FOREST RESOURCES OF THE SOUTH ARKANSAS DEJ,'IA 

by 

R. K. Winters, Forester 

A Progress Report by 

THE SOUTHW FOREST SURWI' 

I. F. Eldredge, Regional Survey Director 

SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION 

E. L. Demmon, Director 

New Orleans, La. 
FOREWORD 

The Forest Survey, ;which is a fwction of the United 

States Forest Service, was authorized by the McSweeney-McNary 

Forest Research Act of1928 to make a nation-wid.? study of our 

forest resources. Its five-fold object is: (1) to make an 

inventory of the present supply of timber and other forest 

products, 12) to ascertain the rate at which t.hi supply is 

being increased through growth, (3) to drtermina the rate at 

which this supply is being diminished through industrial and lo-- 

cal use, windfall, fire, and disease, (&' to .determine the present 

requirement and the probable future trend in the requirement for 

timber and other forest products, and (5) to correlate these find-. 

ings with existing and anticipated economic conditions, in order 

that policies may be formulated for the effectixre use of lands 

suitable for forest production. 

This release is based on a field survey made chiefly between Aug~1.st 1934 and April 1935 and on two field canvasses of 

forest industrial plants to determine forest drai.n, the l~ast of 

which was completed during July 1937. It should bs regarded only 

as a progress report, since it contains Forest Survsy data that 

will be included in complete reports to be published later and 

that, although considered reliable, are suhject to correction or 

amplification as the work of computation proceeds. Item 4 above, 

which is being studied on a national basis, is not discussed in 

this report. 

In the interpretation of these data, it must be noted 

that, owing to the sampling method used in collecting them, the 

greater the number of samples in any given classiflcation the 

more accurate are the data for that classiflcation- Hence 

classes that are of infrequent, occurrence and relatively small in 

quantity generally cannot be determined with as high a degree of 

acckracy as classes that occur more frequently and in substantially greater quantities. Small tabular items are to be taken 

as showing, not the exact magnitude of the classes involved, but 

their relative magnitude in comparison with thoss of other 

classes. 

In the South, the Forest Survey is an activlty of the 

Southern Forest Experiment Station with headquartsrs at New 

Orleans, La. 

Assisting Staff 

J. A. Futnam, Associate,Forest Economist, In Charge of Field Work 

F. R. Wheeler, Forest Economist, In Charge of Mensurational Analyses 

Note: Assistance in the preparation of this release was furnished by the personnel of Works Progress Administration Official 

Froject 365-64-3-7. 
FOREST RESOURCES OF THE SOUTH ARKANSAS DELTA 

Location and General Description 

The portion of Arkansas treated in this report is a former flood plain 

of the Mississippi River, through which t,he Arkansas, the White, 'he miss is^- 

sippi, and ot,her rivers have cut new channels and developed a later flood plain 

at a lower level, The soils and topography differ accordingly on the two sitt.s. 

The present flood plains, or bottoms, are generally flat; whereas the earlier 

flood plains, or terraces, are slightly undulating, and because they are about 

10 to 20 feet higher they are usually better drained than the bottoms. Altogether, 

this area o ore st Survey Unit Arkansas #l) covers some 5 3/~ million acres, including all or parts of 19 counties, as shown in figure 1. 

The large areas of natural prairie in the central portion of the unit, 

chiefly in Arkansas, Lonoke, and Prairie Counties, along with the adjacenL 

cleared lands, are extensively used for the cultivation of rice. Elsewhere i-. 

the unit, cotton and corn are the chief agricultural crops. Farm tenancy preveils; more than half of all ].and in farms is operated by tenants, but tenancy 

is least in the rice section and greatest in the cotton areas. The plantatib? 

system of farming prevails in the southeastern cowties along the Mississippi 

Rivi?r; elsewhere individual farm operators are more common. According to the 

1910 Census, betuseen 20 and 30 percent of the area in farms was woodland. 

Agriculture and forest industries are the principal means of support of 

the present population, which is largely rural. Villages and small towns are 

common, and only one city, North Little Rock with 20,000 people, had a populatjon of more than 5,000 persons in 1930. On the land adjacent to the Mississippi, Arkansas, White, and Cache Rivers, negroes make up 50 t.o 65 percent of 

the population, but in the prairie portion of the unit they make up only 20 to 

35 percent. 

In the main, this unit is adequately covered by transportation lines. 

Hard-surfaced and gravel all-weather roads are well distributed; and the Mississippi, Arkansas, and White Rivers afford water transportation. Also the 

Missouri-Pacific Railroad; the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific; the Saint 

Louis Southwestern; the Missouri end Arkansas; and two or three local railroad 

lines operate in the unit. 

The nature of the land use is shown in table 1. More than 47 percent 

of the total land area supports a forest stand, and 51 percent is agricultural.. 

Less than 2 percent is in waterways, towns and villages, roads, railroads, etc. 

Of the agricultural land, 69,000 acres is new cropland that had been cleared 

not more than 5 years at the date of survey^, There is reason to believe that 

since that time new cropland has been cleared at an accelerated rate. The 

natural fertility of the alluvial soils found extensively in this unit make it, 

inevitable that still greater agricultural development will take place. The 

relatively large area of idle 2nd abandoned land found by the Survey in 1934 and 

1935 was probably due in part to the depressed market for agricultural crops 

existing at that time; there is reason to believe that some of this idle and 

abandoned land has already been returned to cultivation and that more of' it 

will be returned to cultivation as economic conditions improve. 
Table 1, - Land area classified according to major land uses, 1935 

Owing to the speculative value of land for agricultural use, and to 

the relatively high tax rate, land taxes are higher in the South Arkansas 

Delta than in the "hill-land" to the west. In addition to the ad valorem 

taxes, owners of those lands that are within the boundaries of organized 

drxinage and levee districts (of which there are more than 100 separate enterprises in the unit) paid an average drainage and levee tax of 42k per acre in 

1933, although in individual c'istricts the tax was much greater. This advsrse 

tax situation tends to discourage private timber growing except on the batture 

(I~e., lands lying between the levee and stream or river bank) or on other 

areas free in large part from excessive drainage and levee taxes. 

Land use Total land area 

Acres Percent 

Forest 2,712,400 & 

- 

Agricultural: 

In cultivation: 

Old cropland 2,385,600 41e4 

New cropland 69,000 1-2 

Out of cultivation: 

Idle 195,300 3.4 

Abandoned 69,000 1-2 

1 Improved pasture 221, 400 -323- 

Total agricultural 2,940,300 51.0 - 

Other: 

Nonmeandered waterways, towns, 

villages, roads, railroads, etc. - 93,700 - 

1.6 

Total area 5,766,400 100.0 
9lD DO' 

FOREST TYPES 

OVERCUP OAKBITTER PECAN 

7.m 3- ,-<.m *r= -me - .= =mm 

-u .- - -,-=a mc-m - * ST- rn ,% m 

STATUTE MILES 

20 30 

DREW CHARACTER1 ZED 

MAJOR FOREST TYPES 

N SOUTH ARKANSAS 

ss/ll*iO 8" IQRITT SYPIS" 

IOYTWEDY 1091.7 rl~rai*ru, rrrrau 

SHLE 

MlSSlSSl PPl 

L.A.V. 3-31-30. 02. 0 lo 00. 

FIGURE 1.- FOREST TYPE MAP. 

-3 - 
Forest Description 

Except for the prairies already mentioned, this unit was originally 

forested with a dense stand of virgin hardwood timber. By the early 19th 

century, agricultural settlement was well under way aloY the frontlands of 

the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. In 1819, Nuttall recorded in his 

journal that along the lower reaches of the Arkansas River there existed a 

line of settlements, and that the greatest uninhabited interval did not exceed 

30 miles. Timber cuttings were made almost exclusively for the clearing of 

land and for lumber to be used in local construction until about 1890, when 

sawmills were established t,o cut lumber for shipment by rail or water to 

Northern markets, part of the needs of which are still supplied by mills in 

this unit. 

Practically all the large holdings of virgin timberland have been cut 

over, and the remaining areas of uncut old growth are mostly small and scattered. Although the most accessible and desirable land has been put into cultivation, much of the present forest area is potential agricultural land and 

may become so if future economic conditions warrant its improvement and use 

for this purpose. A few localities, such as the batture lands and the backwater area along the lower reaches of the Arkansas and White Rivers, which are 

subject to overflow almost yearly, can be expected to continue indefinitely in 

forest. 

The situation in regard to the forest area is shown in greater detail 

in table 2, where this area is classified into nine forest types on the basis 

of species composition, and into five forest conditions on the basis of the 

character of the timber stands. The types shown here are somewhat more specific than those given in figure 1, where the small area of pine-hardwood type 

has been included with the mixed oaks-mixed hzrdwood type; and other types, 

unspecified in figure 1, have been included with the red gum-mixed hardwoods 

type. The mixed oaks-mixed hardwood type of the terraces covers the largest 

proportion of the forest area, with the red gun-water oak and hackberry-elmash types following in order. The overcup oak-bitter pecan type accounts for 

the largest proportion of the uncut old-growth condition, largely because the 

principal species of this type are not in demand at the present time. 

The total forest area has been further subdivided on the basis of stand 

per acre and quality of timber into class-A and class-B areas. A class-A area 

is one that supports a stand of adequate quality and volume per acre to warrant 

operation under present.market conditions for such higher-grade products as industrial lumber, cooperage stock, or veneer. Since practically all the forest 

area in this unit is accessible for logging during some season of the year, and 

since motor transportation makes practicable the logging of relatively sp-rse 

stands, forest areas bearing 1,000 board feet per acre or more of higher-grade 

material are considered to be in class A. Class-B areas include all forest 

lands that do not meet these qualifications; some of these areas, which frequently bear stands suitable for cross ties, structural timbers, and lumber for 

domestic use, in time will develop through growth into class-A areas. 

l-/ Nuttall, Thomas. In: Early Western Travels, 1748-1846. Vol. 13. Edited by 

Reuben G. Thwaites. 
Table 2, -- Distribution of total forest area in the vanous forest types and forest conditions, 1935 

-------------~c~~~----------------- - Fercent 

Red gum-water oak 

Mlxed oak mixcd hardwood 

Overcup oak-bitter pecan 

Water oak 

Hackberry-elm-ash 

Co ttonwood-will ow 

Cypress-tupelo gum 

Fine -hardwood 

Scrub oak-scrub hardwood 

Forest, type 

TO tal 144,400 451+,700 813,400 G14,10O u905,600 2,732,400 100.0 

Fei-#?eo 6 of' total 5.3 16.6 29.8 15.2 33 .I 100 .O 

1/ Although t,he Survey data show an area in this type and condition, it is too small to indicate accurately -. 

even t;he relative magnitude of the individual item. The area estimated, however, is carried in the total 

for t,he type and condition. 

2f Of this area, only about, 4 percent can be classed as clear-cut. 

Old growth Second growth, 

s:1wlog SlZ-? 

Second growth, 

under sawlog 

size, reproduction, and 

Uncut ci ear-cut Uncut 

All conditions 

Fartly 

cut, 

Far tly 

rT ut 
Material of the higher grades is contained specifically in logs used for 

lumber and veneer, and other higher-quality logs suitable chiefly for the manufacture of cooperage and specialty stock, Lumber logs are those at least 14 

inches (12 inches in ash) in diameter that can be expected to yield at least U 

30 percent of their lumber volume in grades No. 1 common and better. Logs in 

this class average about 60 percent of their volume in these grades of lumber. 

Cooperage logs and logs for specialty stock are at least 10 inches in diameter 

and of the same general quality as lumber logs, but they cannot be so classified because of their small diameter or excessive sweep. Thess small, highergrade logs are suitable for industrial uses that require bolts or blocks rather 

than logs. In cypress and pine the higher-grade trees are those that will cut 

at least 80 to 90 percent of their lumber volume in grades No. 2 common and 

better, and that, in addition, will produce more than 5 percent in firsts and 

seconds or in B and better, Lower-grade logs of all species are those that do 

not meet the above qualifications. The volume of higher-grade material found 

in partly cut sawlog-size stands is largely made up of species that did not at 

the time of the last cutting have a well-established market, of logs that grew 

into their present size and quality since the last cutting, or of small logs 

suitable only for cooperage and specialty stock. 

Of the total forest area, only about 340,000 acres, or 12 percent, supports a sufficient volume (1,000 board feet or more per acre) of higher-quality 

timber to be classified as class A. Of this class-A area, approximately 24 

percent is in the old-growth uncut condition, 32 percent in the old-growth 

partly cut condition, and 44 percent in the second-growth sawlog-size conditions. More than two-fifths of the class-A forest area is in the red gummixed hardwoods type and the mixed oaks-mixed hardwoods type characteristic of 

the bottoms and terraces, respectivelyForest Inventory 

The volume estimate has been broken down into saw-timber volume, expressed in board feet, and into cordwood volume. The former includes the net 

volume of all usable logs in good trees of sawlog si e regardless of log 

grades. Such trees are at least 13.0 inches d.b.h.2 3 t9.0 inches in pine) and 

contain at least one 12-foot usable butt log (ice., one at least 50 percent 

sound and 10 inches or more in diameter at the small end in hardwood, and 6 

inches or more in pine). If the butt log is cull, these trees must contain 

at least 50 percent of their volume in material suitable for the manufacture of 

lumber of commercial grade, low-grade structural material, low-grade box material, or railroad cross ties. The saw-timber volume, however, includes 

neither the volume of sound cull and rotten cull trees nor the cull volume in 

good trees. 

The cordwood volume of trees under sawlog size (5.0 - 12.9 inches d.b.h. 

in hardwood and cypress, and 5.0 - 8.9 inches in pine) includes the wood and 

bark of the main stem to a usable top, the minimum allowable top being never 

21 "DD,B,H." is the abbreviation for "diameter at breast height," which is the 

tree diameter at 43 feet above the ground, The Survey uses 2-inch diameterclasses; thus, for example, the lower and upper limits of the 14-inch diameterclass are 13.0 and 14.9 inches, respectively. 
less than 4 inches and seldom more than 8. The cordwood volume is alscl net, 

i,e., the volume of cull material that normally would be left in the woods as 

waste has not been included, 

Board-foot volume 

The total net volume according to the Doyle log rule, as shown in table 

3, is 4.6 billion board feet (1935). This total is distributed among the forest conditions as follows: 19 percent is in the old-growth uncut condition, 

28 percent is in the old-growth partly cut condition, and 53 percent is in the 

remaining second-growth and reproduction conditions. Considering the total 

board-foot volume from another point of view, less than 37 percent is in the 

higherquality (class-A) stands; appvoximately 45 percent of this is highergrade material suitable for industrial lumber, veneer, and cooperage. In the 

stands of lower quality (class-B), only 10 percent of the total board-foot volume is higher-grade material. Of the total volume on both class-A and class-B 

areas, 23 percent is of the higher grades. The distribution of the higher- and 

lower-grade material among the sawlog-size forest conditions is shown in figure 

2, These data indicate plainly that the timber volume in this unit is largely 

of lower quality and that it is largely in partly cut old-growth and in secondgrowth stands. 

" 

OLD GROWTH OLD GROWTH SECONO-GROWTH SECOND-GROWTH 

UNCUT PARTLY CUT SAWLOG -SIZE SAWLOG -SIZE 

UNCUT PARTLY CUT 

FIGURE 2.- TIMBER VOLUME BY FOREST CONDITIONS AND QUALITY - CL A SSLS. 
Table 3. - Total net volume of good trees on forest areas, by forest conditions and species-groups, 1935 

I. BY FOREST CONDITIONS 

Forest condition and 

species-group 

0l.d growth: 

Uncut 

Fartly cut 

Second growt,h: 

Sawlog size: 

Uncut 

Partly cut 

Under sawlog size 

Reproduction 

Clear-cut 

Total 

Volume on class-A areas Volume on class-B areas 

Cordvcoodu 

Cords 

496,000 

445,500 

720,900 

182,800 - 

- 

- 

1,845,200 

Saw timber (Doyle) 

Total volume 

In highergrade logs 

M bd.ft. 

272,500 

200,600 

256,800 

33,200 - 

- 

- 

763,100 

~ordwood~ 

- Cords 

352,100 

1,251,900 

4,034,100 

1,994,700 

3,382,000 

10,300 

9,400 

11,034,50C 

Saw timber 

(Doyle) 

M bd.ft. 

870,200 

1,288,100 

1,673,200 

585,600 

142,800 

.4,500 

1,600 

4,566,000 

Saw timber (Doyle) 

In lowergrade logs 

M bd.ft. 

300,000 

286,200 

274,000 

54,100 

- 

- 

- 

911,300 

Cordwoodu 

Cords 

848,100 

1,697,400 

4,755,000 

2,177,500 

3,382,000 

10,300 

9,400 

12,879,700 

In highergrade logs 

M bd.ft. 

29,100 

74,900 

126,500 

57,800 

7,300 - 

- 

295,600 

In lowergrade logs 

M bd.ft. 

268,600 

726,400 

1,015,900 

440,500 

135,500 

4,500 

1,600 

2,593,000 
TI. BY SFECIES GROUPS 

Red gum 

Water oaks 

Red oaks 

White oaks 

Orercup oak2/ 

Ash 

Cottonwood 

Willqys 

EZms-CI 

Black nd tupelo 

gums 47 

Cypress 

I Bitter pec v 

w Hickories 

I 

57 

Hackberry 

~iscellaneous-6/ 

Total 761,1001 914,300( 1,845,200( 295,6001 2,593,0001 11,034,500~ 4,566,000(17,879,700 

I/ Cordwood volume of trees under sawlog size, including the wood and bark of the main stem t,o a usable top. - 

the minimum allowable top never being less than 4 inches and seldom more than 8. Cordwood volume was calculated on a basis of 80 cubic feet per cord for hardwood species and 90 cubic feet for pine and cypress. 

Only woods cull was deducted from the cordwood vol II~FI. 

21 Approximately 10 percent of this volllrne is "hillt1 post oak. 

3/ Approximately 55 psrcent of thj.s volwnr is white elm. 

+ Approximately 40 percent of this volume is black. gun. 

53 Approximately 40 percent of this volume is sweet pecan. 

hi.Inclu3es ~ ~ a small volume of pine (approximately 44 million board feet and 6'7,000 cords). 
The water oaks species-group has the largest volume, with a 'otal of 876 

million board feet. Overcup oak, red gum, and the elm group follow in order. 

It is significant from the point of view of wood utilization that nearly 90 

percent of the board-foot volume in overcup oak and also in bitter pecan is in b 

the lower-grade logs, for which the finding of a market outlet is a very important problem. 

A sharper picture than that given in table 3 perhaps can be obtained 

from table 4, where the average stand per acre is shown on class-A and class-B 

areas by forest conditions, higher-grade and lower-grade material combined. 

Class-A areas averaged 4,970 board feet per acre and class-B areas 1,210 board 

feet, The average stand per acre of the total forest area was 1,670 board 

feet, but for the forest conditions that are characterized by sawlog-size 

stands it was 2,420 board feet" 

Table I+, - Average number of board feet ver acre (Doyle log scale) on class-A 

and class-B areas, classified by forest conditions, 1935. 

Old growth: 

- - Board feet (Doyle) - - - - - - - 

Weighted 

average Forest condition 

Uncut 7,010 4,750 

Partly cut 4,580 2,300 

Class-A areas 

Second growth: 

Class-B areas 

Sawlog size: 

Uncut 4,460 1,650 

Partly cut 2,890 1,300 

Under sawlog size, reproduction, 

clear-cut, and nonproductive 

areas - 160 160 

Weighted average, all 

conditions 4,970 1,210 1,670 

Although the Doyle rule is the legal rule of Arkansas and is in general 

use for timber estimates in the South, its application to stands made up mainly 

of small trees results in an understatement of the actual volume recoverable in 

lumber. The volume in this Survey unit, according to the International a-inch 

log rule, which closely approximates green lumber tally, is 6.2 billion board 

feet; according to the Scribner log rule, it is 5.6 billion board feet. The 

average stand per acre, with the International a-inch rule, is 2,280 board feet 
as compared to 1,670 board feet with the Doyle rule. Hereafter in this report, 

because of the necessity of correlating drain expressed in lumber tally with 

volume and increment figures, the International a-inch rule is used to represent green lumber tally. 

Cordwood volume 

In addition to the saw-timber volume and the volume in sound trees under 

sawlog size already shown in table 3, there is, as determined by a very rough 

estimate, 14.1 million standard (4 x 4 x 8 feet) cords of sound wood including 

bark, which is classified as follows: 

Source Cords 

Tops and limbs of good trees of sawlog size......... 9,254,000 

Sound wood in stems, tops, and limbs of cull trees.. 4,827,300 

14,081,300 

In sawlog-size trees, this cordwood volume includes that portion of the 

main stem above the usable sawlog limit and also the volume of all hardwood and 

cypress limbwood over 4 inches in diameter. In cull trees, this volume includes 

all sound stemwood in trees 5.0 inches d.b.h. and larger, together with sound 

limbwood in sawlog-size hardwood and cypress trees. Although this material is 

sound and suitable for many uses, little is now being marketed because of lack 

of demand. The total cordwood volume, including good trees under sawlog size, 

tops and limbs of sawlog-size trees, and cull trees, is approximately 

26,961,000 cords. 

Cubic-foot volume 

The cubic-foot equivalent of the total saw-timber volume is (1935) 

1,089 million cubic feet inside bark,and the cubic volume of good trees under 

sawlog size, but at least 5.0 inches d.b.h., is 820 million cubic feet excluding bark; therefore, the total cubic volume in good trees only, excluding 

cull trees, tops, and limbs, is 1,909 million cubic feet. 

Forest Increment 

The net annual forest increment is the volume added during the year by 

growth to the individual trees, plus the merchantable volume newly created by 

small trees developing into merchantable sizes, and minus the losses due to 

mortality. This net increment represents, in a general way, the cut that can 

be made each year without reducing the volume of the original growing stock. 

Board-foot increment, therefore, is made up of (1) the growth on trees 

already of sawlog size, plus (7) the total board-foot volume in trees becoming 

sav~log size during the year, minus (3) the losses due to mortality. This increment, which is expressed in green lumber tally, is based on good trees only, 

from which all cull material is excluded. Similarly, cubic-foot increment 

represents (1) the growth on sound stemwood in good trees at least 5.0 inches 

d.b.h. (including in sawlog-size trees only the saw-timber material), plus (2) 

the total volume (excluding cull material) of small trees becoming at least 5.0 

inches d.b.h. during the year, minus (3) the losses due to mortality. 
Table 5 shows the 1935 increment per acre in the various forest conditions in terms of board feet and cubic feet,, excluding bark. In calculating 

these increments, deductions for natural mortality have been made; but no deductions have been made for material removed in timber-cutting operations or 

for the effect of this cutting on the year's increment, Cubic-foot increment 

includes material in the sawlog portion of sawlog-size trees, in the upper 

stems of sawlog-size pines, and in trees under sawlog size. 

Table 5. - Average incrementl/per acre of class-A and class-B forests 

by forest conditions, 1.935. 

Class-A area: 

Old growth, uncut 

Old growth, partly cut 

Second growth, sawlog size 

p~ 

Forest condition 

Board feet (green 

lumber tally 

Annual increment 

Cubic feet 

(inside bark) 

Class-B area: 

Old growth, uncut 121 18.3 

Old growth, partly cut 60 13.9 

Second growth, sawlog size 144 27-4 

Second growth, under sawlog size 42 25.0 

All conditions3/ 100 2302 

1/ Figures in this table do not include increment resulting from the change 

of class-B areas to class-A areas (see footnote 3, table 6) 

21 Based on International a-inch rule 

Reproduction and clear-cut conditions included 

The average increment per scre for the entire forest was 100 board 

feet or 23 2 cubic feet in 1935 On the 149,300 acres of second-growth 

sawlog-size class-A area, the increment per acre averaged 265 board feet, or 

36-1 cubic feet* The relatively high increment in the old-growth uncut stands 

is largely due to a high volume per acre and to the fact that even in stands 

characterized by old-growth trees some of the trees are of a younger age-class 

and are rapid growing 

Table 6 shows the total net volume of wood added to the inventory of 

good trees on the entire forest area during 1935, expressed in board feet (lumber tally) for sawlog-size material, and in standard cords (4 x 4 x 8 feet) for 

material under sawlog size. In arriving at these estimates, deductions were 

made for natural losses but not for the effect of timber cutting The movement 

of trees from one diameter-group to another was also taken into account, as 

well as the advancement of certain areas from class B to class A, The total 
Table 6. - Forest increment,l/classified according to forest condition, 1935 

Old gr0wt.h: 

Fares% condition 

Uncut, 

Fartly cut 

Second growth: 

I 

+ Saw1ng sl z* 

w 

I 

Und-r sawlog ;iz+ 

incrementu in trees 

under sawlog size 

Reproduct,ion and 

cl ear-cil t, 

Increment in sawlog-size trees 

Class-A 

area-?] 

Diameter-classes 

14-18 in. 

C1a.s~-B 

area / a 

~~. - 

265,600 M hoard feet, is obtained when the 1935 timber cut, enters into-the calculation, 

2/ This incrrment includes the annual growth on trees at least, 5..0 inches d.b..h.. that remain under sawlog size . . 

throughout th- year, pl.us the volume in trees that during the year move into the 6--inch diameter-class. 

31 The annual increment. on class-A forest areas includes not only the increment on areas that were class-A at, 

the beginning of the y-ar. but also the total timber volume added through movement of areas from class4 to 

class-A as a resulk. of 1 ysar's growth. A negative board-foot increment on class-B forest areas indicates (!! 

that; the volumes on areas moving from class-B to class-A were greater than the increment on areas remaining in 

class-B, and (2) that t,he mort,ality in residual stands is heavy 

4; A negative annual increment of trees under sawlog size means that the volwre of trees changing from under 

sawlog size to sawlog size is greater than the increment of the trees that were under sawlog size at -the end 

of the gear (see foot,note 2). 

---- cords - - - - - 

Class-A 

area 

Total all condi.i-,ions 

- - - - - - - -M board feet (green lumber tally)- -- - - - - - 

Diame-ter-clasees 

20 in. and over 

Class-A Class-B 

area I area 

Total 

23,500 /,.29,4OO 457,900 64,700 97,900 101,200 10,500 165,300 108,400 273,700 

1/ These increment figures are based on the assumption that no cutting takes place- A total incremeni; of 

sawlog-size trees 

Class 

area C1;:B Total 
increment for all forest conditions was 273 7 million board feet. It is sig- _r 

nificant from the standpoint of the timber operation that 60 percent of thls 

total occurred on class-A forest areas and 41 percent was in trees 20 Inches 

d.b.h. and larger. It is therefore apparent that approximately half the rt! 

board-foot increment is being laid on trees that either occur in stands that 

are attractive to operators or are of a size suitable for industrial utilization. 

As might be expected, a very large proportion (91, ~ercent) of the total 

cordwood increment of 457,900 cords is on class-B areas, where the proportion 

of trees under sawlog size is largest This shows plainly that a very large 

part of the increment in trees under sawlog size is being added on areas that 

bear too small a volume of marketable material to be attractive at present to 

industrial lumber operators; these areas, aggregating 2 4 million acres, must 

be held until their timber reaches merchantable size 

Forest-Products Industries 

In 1937, the South Arkansas Delta supported within its boundaries 201 

forest-industrial plants, of which 143 were sawmills (fig. 3). In addition, 

12 sawmills and 16 nonlwnber forest-industrial plants located chiefly in 

Memphis, in west Mississippi, and in other parts of Arkansas, drew a substantial volume of logs from the forests of this unit. 

Lumber industry 

The medium-sized and large sawmills in this unit, of which there were 

13 in 1937 (table 71, are the remnants of the industrial setup which during 

the past four decades cut the virgin hardwood timber for the nation's industrial hardwood-lumber market These mills are still cutting some virgin timber, but for the most part they are relying on second and third cuttings of 

forest land. In the main, they are of the single-band type, are operated by 

steam power, and are equipped to produce standard grades of well-manufactured 

lumber, which is usually air dried Owing to exhaustion of nearby timber supplies of a quality to meet their requirements, several of these mills probably 

will be abandoned or moved within the next few years Others, especially 

those near the Mississippi River where water transportation lengthens the logging reach, and where fast-growing, low-cost batture timber is available, can 

be expected to continue longer, perhaps indefinitely 

The small portable mil's, of which there were about 130 in 1937, differ 

from one another chiefly with respect to kind of ownership. Some are owned by 

farmers and operated intermittently in connection with farming; others are 

owned by commercial operators, who make a large part of their living by cutting 

lumber, timbers, or ties. The farm mills are usually operated by a steam or 

gasol'ine engine, and their equipment usually consists of only a circular saw and 

a log carriage with occasionally an edger and cut-off saw- These mills, most of 

which have a capacity of 3,000 to 6,000 board feet per day, generally operate 

only 10 to 60 days during the year. The commercial mills may differ very little 

in equipment from the farm mills, but they usually have a somewhat larger capacity and operate a greater portion of the year. 

1 Table 7. - Production and em2loyment data in the lumber industry, 1937 

ur M bd.ft " Mt d.ft. 

Thousand 

man-day s man-days 

Daily capacity 

unit 

Under 20 130 34,800 5 2 34,800 42 

20 - 39 5 17,500 36 27,400 40 

40 and over 8 62,900 110 103,000 134 

Produced 

by mills 

in the Mills 

Total lA3 115,200 198 165,200 216 

1/ Based on a 10-hour operating day and green lumber tally 

. . 

Arthough the medium-sized and large mills are scattered more or less 

indiscriminately throughout the unit, the small portable mills are concentrated in the north and west portions, away from the frontlands of the Mississippi River and the plantation country (fig. 3). These sawmills are found in 

tile portion of the unit where small, isolated patches of workable timber occu 

and where snail, independent farm operators are common. 

Mill 

employment 

In 1937, the timber cut from the forests of the unit for manufacturing 

into lumber both inside and outside the unit amounted to 165 million board fet 

Comparison of this figure witn the 115 million board feet cut by sawmills of 

the unit indicates that more logs were cut and shipped outside for manufactur: 

than were cut outside and brought in for sawmilling, The 13 sawmills with a 

daily capacity of 20,000 board feet and over accountred for 70 percent of the 

lumber production, whereas the 130 small miils account,ed for only 30 percnnt I 

the total cut. (table 7). The production increased from 98 million board feet 

in 1935 to 129 million board feet in 1956, but dropped to 115 million in 1937 

the unit 

Nonlumber industries 

Produced 

fromforests of . . 

Table 8 shov:s in the unit 58 nonlumber primary wood-using plants, whicl 

can operate, in large part: on either smaller higher-quality trees and logs 0: 

on lower-q-~ality material found in second-growth and partly cut old-growth 

stands; more than 80 percent, of the board-foot volume in this unit is in such 

stands. These plants accounted for 227,000 man-days of mill employment, whils 

the woods employment afforded by nonlumber forest-industrial plants drawing 

from this unit amounted to 246,000 man-days, 

Woods 

employment 
Table 8. - Production and em~lovment data& the nonlwnoer 

forest industries, 1937 

Thousand Thousand 

Number M bd.ft. man-days M bd.ft. man-days 

7 , '5,000 47 41,100 54 

Kind of plant 

or 

commodity 

Hewed cross ties 

poles end piles 

CordS 

Tightboooperage material 14 15,000 18 14,500 23 

Slack-cooperage material 6 18,000 29 15,500 16 

Chemical wood - - - 17,700 23 

Handles 17 3,000 5 3,100 6 

Plants in 

unit 

pulpwood - - - 14,400 15 

Miscel laneousa' 14 llL,200 133 10,800 16 

s Total 

11 Cordwood volume is expressed in standard (4 x 4 x 8 feet) cords, inclu~ding .- 

bark. Board-foot volumes are in terms of ?he International $-inch log rule. 

Man-days are based on a l0-hour day. 

21 Includes 2 treating plants, 3 shingle mills, 7 small-dimension plants, 1 

exc:elsior plant, and 1 plant ;naking net hoaps. 

Produced 

by plants 

in unit 

Employment 

With the data availa'ale, it is impossible to translate the total employment figure of 887,000 man-days into the exact number of persons receiving 

either full- or part-time employment in the forest industries; on the basis, 

however, of 200 working days per year, this amount of employment would furnish 

full-time occupation for about 4,500 persons. In consideration of the number 

of small forest-industrial plants working in-termittently, it is possible that 

as many as 9,000 persons receive full- or part-time employment in the forests 

and mills of this unit. To this should be addec: the labor involved in cutting 

the 0.6 million cords of fuel wood (from live growing stock and from dead and 

cull trees, cut both on and off farms) and the 3 million fence posts used in 

this unit; this probably amounts to approximately 816,000 man-days. Although 

only a small portion of this additional employlne~lt - possibly not more than 

10 percent - was for cash wages, it represents an important employment item in 

the life of the people. The material thus produced, without cash outlay and 

usually without interference in normal gainful employment, is a scbstitute for 

material that would otherwise have to be purchased. 

Plant employment 

Produced 

from forests in 

mi t 

Woods employment 
Forest Crain 

In table 9 is shown the total volume of wood rerroved from the growing 

stock of the unit during 1937 for use in industry and for domestic pur.Fcses. 

This volume, termed forest drain, is the total volume of usable material removed from the growing stock by cutting. It cioes not include losses due to 

mortality, which are taken into accoun-t in calculating the increment; neither 

does it include material cu-t from cull and dead trees or frcm limbs, none of 

which is considered to be a part of the growing stock. Thus, drsin in board 

feet in table 9 includes the volume actually used (from tables 7 and 8), plus 

the volume l e f t i n the woods as cutting waste because, although it met the Survey specifications for usable material, it did not meet the requirements of the 

particular user or of the current market. In the last column of table 9, dre.in 

is expressed in cubic feet, inside bark. It includes both the sawlog portion 

of sawlog-size trees and the contents of the main stem of good trees at least 

5.0 inches d.b;h. but under sawlog size.. 

Table 9. - Net ve7 

other domestic uses 29,700 17,210 

Total 343,300 69,800 

From all trees 5.0 lnche 

d b h and larger Commodity 

The total 1937 drain from sawlog-size trees of the growing stock was 

343 million board feet, and corresponding drain against the total growing 

stock, including material in a1.l trees 5.0 inches d.b.h. and larger was 70 

mil~lion ccbic feet. In 1.936, the board-foot and cubic-foot drain against ths 

growing stock was 396 million board feet and 77 million cubic feet, respectively. In 1935, the comparat,le draln was 31L million bo-rd feet and hL million cubic feet. It is estimated that at least 60 percent of this board-foot 

drain is taken from class-A arees, which furnish a high proport.ion of t,hs 

- - - M bd. ft, - - - - M cu. ft. (i,b - 

Lmber 186,OCO 28,000 

Veneer 45,500 6,760 

Tight-cooperage material 9,900 1,190 

Slack-cooperage material 10,600 1,630 

Poles and piles 200 LO 

Hewed cross ties 35,600 6. 000 

Handles 1,300 340 

Pulpwood 300 82C 

Material used by miscellaneous industries 5,400 2,280 

Material cut in clearing 

lan2 17,800 5,230 

Material cut for fuel, 

farm fence oosts. and 

Frnm sawlog-sjze trees 
FIGURE 4. - COMPARISON OF GROSS GROWTH AND TOTAL DRAIN OF SAWTIMBER MATERIAL 

FIGURE 5.- COMPARISON OF GROSS GROWTH AND TOTAL DRAIN OF ENTIRE 

GROW1 NG STOCK. 
volume cut for lumber, veneer, and cooperage material. The remainder comes 

from class-B areas largely by clearing land, cutting fuel wood, and cutting 

for other domestic uses. 

Comparison of Increment and Drain 

Timber inventory data are based on field work done chiefly during the 

latt,er part of 1934 and early 1935, and represent conditions as of Jan. 1, 

1935. Subsequent changes in this growing stock caused by additions due to 

growth and by subtractions due to cutting timber and natural mortality are 

shown in table 10. 

Table 10. Changes in the growing stock 

M bd. ft. (lumber tally) M cu. ft. (i.b.' 

Jan. 1, 1935 

Jan. 1, 1936 

Jan. 1, 1937 

Jan. I, 1938 

All trees 5.0 inches 

d.b.h. and larger 

Date 

From this table we see that both the board-foot volume and the cubic volume of the growing stock (all trees 5.0 inches d.b.h. and larger) have declined 

during the 3 year period. Although the total amount of this reduction is so 

small that no lack of wood suppl~ seems probable for many years to come, the 

situation is by no means satisfactory. The most serious aspect of this comparison of increment and drain is from the point of view of timber of the kind and 

quality required by forest industries. It is estimated that in 1935 the increment on the higher-quality (class-4.) areas was 160 million board feet, whereas 

the corresponding drain was more than 200 million board feet. In 1917 it is 

estimated that the drain on class-A areas had risen to more than 230 million 

bcard feet, which indicates an alarming overcut of the areas upon which the industrial plants of the unit chiefly rely for their raw material. Since over 

half the board-foot drain is the result of lumbering operations, it would appear that until a considerable part of the area now classed as class B is transformed into class A through growth and development, or unless the sawmill requirements for standing timber are reduced, this unbalanced condition will 

continue ., 

Saw-timber material 

A more detailed picture of the balance of increment and drain is shown 

in table 11, where it is seen that the 1937 loss through natural mortality was 

72 milllon board feet, or more than 20 percent of the commodity drain. To the 

extent that this loss can be either reduced or salvaged, the deficlt in boardfoot growing stock can be decreased without reducing the quantity cut. In 

figures 4 and 5 the gross growth and total drain are compared graphically, and 

in flgure 6 1s shown the net effect of growth and drain on the saw-timber grow 

ing stock. 
Table 11. - Comparison of increment with drain, 1937 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1937 6,055,800 1,901,880 

Iten 

Growth 350,300 93,460 

Mortality 71,600 23,630 

Saw-timber material All trees 5.0 inches 

d.b.h. and larger 

Net increment 278,700 69,830 

Commodity drain 342,800 69,730 

Net change in growing stock -64,100 100 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1938 5,991,700 1,901,980 

M bd.ft. (lumber tally) M cu.ft. (i.b.) 

F/GURE 6.- 

TO INCREMENT 

SAW-TIMBER GROWING STOCK AND NET C 

AND DRAIN FOR THE 3 YEARS ENDING DE 

HANGE 

C. 31. 

DUE 

1937. 
Outlook for the Future 

In general, the forests of this unit have deteriorated badly, and the 

present excess of board-foot drain over increment is depleting the forest 

capital still more. Only 12 percent of the total forest area bears at least 

1,000 board feet per acre of the grade of logs usable for the manufacture of 

industrial lumber, veneer, cooperage material, and similar products. The remaining 88 percent is characterized either by thrifty, rapid-growing, but immature growing stock, or by residual, but largely unmerchantable, mature trees 

left after heavy cutting. From the point of view of merchantable raw materials, 

this unit has a glorious past and a promising future but a very limited present. 

The soils of this unit are almost entirely alluvial and, in the main, are 

suitable for agriculture. There is every indication that, as low prices for 

agricultural crops tend to force farmers from the less fertile upland soils into 

the river bottoms, the clearing away of the forest to make more land available 

for agricultural use will continue and possibly be accelerated. It is doubtful, 

however, if the forest area ever will be reduced below 25 or 30 percent of the 

total area, and it does not seem likely that such a shrinkage will take place 

for many years. This means that at least 12 million acres of forest land can 

be expected to continue permanently in timber production. Of this total, approximately 150,000 acres is batture land along the Mississippi and Arkansas 

Rivers. Owing to its untenable position for farming, because of the flood 

hazard, and its very favorable tax situation, the continued use of this class 

of land for timber production by private landowners is practically assured. 

For the immediate future, a shrinkage in the volume of timber used in 

the manufacture of industrial lumber, veneer, and cooperage, is inevitable. 

The growing stock in its present stage of development is unsuited, both in 

quantity and quality, to meet continuously the needs of the existing plants. 

Some of the larger sawmills presumably will cease operations in the relatively 

near future, owing to the lack of accessible timber supplies of suitable quality. 

Gradually, as the forest industries become adjusted to the quantity and quality 

of timber available for use, and as the present immature growing stock increases 

in volume through growth and approaches maturity, an expansion in the industries 

may be expected. As a matter of fact, even if the forest area is reduced eventually through continued agricultural development to the minimum of 13 million 

acres, but in the meantime the growing stock is built up to yield an average 

annual increment per acre equal to that of the better-stocked second-growth 

stands, it will supply a larger sustained annual yield than the whole area does 

now; this yield would more than meet the present industrial and domestic overdraft on the area. 

In order to increase the timber increment in this unit to a point that 

will permit the maximum permanent development of the forest industries, a nmber of improvements in forestry practices are needed: 

1. An effective program for prevention and suppression of forest fires. 

Even on the wettest situations in the bottom lands, fires in the dry 

season damage severely the standing timber, causing a loss in actual 

volume, largely through subsequent decay, and a reduction in grade 

or quality of part of the timber that is not destroyed. Furthermore, 

these fires effectively prevent the establishment and development of 

an adequate stand of young trees. 
2. Improvement in the quality and composition of forest stands. Defective and slow-growing trees and those of the commercially inferior species should be removed from all stands to make room for 

the establishment and growth of thriftier trees of the more valuable 

species. The taking of more of the domestic fuel wood, fence posts, 

and similar material from low-quality residual trees, from cull timber, and from thinnings rather than from sound, thrifty trees, would 

help to accomplish the desired end; and the development of the use 

of lor-quality trees for conversion into chemicals, pulp, fibers, 

etc., would further materially the silvicultural betterment of the 

stands. 

3. The full and most economic use of the trees cut. All portions of 

trees should be converted into the products for which they are best 

suited - san~logs, cooperage and veneer stock, bolts, ties, etc. - 

rather than be used arbitrarily for a single product or discarded. 

This end can be accomplished best by the practice of diversified 

utilization, in which the landowner disposes of all the products 

of his forest. This could be done and an additional economy be 

attained if all the trees to be removed from a stand were cut in 

closely-timed operations, and the resulting logs and bolts marketed 

for the best use their size and quality permitted. 

The first two measures, if generally carried out, will do much to place the 

forest land of this unit in a position for maximum timber production and thereby 

permit the development of a diversified forest industry, in balance with its supply 

of raw material, furnishing employment to many people, and adding considerably to 

the local industrial income. The third measure will go far toward making practicable the type of selective cutting needed to improve the present stands through 

coordination with conservative management practices. In this unit, where farm 

land and woodland are generally intermingled, timber cropping of forest land 

should be a desirable adjunct to agriculture, since it provides material for 

domestic use and off-season woods employment for farm labor; in addition, the 

sale of woods products adds to the farm or plantation income. Although the 

measures listed above can be applied by almost anyone interested in making his 

woodland contribute most to his needs, there is a demand for an expansion of 

extension work to explain the idea of timber culture and to demonstrate that 

in this area there is a definite place for both timber culture and agriculture. 

In brief, the outlook for the immediate future in this unit comprises 

(a) a slowly shrinking forest area, as a result of conversion to cgricultural 

lands; (b) a continuing excess of forest drain over increment; and (c) a decrease in the volume of production of higher-grade industrial forest commodities. Although the superior claim of farm crops to the fertile soils of this 

favorably located section of the Delta must be recognized, successful agriculture always will depend upon a convenient, adequate supply of wood for the 

production of fence posts, fuel wood and other domestic-use material, as well 

as raw materials for sale. Furthermore, in all parts of the unit there are 

certain extensive areas primarily suitable for forests that cannot be converted 

readily or economically to agricultural crops. On some of these areas, notably 

on the batture lands, the commercial growing of timber seems very feasible. 

Owners of such lands and of other forest land not suited for crops should be 
aided to develop the forest possibilities of their lands to the full capacity 

of the sites, through tax relief, extension work in forestry, cooperative fire 

protection service, and the development of new markets for material now unsalable. In this way will the forest lands best serve their owners and the communities in which they occur.