . 5 4.4 . 5 .6 1.9 . 1 1.8 

Yellow-poplar 32.4 24 .4 19 .2 1.8 3.4 8.0 . 1 7.9 

Sugar maple 103.2 73 . 1 51.1 6.9 15.1 30.1 8.5 21.6 

Soft maple 80.7 57 . 1 29 .7 4.6 22.8 23.6 10 . 0 13 . 6 

Sycamo·re 17 . 9 12.7 10 . 3 1.2 1.2 5.2 .8 4.4 

Beech 106.5 58 .9 43 . 1 6. 4 9.4 47.6 22.0 25 . 6 

Black walnut 8. 4 6.8 3 . 6 .7 2.5 1.6 .4 1.2 

Post species 12.2 10 .1 2 . 9 . 5 6.7 2.1 . 9 1.2 

Other hardwoods 97 .0 74.4 32 . 2 4.9 37.3 22.6 8.3 14.3 

Noncommercial 10. 4 10.4 9.6 .8 

All species 1 , 002.4 744 . 1 441.9 66.4 235.8 258.3 79.0 179.3 

y Sound bole volume onl y . 

y Limbs of both merchantable and cull hardwood trees of sawtimber 

size, to a minimum diameter of 4 .0 inches inside bark. 

12 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 8.--Cubic volume of growing stock on commercial forest 

area by species and stand-size class, 1952 

(In million cubic feet) 

Large. Small Pole- :Seedling 

Species Total sawtimber: sawtimber: timber:& saplin' 

stands stands stands: stands! 

Percent 

Pine 1.8 0.2 1.8 

Other softwoods 10.3 1.4 7.9 2.0 0.4 

White oak 39.8 5.3 29.5 6.8 3.1 0.4 

Other whit e oaks 18.9 2.6 6.2 7.1 4.6 l.O 

Black oak 22 . 8 3.1 15.7 4.8 2.2 .l 

Northern red oak ' 44.0 5.9 26 . 3 10.7 6.5 .5 

Scarlet oak 4.4 .6 3.4 .6 . 4 

Other red oaks 26 . 5 3.6 10.8 6.5 8.9 .3 

Hi ckory 43.2 5 . 8 18.7 9.0 14.4 l.l 

Ash 55 . 1 7.4 30.1 15.8 9.2 

American elm 125.3 16.8 63.6 33.3 25.6 2.8 

Slippery elm 29.0 3.9 14.4 8.4 6.2 

Cottonwood 5.5 .7 1.7 3.1 .7 

Yellow:..poplar 24.4 3. 3 . 12.4 8.3 2.9 .8 

Sugar maple 73.1 9.8 59.9 6.7 5.3 1.2 

Soft maple 57.1 7.7 30.1 16 . 3 10.6 .l 

Sycamore 12.7 1.7 8.3 3.5 .7 .2 

Beech 58.9 7 . 9 47.2 8.2 3.1 .4 

Black walnut 6 . 8 .9 3.9 2.0 .9 

Post species 10 . 1 1.4 6.2 .3 3.3 . 3 

Other hardwoods 74.4 10.0 35.5 15.4 21.2 2.3 

All species 744.1 100.0 433.6 168.8 130.2 11.5 

Percent 100 . 0 58.3 22.7 17.5 1.5 

y Includes the volume on nonstocked and other areas. 

13 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 9.--Cubic volume of growing stock on commercial forest area 

by stand-size class and tree-diameter class, 1952 

(In million cubic feet) 

Tree-diameter: Stand-size class 

class --------------------------------------------- All Large Small : : Seedling . :Percent . b Poletimber & 1/classes (inches) 

6 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

20 

22 

24 

26 

28+ 

Total 

sawtimber: sawt1m er: : sapling_t. 

15.0 

25.0 

30.7 

36.7 

42.5 

60.8 

48.2 

49.7 

41.4 

28.6 

24.9 

30.1 

433.6 

12.7 

24.3 

29.0 

38.3 

36.3 

14.6 

7.3 

2.4 

1.3 

1.3 

1.3 

168.8 

31.0 

34.9 

29.3 

14.1 

7.1 

4.2 

3.8 

1.8 

1.8 

.2 

1.7 

.3 

130 .2 

1.6 

3.1 

.8 

1.7 

1.0 

.8 

. 6 

. 3 

1. 6 

11.5 

!/ Includes volume on nonstocked and other areas . 

14 

60 . 3 

87 . 3 

89.8 

90.8 

86.9 

80.4 

59 . 3 

54 . 5 

44.8 

30 . 1 

26 . 6 

33.3 

744.1 

8.1 

11.7 

12.1 

12.2 

11.7 

10.8 

8.0 

7.3 

6.0 

4.0 

3.6 

4.5 

100.0 
NORTHEASTERN OHIO 

Table 10.--Average volume per acre by stand-size class, 1952 

Stand-size class Average volume per acre 

Board-feet Cubic feet.!./ 

Large sawtimber stands 6,032 1,256.8 

Small sawtimber stands 3,614 1,103.3 

Poletimber stands 554 377.4 

Seedling and sapling stands~ 205 71.4 

All classes 2,847 741.1 

.!) Growing stock only. 

~ Includes the volume on nonstocked and other areas. 

15 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 1.--Forest and nonforest area by county , 1952 

County 

Allen 

Auglaize 

Brown 

Butler 

Champaign 

Clark 

Clermont 

Clinton 

Crawford 

Darke 

Defiance 

Delaware 

Fairfield 

Fayette 

Franklin 

Fulton 

Greene 

Hamilton 

Hancock 

Hardin 

Henry 

Knox 

Licking 

Logan 

Lucas 

16 

Total . 

land area!./: 

Thousand 

acres 

262 

256 

314 

301 

277 

257 

293 

264 

259 

387 

262 

294 

323 

260 

3t1f1 

260 

266 

265 

3 tll 

299 

266 

335 

4 39 

295 

220 

Forest area 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

24 

25 

4 9 

26 

25 

21 

59 

23 

26 

25 

31 

26 

43 

10 

18 

23 

21 

53 

25 

2 4 

17 

48 

64 

26 

26 

9 

10 

16 

9 

9 

8 

20 

9 

10 

6 

12 

9 

13 

4 

5 

9 

8 

20 

7 

8 

6 

14 

15 

9 

12 

Nonforest area 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

238 

231 

265 

275 

252 

236 

234 

241 

233 

362 

231 

268 

280 

250 

326 

237 

245 

212 

316 

275 

249 

287 

375 

269 

194 

91 

90 

84 

91 

91 

92 

80 

91 

90 

94 

88 

91 

87 

96 

95 

91 

92 

80 

93 

92 

94 

86 

85 

91 

88 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 1.--Forest and nonforest area by county, 1952 (cont.) 

County 

Total : 

land area!/: Forest area Nonforest area 

Thousand Thousand Percent Thousand Percent 

acres acres acres 

Madison 297 17 6 280 94 

Marion 259 14 5 245 95 

Mercer 291 25 9 266 91 

Miami 260 15 6 24 5 94 

Montgomery 298 20 7 278 93 

Morrow 259 35 14 224 86 

Ottawa 168 18 ll 150 89 

Paulding 266 19 7 247 93 

Pickaway 325 14 4 311 96 

Preble 274 25 9 249 91 

Putnam 311 20 6 291 94 

Sandusky 262 21 8 241 92 

Seneca 353 34 10 319 90 

Shelby 262 26 10 236 90 

Union 278 18 6 260 94 

Van Wert 262 18 7 244 93 

Warren 261 35 13 226 87 

Williams 269 28 10 241 90 

Wood 396 20 5 376 95 

Wyandot 260 22 8 238 92 

All counties 12,950 1,202 9 ll, 748 91 

ij Source: Area of the u. s. 1950. u. s. Bureau of the Census. 

17 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 2. - -Commercial forest area by ownership class, 1952 

Ownership class Commercial forest area 

Thousand Percent 

acres 

Public: 

State 6 0.5 

County & municipal 4 .3 

Total public 10 0.8 

Private: 

Farm 1 ,llO 93.4 

Industrial & other 69 5.8 

Total private 1,179 99.2 

All ownerships 1,189 100.0 

WESTERN OHIO 

Table 3.--Commercial forest area by forest type and stand-size class, 1952 

(In thousands of acres) 

Large Small Pole- : Seedling:Nonstocked 

Forest type Total sawtimber: sawtimber: timber:& sapling: and other 

stands stands stands: stands : areas 

Percent 

Oak-pine 5 0.4 5 

Oak-hickory 480 40.4 248 77 ll3 26 16 

Oak - gum ll .9 6 5 

Elm-ashcottonwood 578 48.6 232 72 206 65 3 

Maple-beech ll5 9.7 91 ll 8 5 

All type s 1,189 100.0 571 166 337 96 19 

Percent 100.0 48.0 14.0 28.3 8.1 1.6 

18 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 4.--Sawtimber volume on commercial forest area by species and 

stand-size class, 1952 

(In million board-feet) 

: Large : Small :Pole- :Seedling 

Species Total :sawtimber :sawtimber :timber : & sapliJg 

: stands : stands :stands : stands!. 

Percent 

Softwoods 1 <?:.)> <?:.)> 1 

White oak 404 9.5 356 32 16 

Chestnut oak 23 . 5 2 20 1 

Other white oaks 230 5.4 216 14 <?:.)> <?:.)> Black oak 118 2.8 93 17 8 

Northern red oak 332 7.8 293 34 4 1 

Scarlet oak 57 1.3 43 13 1 

Other red oaks 137 3.2 68 66 3 

Hickory 382 9.0 310 52 20 

White ash 299 7.0 204 84 8 3 

Black ash 31 .7 23 5 3 

American elm 711 16.7 572 102 34 3 

Slippery elm 112 2.6 87 20 5 

Cottonwood 87 2.1 78 2 4 3 

Yellow-poplar 52 1.2 26 19 7 

Sugar maple 296 7.0 257 29 10 

Soft maple 220 5.2 199 20 1 

Sycamore 203 4.8 178 15 7 3 

Beech 179 4.2 172 7 

Black walnut 86 2.0 53 20 13 

Post species 5 .1 1 1 3 

Other hardwoods 295 6.9 183 69 40 3 

All species 4,260 100.0 3,414 642 188 16 

Percent 100.0 80.1 15.1 4.4 .4 

y Includes the volume on nonstocked and other areas . 

y Less than 0.5 mil1ion board-feet or 0.05 percent. 

19 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 5.--Sawtimber volume on commercial forest area by species and tree - dia

1\) 

0 (In million board-feet) 

Species · Total . Tree - d i ameter cla ss (inches) 

: : 10 : 12 : 14 : 16 : 1 8 : 20 : 22 : 24 

Softwoods l l 

White oak 404 21 33 35 50 36 37 45 

Chestnut oak 23 4 7 7 5 

Other white oaks 230 15 20 24 1 9 37 19 26 

Black oak 118 11 10 15 12 13 1 5 24 

Northern red oak 332 12 22 29 32 51 31 14 

Scarlet oak 57 7 5 14 2 11 3 3 

Other red oaks 137 20 27 26 13 19 12 2 

Hickory 382 81 98 65 56 45 7 16 

White ash 299 61 55 47 37 31 27 14 

Black ash 31 7 5 8 3 4 2 2 

American elm 711 76 97 104 99 74 72 61 

Slippery e lm 112 20 20 36 11 7 3 8 

Cottonwood 87 3 5 11 15 15 22 6 

Yellow-poplar 52 7 11 2 8 -- 7 17 

Sugar maple 296 32 51 28 40 60 31 24 

Soft maple 220 18 23 35 33 36 19 7 

Sycamore 203 18 27 ll 15 28 21 37 

.Beech 179 11 16 29 31 42 35 11 

Black walnut 86 16 23 22 18 3 3 -- 

Post species 5 4 l 

Other hardwoods 295 64 65 41 38 24 23 10 

All species 4,260 l 508 621 589 537 536 389 327 

Percent 100.0 <y'> ll. 9 14 . 6 13 .8 12 . 6 12 . 6 9.1 7.7 

y Less than 0.05 pe rcent . 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 6.--Hardwood sawtimber volume by species group 

and log grade, 1952 

Species group 

Total Log grade l Log grade volume 2 Log grade 3 

Million Million Million Million 

board- board- Percent board- Percent board- Percent 

feet feet feet feet 

White oaki.!/ 6 57 150 23 47 7 460 70 

Red oaks~ 644 76 12 28 4 540 84 

Hickory 382 30 8 66 17 286 75 

Elms 823 180 22 95 ll 548 67 

Yellow-poplar 52 15 29 37 7l 

Sugar maple 296 41 14 29 10 226 76 

Other hardwoods 1,405 160 ll 132 10 1,113 79 

All hardwoods 4,259 637 15 412 10 3,210 75 

il Includes white oak, chestnut oak, and other white oaks. 

y Includes black oak, northern red oak, and other red oaks. 

21 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 7 . --Total cubic vo lume o f s o und material on commercial fo r est 

Species 

Softwoods 

White oak 

Chestnut oak 

Other white oaks 

Black oak 

Northern red oak 

Scarlet oak 

Other red oaks 

Hickory 

White ash 

Black ash 

American elm 

Slippery elm 

Cottonwood 

Yellow-poplar 

Sugar maple . 

Soft maple 

Sycamore 

Beech 

Black walnut 

Post specie s 

Other hardwoods 

Noncomme rcial 

All species 

are a by species and class of material , 1952 

(In mi l l ion cubic f eet) 

Total Growing stock Ot her mat e rial 

d : :Sawt i mbe r trees : Po le-: :Cul l : Hardwood soun 

t . 1 :Total: Sawlog :Upper : tim- : Tot a l: trees : rna e r1a . 1 1 : : port 1on s tem ber : 1J 

0 . 3 

99 . 7 

6.3 

62 .4 

31.9 

85.8 

14 . 7 

41.9 

1 33.2 

105 . 6 

12 . 8 

224.2 

44 . 5 

21. 9 

14.1 

94. 3 

73 . 6 

52 . 6 

74 . 0 

31.2 

19 . 5 

117 . 0 

5 .4 

0.3 

77.0 

4.7 

47.9 

24.7 

6 3.7 

10.4 

31.5 

107.6 

83.4 

9.7 

166.4 

35 .9 

16 .1 

ll. l 

6 3.6 

46.2 

39.4 

34.1 

24.0 

13.3 

81.8 

0.2 

60.3 

3.7 

35.2 

18.1 

50.1 

8.7 

21.1 

59.7 

46 .9 

5.0 

109.7 

17.7 

13.4 

7.8 

44.9 

33.7 

30.2 

26.3 

13 . 6 

1.0 

46 . 6 

9.1 

.6 

5 .8 

2.6 

6.9 

1.2 

3.0 

8.3 

7.0 

.8 

18.4 

2.8 

1.9 

.9 

6.6 

5 .4 

3.6 

4.0 

2.6 

.2 

7.7 

0.1 

7.6 

.4 

6.9 

4.0 

6 .7 

. 5 

7.4 

39.6 

29. 5 

3.9 

38 . 3 

15.4 

.8 

2 . 4 

12.1 

7.1 

5 .6 

3.8 

7 . 8 

12.1 

27. 5 

22.7 

1.6 

14.5 

7.2 

22.1 

4.3 

10.4 

25.6 

22.2 

3. 1 

57.8 

8.6 

5 .8 

3.0 

30 . 7 

27.4 

13.2 

39.9 

7 . 2 

6 . 2 

35.2 

5 .4 

1. 3 

. 3 

2 .1 

.4 

3. 1 

.8 

2.0 

2.9 

4.4 

.9 

1 5 .7 

1.7 

.8 

( 3 /) 

10 . 6 

11.4 

1.4 

20 .3 

2.0 

3. 8 

14.2 

4.8 

limbs 

3.1 

21.4 

1.3 

12.4 

6 . 8 

19 . 0 

3. 5 

8 . 4 

22. 7 

17 . 8 

2 .2 

42.1 

6.9 

5 . 0 

3 . 0 

"20 . 1 

16 .0 

11 .8 

19.6 

5 .2 

2 .4 

21. 0 

.6 

1 ,366.9 992.8 653 . 9 99 . 4 239.5 374 . 1 104.9 269. 2 

!/ Sound bole volume onl y . 

~ Limbs of both merc hant a ble and c u ll hardwood trees of s awt i mber 

size, to a 4-inch minimum d iameter. 

~ Less than 0.05 mi llion cubic feet or 0.05 percent. 

22 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 8.--Cubic volume of ~rowing stock on commercial forest 

area by species and stand-size class, 1952 

(In million cubic feet) 

: Large : Small : Pole- : Seedling 

Species Total :sawtimber :sawtimber :timber :& sapling 

stands : stands :stands : stands 

Percent 

Softwoods 0.3 <.Y> 0 . 1 0.1 0.1 

White oak 77.0 7.8 62.0 8.6 6 .3 0.1 

Chestnut oak 4.7 .5 .5 3.9 . 3 

Other white oaks 4 7.9 4.8 40.3 5.5 1.9 .2 

Black oak 24.7 2.5 17.3 3.9 3 .4 .1 

Northern red oak 63.7 6.4 51.6 7.4 4. 1 . 6 

Scarlet oak 10.4 1.1 7.4 2.7 .3 

Other red oaks 31.5 3.2 11.8 16 . 1 3.6 

Hickory 107.6 10.8 71.5 17.7 18.1 . 3 

White ash 83.4 8.4 45 . 2 26.0 11.4 .8 

Black ash 9.7 1.0 5.8 2.8 . 9 .2 

American elm 166.4 16.8 119.8 27.7 18.3 . 6 

Slippery elm 35.9 3.6 23.3 7.1 5 . 4 .1 

Cottonwood 16.1 1.6 14.5 . 3 . 8 . 5 

Yellow-poplar 11.1 1.1 4.7 4.4 2.0 

Sugar maple 63.6 6.4 50.8 9.0 3 . 8 

Soft maple 46.2 4.7 40.2 5.1 .9 

Sycamore 39.4 4.0 31.5 3.3 4.1 .5 

Beech 34.1 3.4 31.6 1.4 1.1 

Black walnut 24.0 2.4 11.4 6 . 2 6.4 

Post species 13.3 1.3 .8 .6 11.3 .6 

Other hardwoods 81.8 8.2 43.4 18.3 18.9 1.2 

All species 992.8 100.0 685.5 178.1 123 . 4 5 . 8 

Percent 100 . 0 69.1 17.9 12 . 4 . 6 

!I Includes the volume on nonstocked and other areas . 

y Less than 0.05 cubic feet or 0.05 percent. 

23 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 9.--Cubic vol ume of growing stock on commercial forest area 

by stand -size class and tree-diameter class, 1952 

(In million cubic feet) 

Tree-diameter: Stand-size class All 

c lass Large Small . . "Poletimber· Seedling ~c lasses Percent 

( inc hes) sawtimber: sawtimber : :& saplinglt : 

6 15.8 9.5 26.0 1.6 52.9 5 .3 

8 30.0 22 .4 34.6 l.l 88 . 1 8.9 

10 43.7 27.0 27.9 . l 98.7 9.9 

12 50.8 36.9 13.3 . 2 101.2 10.2 

14 70.0 37.1 8.0 .8 ll5 .9 11.7 

16 81.7 18.2 5.3 .8 106.0 10.7 

18 79.3 11.9 1.7 92.9 9.3 

20 80.7 7.7 2.6 91.0 9.2 

22 59.6 5 .2 .4 . 6 65 . 8 6.6 

24 49.8 .7 1.3 51.8 5 .2 

26 34.4 .3 34.7 3.5 

28 17.8 .6 1.3 19.7 2.0 

30 30.6 .6 .6 31.8 3.2 

32 41.3 1.0 .42. 3 4.3 

Total 685 .5 178.1 123.4 5.8 992.8 100.0 

iJ Includes volume on nonstocked and other areas. 

24 
WESTERN OHIO 

Table 10.--Average volume per acre by stand-size class, 1952 

Stand-size class Average volume per acre 

Board-feet Cubic feet!/ 

Large sawtimber stands 5,979 1,200.5 

Small sawtimber stands 3,867 1,072.9 

Poletimber stands 558 366.2 

Seedling and sapling stands~ 139 50.4 

All classes 3,583 835.0 

!) Growing stock only. 

~ Includes the volume on nonstocked areas. 

25 
FOREST SURVEY METHODS 

The inventory of the forest resources of Western and Northeastern Ohio involved an office study of aerial photographs and a 

field examination of randomly selected forest and nonforest plots. 

The percentage of forest land in each county was obtained by 

placing a transparent template marked with uniformly spaced dots 

over aerial photographs and counting the number of dots falling 

on forest and nonforest areas. The percentage of forest dots in a 

county, multiplied by the total area gave a preliminary estimate of 

the forest area. This was later adjusted after field examination 

indicated the number of plots that had changed since the aerial 

photos were iaken. 

A selected number of forest dots were marked on the photographs. The acre surrounding each dot was examined ·under stereoscope and was classified by stand-size class on the basis of the 

height, crown width, and number of trees on the plot . Plots to be 

examined in the field were then randomly drawn. In drawing, 

greatest weight was given to the stand-size classes containing the 

largest timber volume. In addition, nonforest plots were selected 

for field examination to measure the conversion of open land to 

forest since the photographs were taken. 

The selected field plots we r e marked on the photographs. 

Field crews located these points on the ground and established 

l/5-acre circular plots for which species, size, quality, and 

growth of trees and other data were recorded. 

The following tabulation gives the number of dots and plots 

examined for each region. 

Number of photo dots counted for 

forest-area determination 

Number of plots stereoscopically 

examined on photos 

Number of forest plots field examined 

Number of nonforest plots field examined 

26 

Western 

Region 

123,769 

4,109 

632 

21 

Northeastern 

Region 

48,073 

2,395 

426 

41 
ACCURACY OF DATA 

Statistical analysis of the commercial forest-area and 

timber-volume data shows the following sampling errors~ for each 

Region: 

COMMERCIAL FOREST AREA GROWING-STOCK VOLUW£ 

Total Sampling error Total Sampling error 

Thousand Million 

acres Percent cubic h:et Percent 

Vv'estern 1,189 + 

- 2.6 992.8 + 

- 3 . 1 

Northeastern 1,004 + 2.5 744.1 + 3 . 9 

These estimates of sampling error do not include errors 

r e sulting from mistakes in measureme nt or judgment . All phases 

of field and office work were close ly supe rvised to keep such 

errors to a minimum. Since the percentage error increases with 

each subdivision of the total, small acreages or volumes may have 

large errors and may therefore indicate only relative magnitudes . 

• 

~ At one standard deviation; that is, the chances are two 

out of three that the calculated acreages and volumes do not differ 

from the totals that would have be e n obtained by 100-percent mea surement by more than the errors shown in the tabulat ion. 

27 
i 

EXPLANATION OF TERMS 

I 

Forest land.--Includes (a) land which is at least 10 percent stocked 

by trees of any size a nd c a pable of producing timber or other 

wood products, or of e xerting an influence on the climate or 

on the wat e r r e gime; (b) land from which the trees de scribed 

in (a) have been remov e d t o l e ss than 10 perce nt stocking and 

which have not been deve lope d for other use; (c) afforested 

are as. 

The minimum ar e a that qualifies as forest land is one acre. 

Strips of timber must be at l e ast 120 feet wide to qualify. 

Convers e ly, cle arings, s t r eams, and unimproved tree l e ss 

strips less than one acr e in area or less than 120 feet in 

width within forest are as are classified as forest land. Improve d rights-of-wa y such a s gr ade d roads, railroads, or 

transmission line s are classified as nonforest regardl e ss of 

width . 

Commercial for e st land . --Fore st land which is (a) producing, 

or physically capable of producing, usabl e crops of wood 

(usually sawtimber) , (b) economically availabl e now o r prospectively, and (c) not withdrawn from timbe r utilization. 

Noncommercial forest and.- Fore~t land withdrawn from timber 

utilization thr ough stRtutc, ordinance, or administrative 

orde r but which otherwise qualifie s as comme rcial for e st 

land. 

Forest types 

28 

Oak-pine. - -Forests in which 50 percent or more of the stand 

is hardwoods, usually upland oaks, but in which southe rn 

pine s make up 25 - 49 perce n t of t h e stand . (Common associat e s include gum, h ickory, and yellow-poplar.) 

Oak-hickory.--Fore sts i n which SO pe rce nt or more of the 

stand is upland oaks or hickory , singly or in combination, 

except where pines compris e 25-49 rcent~n which case 

the stand would be classified "oak-pine." (Common associat e s include yellow-poplar, e lm, maple, and black walnut. ) 
Oak-gum.--Bottom-land forests in which 50 percent or more 

of the stand is tupelo , blackgum, sweetgum, or oaks, singly 

or in combination . (Common associates include cottonwood, 

willow, ash, elm , hackberry , and maple . ) 

Elm-ash-cottonwood.--Forests in which 50 · percent or more 

of the stand is elm, ash, or cottonwood, singly or in combination. (Common associates include willow, sycamore, 

beech, and maple.) 

Maple-beech.--Forests in which 50 percent or more of the 

stand is sugar maple or beech, singly or in combination. 

(Common associates include hemlock, elm, basswood, and 

white pine.) 

Aspen.--Forests in which 50 percent or more of the stand 

is aspen or balsam poplar, singly or in combination. 

Tree classes 

Sawtimber tree.--A live softwood (coniferous) tree at least 

9.0 inches d . b.h . or live hardwood tree of commercial 

species at least ll.O inches d. b. h . , with a sound butt 

log at least 8 feet long, or with at least half of the 

gross board-foot volume of the tree in sound material. 

Poletimber tree.--A live, sound tree at least 5.0 inches 

d.b.h. but l e ss than sawtimber size that gives promise of 

becoming a sawtimber tree. 

Seedling and sapling trees . --Trees of commercial species 

less than 5 . 0 inches in diameter at breast height. 

Cull tree.--A live tre e at least 5.0 inche s d.b.h. that 

does not qualify as a sawtimber or poletimbe r tree because 

of spe cies, poor form, limbiness, rot, or othe r defect. 

Volume estimates 

Board-foot volume includes the sound volume of sawlogs in 

sawtimber tree s to a minimum top d.i.b. of 6 inches for 

softwoods and 8 inche s for hardwoods. Volume deductions 

have been made for rot, crook , and othe r de fects. Boardfoot volumes are shown in terms of the International l/4-

inch log rule, which measures the approximate y e ild of 

green lumbe r cut to standard spe cifications. 

29 
Cubic-foot volume 

Total volume includes the sound wood inside bark in 

both sound and cull living trees 5.0 inches d.b.h. 

and larger, from the stump to a minimum top diameter 

of 4.0 inches inside bark. It includes the upper 

stems of softwood trees and the upper stems and 

limbs of hardwoods. 

Growing stock includes the volume of sound wood inside bark in the stem portion of sawtimber and poletimber trees from stump to a minimum top d.i.b. of 

4 inches . 

Stand-size class 

Large sawtimber.--Stands having a net volume of 1,500 or more 

board-feet per acre in sawtimber trees, and having more than 

half of this volume in trees 15 . 0 inches d.b.h. and larger. 

Small sawtimber.--Stands having a net volume of 1,500 or more 

board -feet per acre in sawtimber trees, and having at least 

half of this volume in trees smaller than 15.0 inches d.b.h. 

Poletimber.--Stands failing to meet the sawtimber-stand 

specifications, but at least 10 percent stocked with poletimber and larger trees and with at least half the minimum 

stocking in poletimber trees. 

See dlings and saplings.--Stands not qualifying as either 

sawtimber or poletimber stands but having at least 150 

seedlings and saplings of commercial species per acre. 

Nonstocked.--Commercial forest land not qualifying for any 

other class. 

Hardwood log grades 

30 

Grade 1 .--Butt logs at least 13.0 inches (uppers at l east 

16 inches) in diameter inside bark with five-sixths of the 

surface on the three best faces clear of defect in not more 

than two cuttings, ( minimum length of cutting variable, 

3-7 feet, depending upon log diameter and position in tree). 

Minimum log length 12 feet. On the average such logs will 

yield at least 65 percent No. l common and better lumber. 
Grade 2.--Logs at least 11 inches in diameter inside bark 

with two-thirds of the surface on the three best faces clear 

of defect in not more than three cuttings, (minimum length 

of cutting, 3 feet). Minimum log length 12 feet. On the 

average such logs will yield at least 40 percent No. 1 

common and better lumber. 

Grade 3.--Merchantable logs at least 8.0 inches in diameter 

inside bark at the small end, 8 feet long, and 50 percent 

sound which do not meet the requirements of higher grades. 

On the average such logs wili yield less than 25 percent 

No. 1 common and better lumber or will be suitable for ties 

or timbers. 

31 
Principal Tree Species~/ 

Softwoods 

Pine includes: 

Shortleaf pine 

Pitch pine 

Virg inia pine 

Eastern white pine 

"Other softwoods" includes: 

Hardwoods 

Eastern redcedar 

Eastern hemlock 

Ealdcypress 

Exotic conifers (Scotch pine, 

Norway spruce, etc.) 

White oak 

Chestnut oak 

"Other white oaks" includes: 

Swamp white oak 

Swamp chestnut oak 

Post oak 

Overcup oak 

Bur oak 

Chinkapin oak 

Black oak 

Northern r e d oak 

Scarlet oak 

"other red oaks" includes: 

Southern red oak 

Pin oak 

Willow oak 

Shingle oak 

Hickory 

White ash includes: 

Whit e ash 

Green ash 

Pinus echinata --- P. rigida 

P. virginiana 

P. s trobus 

Juniperus virginiana 

Tsuga canadensis 

Taxodium distichum 

C' uercus a lba 

g_. prinus 

(. . bicolor 

g_. michauxii 

Q. stellata 

(). lyrata 

£_. macrocarpa 

C'. muehlenbergii 

G. velutina 

~· rubra 

£_. coccinea 

Q. . falca ta 

2.· palustris 

s_. phellos 

9_. imbricaria 

Carya spp. 

Fraxinus americana 

F. pennsylvanica 

~ Source of nomenclature: Check List of the Native and 

Naturalized Trees of the U. S., Agriculture Handbook No. 4 1, Forest 

Service, Washington, D. C., 1953. 

32 
Black ash includes: 

Black ash 

Blue ash 

Slippery elm 

"Other elms" includes: 

American elm 

Rock elm 

Winged elm 

Cottonwood includes: 

Eastern cottonwood 

Swamp cottonwood 

Yellow-poplar 

Sugar maple includes: 

Sugar maple 

Black maple 

Soft maple includes: 

Boxelder 

Red maple 

Silver maple 

Sycamore 

Beech 

Black walnut 

"Post spc..; ciJs" includes: 

Black locust 

Catalpa 

Osage-or~'nge 

Red mulberry 

Sassafras 

"Other hardwoods" includes all other 

commercial hardwood species. 

F. nigra 

F. quadrangulata 

Ulmus rubra 

U. americana 

U. thomasii 

U. alata 

Populus deltoides 

!:· heterophylla 

Liriodendron tulipifera 

Acer saccharum 

A. nigrum 

A. negundo 

A. rubrum 

A. saccharinum 

Platanus occidentalis 

Fagus grandifolia 

Juglans nigra 

Robinia pseudoacacia 

Catalpa spp. 

Maclura pomifera 

Morus rubra 

Sassafras albidum 

"Noncommercial species" includes hawthorn, redbud, 

hophornbeam, hornbeam, serviceberry, and othe rs. 

33 
TERRITORY SERVED BY THE 

CENTRAL STATES FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION 

FOREST SERVICE 

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

IOWA 

0 

0 

MISSOURI 

ILLINOIS 

*C. 5. F. E. S. HEADQUARTERS 

0 RESEARCH CENTER 

/l. EXPERIMENTAL FOREST 

INDIANA