FOREWORD 

The nation-wide Forest Survey, being conducted by the United 

States Forest Service, was authorized by the McSweeney-McNary 

Forest Research Act of 1928. Its five-fold object is: (1) to make 

an inventory of the present supply of 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 supp 

is being diminished through industrial and local use, windfall, fire 

and disease; (4) to determine the present requirement and the probable 

future trend in the requirement 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 land suitable for forest production. 

This release is based on a field survey made March 14, 1916, to 

May 2,,1936 and on two field canvasses of forest industrial planis to 

determine forest drain, the last of which was completed during May 1938. 

It should be regarded only as a progress report since it contains Forest 

Survey data that will be included in complete reports to be published 

later, and that, although considered reliable, are subject to correction 

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

which is being studled on a national basis, is not discussed in this 

report. 

In the presentation of these survey data, it should be noted 

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

the number of samples in any given classification the more accurate are 

the data for that classification. Hence classes that are of infrequent 

occurrence and relatively small in quantity generally cannot be determined with as high a degree of accuracy 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 those of othe 

classes. 

In the South, the Forest Survey functions as an activity of th 

Souihern Forest Experiment Station with headquarters at New Orleans, La. 

I Assisting Staff 

J. M. Tinker, Assistant Timber Expert, In Charge of Field Work 

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

Note: Assistance in the preparation of these materials was furnished 

by the personnel of Work Projects Administration official project 65-2-64- 
FURLST RfGUURChS ifi THE TEINESSEE VALLEY 

OF NORTH ALABAMA 

i General Description of the Unit 

I 

2 

Forest Survey Unit No. 6 in north Alabama embraces 10 counties that lie 

i,]most exclusively in the watershed of the Tennessee River (fig. 2). The unit, 

4,595,900 acres, extends entirely across the northern part of the 

:;state, with its southern boundary roughly parallel to, and about 50 miles south 

the Tennessee State line. The Tennessee River, which enters the unit in 

ithe northeast corner and flows through it for 200 miles before swinging northjward to enter Tennessee, is highly important to the economy of this area, as it 

I is under intensive developfi~ent by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Flood con- 

! trol, power development, inland waterway transportation, production of fertil- i izer, soil conservation, and the encouragement of industrial development are 

:some of the major objectives. Abundant power and water-transportation facilities should increase industrialization, but at present agriculture predominates; 

:in 1935 three-fourths of the unit was in farms. Forest land, including that, in 

farms, occupied 47 percent of the land area at the time of the survey in 1916. 

~o~o~ra~hygand soils are the more important factors influencing the use 

of land, as will be brought out later in this report. The variability of the 

terrain is indicated in figure 1, which shows the main physical divisions of 

!the area. Lookout Mountain, with an elevation of 1,200 to 1,700 feet, is a flat- 

,topped ridge averaging 5 miles in width, along the limiting escarpment of which 

considerable recreational development has occurred. Sand Mountain, which is 

1,700 feet high at the Georgia line but becomes gradually lower toward the south- 

: west, has a gently rolling, slightly concave top 8 to 18 miles wide, terminating 

I at each edge in a steep escarpment. Both the Wills and Sequatchie Valleys, which 

. average 5 miles in width, were cleared and used for agriculture in the early 

I settlement period and at present are largely untimbered. The Tennessee River 

/ flows through the Sequatcliie Valley as far south as Guntersville, where it turns 

i northwest to flow through the Jackson County Mountains and the Highland Rim. # 

k 

i 1 The Jackson County Mountains are flat-topped remnants of the original 

,broad plateau. Their main drainage flows south and southeast into the Tennessee 1 River, but numerous small creeks have cut through the ridges forming individual 

! mountains. Elevations range from 1,100 feet just swdth of the Tennessee River 

t 

?to about 1,700 feet near the Tennessee line. The Highland Rim with an average 

j altitude of about 600 feet is a gently rolling upland, a high proportion of 

i which is used for cultivated crops. 

The Warrior Basin, which slopes toward the south, is a much-broken and 

eroded plateau with an elevation of about 1,100 feet where it rises abruptly 

froin Moulton Valley, a rolling open valley 3 to 10 miles wide and 575 to 650 feet 

above sea level. Streams starting in the escarpment of Warrior Basin cross 

Moulton Valley and cut through Little Mountain (600 to 800 feet high and 8 to 10 

miles wide) in narrow ravines; between these streams on Little Mountain are some 

I scattered tracts of level land, but most of the land is steeply rolling. 

" 

I - 

Data for this and the following two paragraphs and figure 1 are taken from 

"Physical divisions of northern Alabama," Geological Survey of Alabama, Bull. 

1 No. 38, 1930. 

L 
FIGURE I - PHYSICAL DIVISIONS OF ALABAMA UNIT NO. -6 

The extreme southwest corner of the unit lies in the Gulf Coastal Plain 

r~hici here has a very rough and broken surface owing to stream action on the 

unconsolidated coastal-plain material. 

In the Highland Rim, and in Moulton and Sequatchie Valleys, the parent 

material of the soils is limestone; in the mountains, sandstones and shales 

predominate; and in the Coastal Plain: the unconsolidated materials are largely 

sands, clays, and limestones. About 40 soil series are represented, each of 

'.,which is divided into several. soil types. The DeKalb series, which is found on 

about one-fourth of the area, is most abundant in Jackson, Marshall and DeKalb 

Counties. This series, which occurs upon fairly level plateaus or flat mountain tops, is derived from decomposition of the underlying sandstone; its fine 

sandy loam is extensively used for agricultural crops. The Cecatur series, 

which exemplifies the soils derived from the limestones, occupies about onetenth of the unit urea, chiefly in Madison, Limestone, Lawrence, and Colbert 

Counties; its clay-loam and loam are valuable agricultural lands. The Guin series (undifferentiated), one of the more common Coastal Plain soils, is found 

in Franklin County; it is chiefly used for timber production. Nearly one-tenth 

of the unit area is classified as rough or stony land, useless for agricultural 

crops, and of only mediocre value for growing timber. 

The climate is temperate and comparatively uniform. The annual average 

temperature of the Tennessee Valley is 61' F. Average minimum and maximum 

summer temperatures at Florence, Ala., range from about 67' to 90°, whereas 

winter temperatures range from 32O to 530. The frost-free growing season is 

about 210 days, compared with over 290 days along the Gulf Coast. Rainfall is 

heaviest in the winter and early spring, particularly in March, while the two 

driest months are September and October. Annual precipitation averages about 

52 inches, of which a very small proportion falls as snow. 

The run-off from Wills Valley and Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County is 

carried southwestward by several small streams into the Coosa River; while 
areisin the south part of Lav;rence, Florgan, and >,lsrshall Counties (in 

tke l::srrior 3.sin) are er-inei by tributaries of the Alack Warriol-. Goth these 

$,ri.;ers$ which flo'?~ southvrard by way of the Alabama and Tombigbee, empty ultip mately into the Gulf of P1c:iico at ?.lobile. The drainage of the of th:? 

,it flouts by nems of many small streams into the Tennessee ~i~~~,,,hich 

,npRpties into the Ohio River at Paducah, Ky. 4 

'5 

Sheet erosion in varying degrees of intensit7 occurs throughout the unit, I' ,xce?L ~n li!nitcd c~reas along some of the streams. The largest areas of severe 

sheet erosion are found in L,auderdale, Colberi, I"ladison, DeKalb,and Franklin 

~~~~iies. T.Io6erate shcet erosion with occasional ellies is the rule in the 

\jarrior Basin and on Lookout, Sand, and Little ;:iountains. Slight sheet erosion 

,curs tkrougho~~t most of the Jackson County moun-tains north of the Tennessee 

iv2r.d The prevalence of erosion according to land use is presented in table 

. These data are based upan a field classification of each sample plot taken 

by <he Forest Survey. Although slight sheet erosion is found almost everywhere 

1 in ths unit, only the more advanced stages, occurring on 20 percent of the area, 

r:ere recorCe2 by the Survey. Forzst land is least affected by erosion, but 

half the idle and abandonad land shows evidence of rerious soil loss. 

Table 1. - Correlation of land use with erosion 

Forest 

Pust7;re 

Land use 

Cro2land : 

In cultivation 1,984,800 70.d 20.2 S.O 1.0 100.9 

Idle and abandoned 139,LOO 50.3 24.3 17.9 7.5 100.0 

All lanC-use 

classesu L.786.200 79.5 12.9 6.1 1.5 100.0 

Area 

I/ Does not inclzde acrea,ss in Corms, right-of-ways, or bodies of water. 

In this unit, the Tennessee Valley Authority o?erates ydroelectric developinents at Wilson Dan, 'Wileeler Dam, and Guntersville Dan. 2' Power is being 

produced at Wilson and 'vihesler Dams, but at Guntersville Dam production is 

schedule to start in January 19LO. Tne combined initial generating capacity 

of these installations is 322,000 kilol;:atts, but provision is made for an ulti- 

%ate capacity of 800,000 kilov~atts. Furthermore, Pickv~ick Landing Dan, in 

Tennessee, just outside the unit, has an initial capacity of 72,000 kilowatts 

with an ultimate capacity of 216,000. The power produced at ihese dams was 

sold during the i'iscal year end-ne June 30: 1938 to municipalities, cooperatives 

Fn?ustries: other electric utilitLes: and Girect rural scroices at an average - 

21 Reco~naissan~e erosion survey. Soil Conservation Service, 1934. 

i/ Fift:,; incL1-s of rain. Temnessee Valley Authority1 1939. 

Total 

Type of erosion 

None or Shezt arresred 

Shoesrring Gullies 
rate of 3.3 mills per kilowatt-hour. Towns and cities in the unit using TJJA 

power include Athens, Florence, Guntersville, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and 

Tuscumbia . 

Many parts of the unit are at least 25 miles from a railroad, although 

railroad transportation is provided by five main systems. A main line of the 

Southern Railway roughly parallels the Tennessee River across the unit and 

offers transportation between Memphis and northern and eastern points. Other 

systems are the Alabama Great Southern; Louisville and Nashville; and the 

Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis. A branch line of the Illinois Central 

serves a small portion of Franklin County. 

One Federal highway crosses the unit in an east-west direction, 3 extend 

north and south, and U. S. Highway No. 11, which runs northeast from Birmingham, 

crosses the unit in DeKalb County. These highways are paved, but many of the 

secondary roads are gravel or unimproved. The Federal highways provide reasonably well for through traffic, but local inter-county travel is often difficult 

in periods of wet weather. Large areas, particularly in Jackson and DeKalb 

Counties, are more than 10 miles from a paved highway. 

The Tennessee Valley Authority is actively developing the Tennessee 

River for navigation, and when the program is completed there will be a 9-foot 

channel from Knoxville, Tenn., to the Ohio River at Paducah, Ky. As the Tennessee River flows through the heart of the unit for nearly 200 miles, the economies of water transportation will be available to a large part of the area. 

The first white settlers in this region came chiefly from Virginia, 

Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Settlements were established between 

1800 and 1820, and county organization follovled quickly after the removal of 

the Creek and Cherokee Indians during the early part of the century. In 1850 

the population of the area was about 136,000, and by 1930 this number had increased to 388,000. Based on Census estimates of the population increase 

throughout the State between 1930 and 1936, the population of this unit in 1937 

was about 425,000. At the time of the 1930 Census, 82 percent of the people 

were native-born whites, 17 percent were negroes, and a small minority were 

foreign-born whites and other races. Only 17 percent of the people lived in 

cities of more than 2,500 inhabitants, lL percent lived in small towns and 

scattered communities, and 69 percent, or 266,000, lived on farms. 

Of those persons gainfully employed, agriculture was the chief activity 

of 66 percent. Six percent were engaged in the textile industry, and nearly 2 

percent were working in the wood-utilization industries. A smaller proportion 

was occupied in blast furnaces, mines, and iron and steel mills. In 1937 the 

unemployment Census found that &,000 individuals, or about one-tenth of the 

estimated total population, were wholly or partly unemployed. Forty-five percent of these were farmers or farm laborers, and 10 percent were classified as 

other laborers. Skilled or semi-skilled workers numbered about 10,000, or 

23 percent of all those needing employment. This reservoir of skilled workmen, 

plus cheap electric porier and facilities for water shipment of freight, favors 

greater industrialization of the region. 

At present agriculture is the chief land use. The 1935 Census of Agriculture found in the area over 53,200 farms, containing a total of 3,431,000 

acres, or three-fourths of all the land in the unit. Tenants occupy 63 ~ercent 

of the farms and operate half the farm land. The average farm contains 65 acre: 
@ 

4 of ,,(hich 32 are cropland, 6 ar? open pastar-, 23 are woodland, and 4 are in b uses. The 1,215,000 acres of farm woodlands constitute 58 per- 

,.& of all the forest land. Eighty-four percent (table 2) of all the farms 

less than 100 acres, but they contain only 51 percent of the land. 

$ The largest proportion (40 of the land is in farms ranging from LOC .,a ; to 499 acres. More than half of the '7~ farms of 1,000 acres or more are 

I) located in Jackson, Madison, and Lauderdale Counties. s. , 

Tab 2. - N

according to size, 19359 

- Acres Percent Acres Percent 

~sss than 50 31,537 59.3 819,SL3 24.5 

50 - 99 13,194 24.8 91 6, 638 26.7 

I00 - 499 8,115 15.2 1,360,641 39.7 

500 - 999 101 "6 196,020 5.7 

1,000 and over 74 .I 118,122 3.4 

Total 53,221 100.0 3,&31,264 100.0 

Data from Census of Agriculture. 

General farming prevails throughout the area, but SO percent of the cropland harvested in 1914 was planted in two crop.;, corn (714,000 acres) and cotton 

(469,000 acres). Hay and sorghums occupied the third largest acreage (224,000 

acres). Other crops included wheat, oats, sweet an33 Irish potatoes and s 

truck crops. Madison County ranked first in the S-Late in the production 

and hay, and Lauderdale County ranke,3 first in tha production of wheat. 

numbers of cattle, hogs, and poultry are raisecd for home use throughout the unit. 

In recent years the trend has besn toward a greater diversification of crops, 

with increasing emphasis on the production of foodstuffs for local consumption. 

Forest products, however, provide a supplementary cash income to many farmers; 

sales reported to the Census averaged $62.00 per farm reporting in 1914. Nearly 

half the farms reporting sales wers in Franklin, Jackson, and DeKalb Counties. 

An intensive study of rural land w~nership in 1935 was made by the Bureau 

of .Agricultural Economics of the U.S.D.A. in cooperation with the Works Progress - Administration of Alabama. information was obtained for each county in the unit, 

and a total of 31,620 ownerships containing 4,1:12,600 acres was recorded, the 

number and acreage of which are classified according to size in table 3. From ' the standpoint of carrying extension work in agricultural and forestry practices 

directly to the landowner, th? ownership sitllation presents some di.fficulties, 

as nearly 29,000 owners control 54 percnn-l; of tha acreage. Even on the largest 

ownersi~ips (1,000 acres and over) more than 300 owners would have to be reached 

in order to influence practices on 18 percent of the area. 

Size 

The study revealed that 81 percent of Chz land was owned by persons residing within the same county, & porcsnt by persons residing in adjoining counties, 3 percent by people living elsewhere in Alabana, 7 percent by out-of-state 

b. 

Number of 

farms 

Proportion of 

total number 

Total land 

in farms 

Proportion of 

total acreage 
ovmers: about 3 percent by public agencies, and 2 percent by owners whose 

addresses are unknown. 

Table 3. - Number and acrea#e of rural ownershius classified 

according to size, 1935 

Size 

Acres 

Less than 50 

50 - 99 

100 - 259 

260 - 499 

500 - 999 

1,000 and over 

Total 

Percent Acres Percent 

Classification of the rural-land ownership by business of owner shorrs 

that over two-thirds of the land is being lived upon and operated by the 

owners, chiefly farmers. Wood-using industries orm a very small part of the 

land in the unit. The percentage of the land area ormed by the various groups 

is as follows: 

Percent of Percent of 

Business ~roup area ovmed Business group area owned 

Farm owner-operators 

Merchants 

Professional men 

Administrators and 

executors 

Banks and mortgage 

companies 

Real-estate agencies 

68.0 Wood-using industries 1.4 

2.3 Mining, power, railroad, 

2.0 and farming companies 0.9 

All other businesses 9.2 

1.4 Governmental agencies 

jpublicly-owned land) 2.6 

2.8 Business unknorm 8. 8 

0.6 

Total 100.0 

Complete forest-land ownership data are not available. Most of the 

timbered area is in farm forests, which contain 1,215,000 acres, or 58 percent 

of the total. Wood-using industries, mining companies, and owners of undetermined status own about 700,000 acres. It was estimated in 1938 that approximately 175,000 acres were in public ownership, the major part about equally divided between National Forests and the Tennessee Valley Authority. 

The general property tax in this unit, as in most of Alabama, is relatively low. The Alabama Constitution fixes the maximum ad valorem levy for 

State, county, and school purposes at 21 mills on an assessed valuation not 

exceeding 60 percent of the market value. Lands are assessed by the owners at 

average values with the approximate acreage that is improved, unimproved, or 
h 

". tinl~ei-ed indlc-;cd in the assessment. Nany forest lands, which are classed as E ,ild or unimpro-.ed, crre c:cc:;ed c? :l.CO ia $2.50 per acre, .lthoug3 . , ?, :5n:,c:zd si:~l??.s n~?; !;z ass?ss:xi a-. :. hicilcr rz',~. total per acre on 

forest land rances uplard fron 26, dependin% L:pon 2ssecsed -b-,?lua+,ion; it 

? , . . ; ,;creges about 5b. Ecasoncble land tazs, plus s;:.lc; enforcement of tax lavis, 

bc.;e prmented excessive tax S.efault. The area on ~v;::hich taxes viere unpaid for 

j 7 0' more years, ac of August 1934, only 15,221 acres,&/or 0.3 percent of 

i tile area. 

:.lany :actors have influenced the pattern of land use in this unit. For 

,ver a century, changing economic conditions have forced continuous readjust- 

~ents in the use of land for cultivated crops, ro;-st;, znd other purposes. 

physiographic changes, ouch as erosion with its accompanying soil deteriora- : tion, have also caused a constant shift in land use. Forest land has been 

,leared, farmed, allowed to revert to forest, and cleared again. Table 4 shqvis : that in 1936 about 2 percent of the area had been recently cleared for agriculture, vrhile 3 percent vias lying idle or abandoned. The extent to which thi:. 

idle and abandoned land will revert to forest is unpredictable, but the indications are that the total area of forest land viill increase rather than decrease. 

Table 4. - Land area classified according to land use, 193d 

- - - - Acres - - - - - - Percent - - - 

Land use 

Forest 2,090,300 46.8 

Monforest: 

Agricultural: 

In cultivation: 

Old cropland 1,898,600 42.5 

>Jew cropland 86,200 1.9 

Out of cultivation: 

Idle 103,100 2.3 

Abandoned 36,300 .8 

Pasture 171,700 3.8 

Total agriculture 2,295,900 51.3 

Other nonforest 83,800 1.9 

Total nonforest 2,379,700 53.2 

,- L 10~~1 forest and nonforesi 4,47Ci,OOO 100.0 

Does not include 125,900 acres in area flooded by power dams. 

Area 

4/ Craig, R. B. The extent of tax default in the Gulf States in 1934. 

Occasional Paper No. 49. Southern Forest Expt. Sta., Aug. 25, 1935. 

- 

Proportion of total 

area 
Description of the Forest 

Forests occupy 2,090,300 acres, or 47 percent, of the unit. The locatior 

of the forest land is shown on the map (fig. 21, which is based upon aerial 

photographs. It is apparent that the distribution of forest land is closely 

associated with the topography, as described earlier in this report. Originally, Sand Mountain, like the rest of the unit, was densely wooded, but the 

suitability of the soil for agriculture )*:as recognized early, and much of the 

land has been cultivated for nearly half a century. The extreme north end of 

the mountain is predominmtly forest land, but on most of the mountain the timbc 

s-tands occur only along water courses and on the odd portions of land commonly 

found in an agricultural section. Farm woodlots characterize the area, but 

they contribute an important amount of material for home-use and for sale. 

An aerial view of the Jackson County Mountains shows an almost continuous forest cover with cultivated lands confined largely to the narrow stream 

bottoms and an occasional farm high on a level mountain top. Since thin soils, 

rough, stony land, and steep slopes are not conducive to successful agriculture, 

this will probably remain one of the most heavilji forested areas in the unit, 

but even with the present forest cover the run-off is so rapid that serious 

flood damage has resulted on bottom-land farms along the Paint Rock River. 

In the Highland Rim the forests, which occur as pasture woodlots, along 

small streams, and on patches of land too steep to cultivate, are chiefly 

associated with the farms. A similar distribution of forest land occurs in the 

Moulton, Sequatchie, and Wills Valleys. On Little Mountain also, the forest 

land is conjoined with the farms, but it exists in larger blocks than in the 

preceding two areas. The Warrior Basin and Coastal Plain areas are heavily 

wooded. Here large tracts of timberland are held by operators of forest industries, and almost 90,000 acres in the Black Warrior National Forest is under 

the administration of the U. S. Forest Service. 

Shortleaf pine is the most abundant tree in the unit, followed by red 

oaks, hickories, and loblolly pine, but many other species, such as forked-leaf 

white oak, scrub oaks, Virginia pine, red gum, maple, chestnut oaks, and yellow 

poplar, are plentiful. The various species are greatly intermingled, but 

reference to figure 3 shows that on some areas certain species characteristically occur together. For example, the forests of Lookout Mountain, the northern end of Sand ~Vountain, the Coastal Plain section, and the western portion 

of the Highland Rim and Warrior Basin are dominated by shortleaf pine mixed 

with loblolly pine, hickory, and red, forked-leaf white, chestnut, and scrub 

oaks. In figure 2 these areas appear heavily forested with little agricultural 

land. 

Where the proportion of agricultural land increases south of the Tennessee River, as in Moulton Valley, the eastern part of the Warrior Basin, and on 

Sand Mountain, the proportion of loblolly pine also increases. Restriction of 

the forests to the less tillable land, such as moist gullies and stream-heads, 

which are favorable for loblolly pine, partly accounts for the increased proportion of this species. On Sand Mountain these moist sites produce excellent 

stands of loblolly pine, which should serve well to supplement the financial 

return from cultivated crops. 

North of the Tennessee River, the upland hardwoods occupy a large part 

of the forested land, of which there is a large proportion in the Jackson 
LEGEND 

FOREST LAND 

NONFOREST LAND 

.O"I,, COYTI1 A, S"0.N 11, OmlAlNTD 

rnou A VIP PR~PAR~D w mr rw*cnmw ,CI)"ICE DI"I,IO* 0. T*L TL**IUrs ULLI ."TU)IIT" ,"*C I.>* 

- ,.a. ",C " ,,,. 

.n<.,,s" -. ..c. w 

e .. 

.", .,.,, c..L-. 

7. _' s*. ".A .- I 

GURE 2. 
1 FOREST COVER 

IN THE 1 TENNESSEE VALLEY ARE1 

NORTH XLABAMA FOREST SURVEY 

SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERlMEM STATION 
Acknowledgement 

The forest cover map, processed by the 

Southern Forest Experiment Station, was 

prepared by the Engineering Service DFvision of the Tennessee Valley Authority 

on a scale of one inch to four miles. 

A base map was gridded into small quadrangles to which the forest cover information was transferred, freehand, from 

aerial photographs. 
county Mountains and a small proportion in the Highland Rim (fig. 2). Oaks I 

I 

predominate throughout the upland hardwood type, but there are many hickories I 

and other hardwoods. The Jackson County Mountains contain most of the re,d 

cedar in the unit. Although most of the cedar saw timber has been cut, there 

is a surprisingly large number of small cedar trees on the lower slopes. M~~ 

abandoned fields have restocked to pure stands of this species, and when large 

enough many of these trees are cut into fence posts, which are sold at the 

roadside for about lop! each. The coves of the Jackson County Mountains produce 

valuable white oak, yellow poplar, and ash, but on the mountain slopes and tops 

the hardwoods are generally of inferlor quality, according to present utilization standards. There is thus both a need and an opportunity in this area for 

plants that can utilize the small; low-quality hardwoods. 

Just west of the Jackson County Mountains there is an area in which loblolly pine is found with the hardwoods (fig. 3). The aggregate volume of pine 

in this area is not great, however, as most of the land is cultivated and the 

pine trees appear usually as scattered individuals. Bottom lands along the 

Tennessee River and its tributaries contain some good timber, chiefly red gum, 

red oaks, white oaks, hickory, black and tupelo gums, yellow poplar, and ash. 

Flooding of the reservoir areas made it necessary to cut a large acreage of 

bottom-land hardwood timber, and in some cases this has endangered the future 

timber supplies of forest-industrial plants. 

Table 5. - Species composition of the forest type-groups, showing proportion 

of net cubic volumeL' in various species, 1936 

Shortleaf pine 40.4 33.9 2.5 0.7 20.1 

Loblolly pine 22.5 10.9 0.6 1.0 9.5 

Virginia pine 10.0 5.0 0.2 0.1 4.2 

Species 

I Cedar 

Pines and cedar 

Yellow poplar 

Red A 0.8 2.3 1.9 18.8 3.9 

Black gum, maple, etc. 1.2 3.9 4.1 12.8 L.? 

Soft-textured hardwoods 2.4 7.8 9.6 38.2 10.8 

Red oaks 4.8 12.4 25.5 18.1 15.6 

Forked-leaf white oak 2.1 6.7 15.0 7.2 8.1 

Chestnut oak 0.9 3 .l 7.2 1.2 3.6 

Scrub oaks 3.1 6.0 4.6 3.8 4.3 

Hi-ckories 6.5 11.0 23.9 7.5 13.8 

Ash 1.0 1.0 3.8 5.9 2.7 

Dogwood, persimmon, etc. 0.5 0.6 1.4 1.6 1.0 

Other hardwoods 0.9 1.2 5.0 14.2 4.2 

Firm-textured hardwoods 20.1 12.0 86.4 59.8 53.6 

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Bark included. 

All 

typegroups 

Forest type-groups 

Pine Pinehardwoods 

Upland 

hardwoods 

Bottom-land 

hardwoods 
r,*.r ...., --rr;?*w". . ---..p. m 

AREAS CHARACTERIZED 

HORTLEAF L LOBLOLLY PINE 6 HDWDS 

LOBLOLLY PINE k HARDWOODS 

MIXED UPLAND HARDWOODS 

MIXED B07 TOM -LAND HDWDS. 

type. predominate, but the lrcquent local 

of uther type. is mot precluded. 

STATUTE NlLLI 

" 07 ARC* IN m- LSTATL Or *LIB.**. 0 

FIGURE.- 3 
The occurrence of the various species making up the pine, pine-hardwood, 

upland hardwood, and bottom-land hardwood type-groups is given in table 5. 

Bere the net cubic volume (bark included) of each species in the type-group is 

expressed as a percentage of the volume in the type-groups. 

Many years of forest use have reduced the virgin stand to a mere remnant 

(table 6). Less than 300,000 scattered acrss of old-growth timber remain, and 

about half of this has been subject to partla1 cutting. Most of the old growth 

is in loui-quality upland hardwood stands; all the small scattered patches of 

old-growth pine amount to less than 40,000 acres. Old-growth uncut stands in 

the pine type-group average 6,300 board feet (lumber tally) per acre, in the 

pine-hardwoods 3,900, in the upland hardwoods 3,000, and in the bottom-land 

hardwoods 5,000. 

Table 6. - Forest area classified according to forest condition and 

forest type-group, 1936 

---------- - Acres ---------- Percent 

Old growth: 

Uncut 13,700 8,100 11O,L+O0 31,400 163,600 7.9 

Partly cut 10,500 6,400 81,400 36,300 134,600 6.4 

Total 

Bottomland 

hardwoods 

Forest condition 

Second growth: 

Sawlog size: 

Uncut 170,800 91,100 133,700 34,700 430,300 20.6 

Partly cut 238,500 87,800 133,800 40,300 500,400 23.9 

Under sawloa 

Pine Pinehardwoods 

- size 126,500 231,300 380,400 76,500 814,700 39.0 

Reproduction 11,300 11,300 u15,300 u8,800 46,700 2.2 

Total 

all 

types 

upland 

hardwoods 

Total 

Proportion of 

total 

Total all 

conditions 571,300 436,000 855,000 228,000 2,090,300 100.0 

Percent of total 

forest area 27.3 20.9 40.9 10.9 100.0 

l/ Includes 800 acres of clear-cut condition. 

Includes 1,600 acres of clear-cut condition. 
The haryesting of the virgin stands has cleared the way for a new crop 

.,of trees. Nearly 1,g00,000 acres bear this replacement growth, so that 86 per- 

,,,t of all the forested area is stocked with trees that represent the second 

(in some cases, the third) crop of timber since the area was settled. Pines, 

,ither pure or mixed with hardwoods, have come in on 54 percent of this secondgrocrth area, upland hardwoods on 37 percent, and bottom-land hardwoods on 9 

r : The pine stands are more important commercially, as three-fourths of 

i the pine area is stocked with sawlog-size timber (9 inches d.b.h.) and larger. 

4' The pine-hardwood and upland hardwood types have about two-fifths of their area $ in merchantable stands, while the bottom-land hardwoods have almost one-half. 

i 

; Volumes per acre of uncut second-growth sawlog-size stands average 4,100 board 

feet (lumber tally) in the pine type-group, 2,800 in the pine-hardwoods, 1,700 

in the upland hardwoods, and 2,700 in the bottom-land hardwoods, ,.. 

p 

I. A comnonlji used measure of the potential productivity of the forest land 

I' is the height in feet of average dominant trees at 50 years of age, i.e., the i - 

; site index. :.Zeasurements of this kind, which were made throughout the pine 

: types, revealed that the pine areas in north Alabama are considerably below the 

average for the State in site quality. For the State as a whole, 57 percent of 

' the area stocked to loblolly pine has a site index of 80 or more, while in this 

unit only 13 percent of the loblolly pine area has that large an index. Figure 4 shows a comparable situation on the shortleaf pine land, as the proportion in the best site-classes in this unit is far below the State average and 

the proportion in the poor site-classes is almost twice the average for the en- !. tire State. 

STATE OF 

ALABAMA 

SURVEY UNIT NO.-6 

IN ALABAMA 

or%, 

50 FEET AND LESS 60 AND 70 FEET 18 FEET AND OVER 

FIGURE 4.-PERCENTAGE OF SHORTLEAF PINE AREA IN VARIOUS SITES. 
Although forest sites are poorer in thls unit than in south B-aza-,a, 

tilere is an opportunity to augment greatly the timber yield by increasing the 

forest groviing stock, i.e., the number of stems per acre. There is, of course, 

optimum density beyond which further stocking will reduce the growth rate and 

yield per acre, but few forest stands in north Alabama have reached that 

density. The ability of the forest sites to bear a denser stand of trees is 

shown in figure 5, in which the average-per-acre stocking on the pine and pinehardwood types is compared with that of the uncut best-stocked 14 percent of 

the same type-groups on similar sites. It appears that the average acre is 

almost fully stocked in the 2-inch diameter-class, but in the larger diameterclasses it could support 50 to over 100 percent more stems. Both the average 

and the better-stocked stands are deficient in larger trees, a situation that 

can be altered by a selection system of forest management dedicated to the 

duction of high-quality saw timber. 

DIAMETER - CLASSES (INCHES) 

FIGURE 5- NUMBER OF TREES BY DIAMETER-CLASSES ON AN ACRE OF AVERAGE STOCKING, COMPARED WITH THOSE ON A BETTER STOCKED ACRE (BASED 

ON PINE AND PtNE-HARDWOOD TYPES). i 
I The gain in volume per acre that can be sxpected through building up I: 

..... tkL2 present growing stock to the average of the better-stocked stands is por- trayed graphically in figure 6, where the prevailing age-class and volume 

distribution. of the pine and pine-hardwood types is shown along with the 

vo.iume per acre of better-stocked stands at various ages. The volune figures 

used are cubic feet inside bark, and no deduction for woods cull has been made. 

The age-class area and volume per acre of the prevailing forest were determined 

from field data gathered throughout the 1 million acres in the pine and pinehardwood types. The per-acre volume of the better-stocked forest are based 

upon the best stocked 10 percent of the uncut stands of weighted-average sites 

in these same types. The figure indicates that the area distribution of the 

age-~iasses throughout the forest is propitious for the development of sustained-yield management. With better treatment the forest growing stock can 

be increased grsatly, since the volume per acre of many of the better-stocked 

stanrls is more than double that of the average stand, e.g., at 60 years the 

better-stocked stand has about 1,900 cubic feet per acre compared with 800 

cubic feet in the average stand. 

2000 

r-------' 60 VRS lo -------- _l born 

600 . -- &L - --qL - .. ~~- ~ 

iD 

I~ ,,- 

,L~ ,$/, L* $0, 

r' ,,( 

I200 5' 1,' 

*a '. ,, 

PERCENT OF AREA IN VARIOUS AGE-CLASSES 

FIGURE 6.- PREVAILING VOLUMES. BY ACE-CLASSES. COMPARED WITH THOSE IN 

WELL-STOCKED STANDS te~sio ow PNE AND PNE-HARDW~OD rr~r-ARCAS orI oai.loa &cars) 

It follows that the soil will produce more timber if foresters, landvmors: loggers, and v~ood buyers will unite in a program of good forest rnanagement. This calls for fire protection and selective logging. At present, organized fire protection is limited to the Black Warrior National Forest and 

a small area in Colbert and Franklin Counties, although extensive protection, 

based on patrol and volunteer assistance, is county-wide in Madison and Colbert 

Counzies. The rest of the forest area is without protection. Selective logging calls for light cuts, made as frequently as growth and market conditions 
worr.anL, ;,ii,~. Lhe object of increasing the yield from the larger trees through 

maintenance of a contributory stand of rapid-growing trees well distributed ., 

! to size. 

Volume Estimates 

I Board-foot volume 

The net volume of saw timberu is expressed in table 7 in the Doyle log 

scale, Scribner log scale, and in lumber tally, which is based upon the International $-inch scale. The Doyle scale is commonly used throughout the South, 

but its underestimate of the smaller sizes prevalent in this unit is indicated 

in table 7, where the volume by the Doyle scale is only 2.1 billion board feet 

as compared with 3.3 billion board feet lumber tally. The Scribner scale, 

generally used for U. S. Forest Service timber sales, shows a volume of 2.9 

billion board feet, which is somewhat closer to lumber tally. Irrespective of 

the differences in log scales, the table shows clearly the contribution of the 

various species to the total board-foot timber resource. 

Table 7. - Net volume in Doyle and Scribner scales, and lumber tally, 

classified accord in^ to species-group, 1936 

Pines: 

Shortleaf pine 

Loblolly pine 

Virginia pine 

Cedar 

Species-group 

Total pines 

- 

Doyle I Scribner I Lumber tallyu 

Hardwoods: 

Yellow poplar 

Red gum 

Black gum, maple, etc. 

Red oaks 

Forked-leaf white oak 

Chestnut oak 

Hickories 

Ash 

Other hardwoodsZ/ 

Total hardwoods 

- - - - - - - Thousand board feet - - - - - - - 

All species 2,106,800 2,909,700 3,308,600 

- 1/ Lumber tally is based on the International &inch rule, which it closely approximates. 

Special use species and scrub oak are excluded. 

9 See appendix for description of material included in saw timber. 
The net volume (lumber tally) is given by species and forest condition 

in table 8. Nearly one-third of all the board-foot volume is concentrated in 

the old-grorith conditions, even though they occupy only 14 percent of the forest area. In the pines, 12 percent of the volume is in old-growth stands, 82 

,rcent in second-growth sawlog-size stands, and 6 percent in under-sawlogiae stands. Nearly half the hardwood volume is in old-growth stands, whereas 

6 percent is in sawlog-size second growth, and only 6 percent is in stands 

below saw-timber size. The hickories and ash have a higher proportion of their 

in second-growth stands, and the chestnut oaks have a higher proportion 

of timber volume in old-growth stands, than any of the other hardwoods. 

Table 8. - Net volume, lumber tally, classified according to species-group 

and forest condition, 1936 

pines : 

Shortleaf 

Loblolly 

, virginid 

i 

Proportion of 

botal 

Species-group 

- 

Total pines 

- - - - - - - - Thousand board feet - - - - - - - - Percent 

Hardvioods : 

Yellow poplar 

Red gum 

Black gum, maple, 

etc. 

Red oaks 

Forked-leaf white 

oak 

Chestnut oak 

Hickories 

Ash 

Other hardwoods 

Total hardwoods 489,900 352,600 437,600 3'79,000 103,800 1,762,900 53.3 

Old growth 

Total all 

species 

Uncut 

Percent of total 18.3 12.9 38.7 24.3 5.8 100.0 

l-/ Includes areas classified as reproduction; clear-cut areas are negligible. 

Includes 42 million board feet of cedar. 

Total 

Second growth 

Partly 

From a sawmilling standpoint, it is discomaging to find such a large 

proportion of the volume in the smaller diameters, as is shown in table 9. In 

the pines over half the volume is in trees in the 10- and 12-inch diameterclasses, a size that offers little opportunity for profit. These small sizes 

Under 

E:$'J 

Sawlog size 

Uncut Partly 

cut 
are preferred by mill operators manufacturing "roofers," horie3eri as larger 

logs are too difficult to handle. Only 17.5 percent of the pine volume is in 

trees at least 17.0 inches d.b.h., where high-quality lumber and good profits 

are to be had. The hardwoods likewise are deficient in the larger trees, as 

nearly tr~o-thirds of the volume is in trees in the 14- to 18-inch diarneterclasses. Few of the trees of this size will produce the best grade of logs, 

since the Survey considers that Grade 1 logs should have a top diameter of at 

least 14 inches. 

Table 9.-Diameter distribution of net volume, lumber tally, in the 

various forest conditions, 1936 

Hardr~oods : 

14 - 18 2~8,000 176,200 333,100 285,600 94:500 1,117,400 63.4 

20 - 218 233,800 119,700 102,600 90,100 9,300 585,500 33.2 

30 and over 28,100 26,700 1,900 3,300 - 60,000 3.4 

Species-groups 

and 

diameter-classes 

(inches) 

Total hardwoods 489,900 352,600 437,600 379,000 103,800 1,762,900 100.0 

The proportion of the forest area supporting different volumes per acre, 

and the proportion of the total volume in these volume-per-acre classes, are 

shorm for the sawlog-size stands in figure 7. All the volumes are gross, as 

no woods cull has been deducted. The pine and pine-hardwood types, which occupy 

626,900 acres, contain 1.8 billion board feet gross volume. Eighty-three percent of this volume is in stands of 2,000 board feet per acre or more, but 48 

percent of the area is stocked with less than 2,000 board feet of timber per 

acre, emphasizing the need for building up the growing stock. 

- - - - - - - - Thousand board feet - - - - - - - Percent 

Pines : 

10 - 12 26,900 15,000 432,100 261,800 79,200 815,000 52.7 

lL+ - 16 30,100 19,200 291,800 111,300 5,700 460,100 29.8 

18 - 20 29,900 21,800 100,500 40,800 600 193,600 12.5 

22 and over 30,100 19,800 17,800 9,300 - 77,000 5.0 

Total pines 117,000 75,800 842,200 425,200 85,500 1,545,700 100.0 

The upland and bottom-land hardwood types, which occupy 602,000 acres, 

contain 1.7 billion board feet gross volume. Seventy-nine percent of the 

volume is in stands of 2,000 board feet per acre or more, of which over twofifths is in stands of 5,000 board feet or more concentrated on 14 percent of 

the type-group area. Since 46 percent of the area is stocked with less than 

2,000 board feet per acre, here also, as in the pines, it should be possible 

to increase the growing stock. 

Old growth 

In order to obtain information concerning the quality of the timber 

stands, the Survey made a rough classification (see appendix) of the pine 

Uncut Partly 

cut 

Second growth 

Total 

Proportion of 

total 

Under 

sawlog 

size 

Salvlog size 

Uncut Partly 

cut 
GROSS VOLUME 

PER ACRE PERCENT 

80 FT INT k- INCH O- 5 10 15 20 25 30 

RULE 1 1 1 1 137.700 ACRC S 

LESS THAN 1,000 

71,150 M BD FT 

166,800 ACRES I 104.000 ACRES I I I 

73,300 ACRES 

3,000 TO 3,999 

AREA 

45,100 ACRES DvoLUME 

4,000 TO 4,999 

1 I 

78,200 ACRES 

5.000 TO 9.999 

21.800 ACRES 

10,000 B OVER 

- - -- 

A-PINE AND PINE -HARDWOOD TYPE-GROUPS 

GROSS VOLUME 

PER ACRE PERCENT BD-FT. INT. Ya-INCH 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 RULE I I 1 1 I I I 

LESS THAN ICJOO 

21I.200 ACRES 

1,000 TO 1,999 

119,300 ACRES 

2.000 TO 2.999 

293,200 M BD FT 

7\,700 ACRES 

3.000 TO 3,999 

250.800 M BD. FT. 

48,400 ACRES 

4.000 TO 4,999 

216,200 M BE TT 

74,IOO ACRCS 

5,000 TO 9,999 

488,500 M BD F 

10,500 ACRES 

10,000 B OVER 

123.600 M 80. FT. 

B-HARDWOOD TYPE -GROUPS 

FIGURE 7.- PROPORTIONAL AREA AND VOLUME OF THE SAWLOG-SIZE 

CONDITIONS, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO VOLUME OF SAW TIMBER PER ACRE. 
saw-timber trees into "smooth," "limby," and "rough." This revealed (table 10) 

that 57 percent of the pine saw-timber volume is in smooth trees, 37 percent 

in limby, and 6 percent in rough trees. Shortleaf pine is of good quality, in 

both old-growth and second-growth stands, as only 1 percent of the total volume 

in this species is in rough trees. Loblolly pine is somewhat poorer, but the 

lowest quality stands are Virginia pine, which have only 5 percent of their 

volume in smooth trees. 

Table 10. - Classification of pines according to tree grade 

Shortleaf pine: 

Old growth 

Second growth 

Species and stand condition 

- - - - - - - Percent of volume - - - - - - - 

I Weighted average 72 27 1 100 

Loblolly pine: 

Old growth 93 7 - 100 

Second growth 42 5 2 6 100 

Total 

Tree grade 

I Weighted average 50 45 5 100 

Smooth 

I Virginia pine 5 60 35 100 

I All pines: 

Old growth 93 7 - 100 

Second growth 52 41 7 100 

Limby 

I Weighted average 57 37 6 100 

Rough 

Cordwood volume 

In a region where skilled workmen are idle, power is abundant and cheap, 

railroad and highway facilities are adequate, and water transportation will 

soon be available for shipping heavy goods, it is pertinent to consider the 

wood supplies that might contribute to a pulp and paper industry. While a 

knowledge of the total volume of wood is essential, it is misleading without a 

knowledge of the facts concerning its present and prospective uses. Table 

11,6/ for example, shows that there were nearly 26 million cords of sound 

material in the unit in 1936. This amount, if it were all available for pulping, would be ample for several pulp mills, brt (1) the requirements of the 

existing industries and uses (mainly lumber and fuel) are considerably greater 

than the current annual increment of the present growing stock; (2) until the 

growing stock can be built up, general increased use would seriously threaten 

the permanency of the present wood-using industries; and (3) a large part of 

the material is in species not now widely used for pulp. 

See appendix for description of various classes of cordwood material. 
pines 

Table 11. - Net volume in various classes of sound material, 

L. expressed in cords, 1936 

Hardwoods: 

Soft-texture& 1,049,000 583,700 1,196,300 600,600 3,129,800 13.3 

Firm-texture6Z/ 3,548,000 2,027,0003/6,679,400 3 ,,$31,000 15,685,400 60.9 

/ 

Species-group 

Total hdwds. 4,597,000 2,610,700 7,875,700 4,031,800 19,115,200 74.2 

Total all 

species 8,089,400 3,009,000 10,542,300 4:114:900 25,755,600 100.0 

/ 

---------- Corda - - (bark included) - - percent 

percent of total 31.4 11.7 40.9 16.0 100.0 

lJ Red, black, and tupelo gums, red maple, yellow poplar, buckeye, basswood, 

cucumber, willow, etc. 

Oak, hickory, elm, ash, hard maple, beech, hackberry, dogwood, persimmon, 

sycamore, etc., are not considered as commercia1,pulping material at present. 

3/ Includes all diameter classes of special use species. 

Sound trees, sawlog 

size 

There are reasons, however, why the pulp industry should be established. 

In certain areas, such as the Jackson County Mountains, a pulp mill using lowgrade hardwoods is needed to provide a market for material that must be removed 

before the productivity of the stands can be increased. Experience has shown 

that forest values may be destroyed as completely by the pulpwood industry as 

by lumbermen, but present trends indicate that the pulp and paper industry, 

for the most part, has decided to do its share in keeping forest lands productive. A pulp mill, operated on a permanent basis by a progressive, forestryminded company, would be more profitable for the local population, less destructive of the forest resource, and better from a social viewpoint than the 

host of small, inefficient, and temporary pine sawmills now operating in the 

unit. 

Sound 

trees 

under 

sawlogsize 

Sawlog 

material 

A large part of the cordwood volume is in the smaller trees (fig. a), a 

distribution that favors pulpwood production rather than saw timber. This is 

particularly true in the firm-textured hardwoods that are at the moment considered unsuitable for pulping, where nearly two-thirds of the volume is in 

trees below sawlog size. Since many of these trees byill never attain the size 

and quality requisite for saw timber, some use other than fuel wood must be 

found for them if they are to bring in any important cash return. 

Upper 

stems 

Cull 

trees 

Total all 

classes 

Proportion of 

total 
MILL I ON CORDS 

SPLCIESGROUP 

PINES 

SOFT 

TEXTURED 

HARDWOODS 

FIRM 

TEXTURED 

HARDWOODS 

TREE 

OIA METER- 0 

CLASS 

( I NCHLS 1 

e&B 

10 6 12 

14 6 LARGER 

FIGURE 8.- CORDWOOD VOLUMES BY SIZE -CLASSES; SOUND TREES ONLY. 1936. 

The average stand of sound tree growing stock per acre amounts to 9 

cords (table 12). The bottom-land hardwood type-group, which has the highest 

average volume per acre in most of the forest conditions, averages 12 cords 

per acre for all conditions. The old-growth uncut condition, weighted for all 

types, averages only 15 cords per acre compared with 14 cords in the secondgrowth sarilog-size uncut condition. The old-growth stands may be on poor sites, 

but Survey data indicate that a close approach to maximum cordwood volume may 

he attained by pine stands when they ars 50 to 70 years of age (fig. 6). 

Table 12. - Average volumes of cordwood per acre in growing-stock trees, 1936 

- - - - - - - - Cords (bark included) - - - - - - - - 

Forest type-group 

Pine 18.6 15.1 16.5 8.3 4.4 10.1 

Pine-hardwood 14.5 15.4 14.5 9.9 4.5 7.9 

Upl.and hardwood 13.6 11 .I 10.9 9.5 5.3 8.4 

Bottom-land hardwoods 20.2 16.5 14.4 13.4 5.2 11.7 

All tvues "a 

(weighted average) 15.3 13.1 14.2 9.3 4.9 9.1 

- 1/ Includes reproduction and clear-cut areas. 

Old growth 

Uncut 

All 

conditionsg Partly 

cut 

Second growth 

Under 

sawlog 

size 

Sarrlog size 

uncut Partly 

cut 
C 

1 Poles and piles 

r? v The Survey found that about 15 percent of the total number of pine and 

cedar trees betvieen 7.0 and 18.9 inches in diameter would meet the pole and 

pile specifications, the former of the American Standards Association. About hi million trees (table 13) in north Alabama, therefore, are considered suitable for conversion into poles or piles; their volume, however, has been included in previous VO~U~~ estimates. Seventjj-six percent of these trees will 

yield pieces less than 30 feet long, and only 3.5 percent will yield pfeces at 

least 35 feet long. Seventy percent of the pieces are in trees less than 11.0 

inches d.b.h. It follows that the timber stands in this unit can produce a 

large number of poles that after preservative treatment would be extremely 

useful in a rural electrification program using TVA power, but the majority 

will be of the shorter lengths and smaller sizes. 

Table 13. - Total number of pine poles or piles, classified according 

to length and diameter, 1936 

D.B.H. of trees 

Total 1,959 1,260 085 97 50 2 100.0 

(outside bark) 

Percent of total 45.8 30.0 20.7 2.3 1.2 100.0 

Pole or pile lengths (feet) 

I Forest Increment 

I ProporTotal tion of 

Inches - - - - - - - - Thousand pieces - - - - - - - - Percent 

20 

Forest increment, as used in this report, denotes the volume of wood 

added by growth to the individual trees, plus the volume of small trees developing into measurable sizes, and minus losses due to mortality. The estimate of increment for the saw-timber portion of the growing stock, expressed 

in board feet lumber tally, is made up of: (1) the growth of trees already 

sawlog size, plus (2) the board-foot volume of trees that become sawlog size, 

and minus (3) the volwne of trees of sawlog size that die. Estimates of increment for the entire growing stock, expressed in cubic feet (excluding bark) 

and cords (including bark), cover: (1) the growth of sound stemwood in pines 

25 30 35 LO or 

over 

total 
and under-sawlog-slze hardwoods, and the sawlog portion of sawlog-size hardwoods, (2) the volume of small trees becoming 5.0 inches d.b.h or larger dur. 

ing the year, and (3) deduction for mortality losses. Increment on cull trees 

and on tops and limbs of sawlog-size hardwoods is not included. 

Board-foot and cubic-foot increment in the different forest conditions 

during 1936 is shvm in table 14. This is the only year for which increment 

can be presented accurately by forest conditions because changes in area in 

the different forest conditions since the field survey have not been determined, 

The net increment of old-growth pine saw timber is comparatively small because 

of the small proportion of this class of timber and because of a slow growth 

rate and relatively high mortal'ty rate. The large board-foot increment in 

the under-sawlog-size condition is due, primarily, to tha large acreage in this 

condition (39 percent of the forest area), and to the large number of small 

trees attaining sawlog size during ths year. 

Tabla 14. - Net increment in board feet and cubic feet 

in the various fores~ conditions, 1976 

Thousand board feet Thousand cubic feet 

(lumber tally) (inside bark) 

Old growth 3,800 18,300 22,100 730 4,140 41870 

Second growth: 

Sawlog size 6&,300 28,400 92,700 11,460 11,090 22,550 

Under sarilog size 249500 17,100 41>600 6,980 7,760 1.4,740 

Reproduction and 

clear cut 100 - 100 30 10 LO 

Total all 

conditions 92,700 63,800 156,500 19,200 23,000 42,200 

Forest condition 

Although there is more board-foot growing stock in the hardwood species 

than in the pine (table 8), the net board-foot increment of the pines exceecis 

that of the hardwoods (table 14). This is due to (1) the? faster growth of ths 

pines, (2) the larger number of small pines becoming of mercha:ntable size during the year, and (3) the iower- mortality of the pines. Of the total net boardfoot increment, 59 percent is pine and 41 percent harfiwood. 0l.d.-grcwth sian,5s 

produced only 14 percent of the net increment, over half of wbich is volume 

recruited from sma.11 unders-tory trees t,hat became of merchantable size. Saw'! ogsiae second-growth standsaccount for 59 percent of tha total increment, >where.- 

as under-sawlog-size stands produ.c~?d 27 percent. The major part, of the boar?- 

foot ineremen% in these younger stands is a result of sma1.l trees attaining 

saw-timber size during the year. 

All material 

The net increment, expressed in standard cords (4 x $ K 8 feet), is 

shown in table 15. The material covered by this estimate is identical with 

that given in cubic feet in table 14, except that it includes bark. The fact 

Saw-timber material 

Pine Hardwood Total Pine Hardwood Total 
' that the hardwood increment in cords is greater than the pine increment in 

. cords, while the hardwood increment in board feet is less than the pine incre- 

- ment, is explained largely by the use of different saw-timber size limits and 

cordwood factors for the two species-groups (13.0 inches d.b.h. and 80 cubic 

feet per cord for hardvlood, and 9.0 inches and 90 cubic feet for pine). 

Table 15. - Net increment in cords of wood with bark classified 

weording to forest condition, 1936 

old growth 9 , 400 62,400 71,800 

Second growth, sawlog size 149,200 170,700 319,900 

Second growth, under sawlog size 93,300 122,100 215,400 

Reproduction and clear-cut 400 100 500 

Forest condition 

Total all conditions 252,300 355,300 607,600 

The poor stocking and poor sizes prevalent throughout the area are reflected in Table 16, which shows the agerage increment per acre in 1936 in 

stands uninfluenced by cutting. An average increment of 77 board feet per 

acre for the entire forest area is low; only in the sawlog stands of uncut 

second growth does the increment approach a more satisfactory figdre. These 

better growing stands occur, however, on only 21 percent. of the forest area. 

Cordwood increment mounted to 0.3 cords per acre, and hardwoods make up over 

half of this. 

------ 

- Cdrds - - - - - - 

Pine 

Table 16. - Averace net increment per acre in the various forest 

conditions, uninfluenced by cutting, 1936 

Hardwood 

Old growth: 

Uncut 11 2.7 .03 44 10.5 .16 55 13.2 .l9 

Partly cut 16 2.5 .03 27 18.8 .28 103 21.3 .31 

Total 

Second growth: 

Total per acre, 

all species 

Sawlog size: 

Uncut 106 17.6 .23 34 12.9 .20 140 30.5 .43 

Partly cut 43 8.7 .l1 29 11.5 .18 72 20.2 .29 

Under sawlon size 31 8.8 .12 21 9.6 .15 52 18.4 .27 

Bd.ft. - - Cu.ft. - Cords - Bd.ft. Cu.ft. - - Cords - Bd.ft. Cu.ft. Cords 

Forest condition Hardwood component 

- 

Reproduction and 

clear-cut 2 0.7 .01 - negl. negl. 2 0.7 .01 

Pine component 

Weighted averages 46 9.5 .l3 31 11.2 .17 77 20.7 .30 
Forest Industries 

The lumber industry 

Small, portable sawmills dominate the forest industrial scene in north 

Alabama (fig. 10). In 1937 there were at least 508 of these m~lls, all hauing a capacity of less than 20,000 board feet of lumber per day, and many of 

less than 5,000 board feet; their average production was less than one-quarter 

million board feet. In figure 9 is shown their numerical occurrence by 

counties, along with the quantity of lumber they produced. In 1937 101.9 rilllion board feet of pine was produced and 13.6 million board feet of hardwood; 

this includes 0.6 million board feet of sawn pine cross ties and 1.6 million 

feet of sawn hardwood ties. About 17 million board feet of pin* logs and ovar 

1 million feet of hardwood were brought into the unit, chiefly fror Mississippi 

and Tennessee. Logs definitely known to have been shipped outside ths unlt 

amounted to almost 4 million board feet, chiefly pine. 

i,; MILLION BOARD FEET 

ALABAMA 1 LESS THAN 10 

=lo TO 19 

m20 TO 25 

FIGURE 9.- LUMBER PRODUCTION BY COUNTIES DURING 1937, (INDICATED 

BY HATCHING) AND APPROX~MATE NUMBER OF SAWMILLS (SHOWN BY NUMERALS 

Many of the mills operate in conjunction with cotton gins, grist mills, 

and farmsteads. Others circulate throughout the area cutting lumber for local 

use and for sale to concentration yards. Custom sawing makes up a large part 

of the cut of many mills, as the 53,200 farm operators grow much of the timber 

needed to maintain their buildings. Sawing costs vary from $3.00 to $6.00 per 

M board feet, and this is often paid for in kind, i.e., with additional logs. 

Some mills also have equipment for manufacturing shingles, which they produce 

for local consumption on much the same basis as thz custom-sawn lumber. Data 

gathered in Blount County, which adjoins this unit, indicate that the lumber 

used to maintain the farm buildings in the entire unit approximatas 56 million 

board feet per year; this is about half the total lumber producsd in 1937. 

The 12 concentration yards in the area handled 57 percent of the total 

lumber production of 1937. Only a small part of their finished lumber is sold 

to local users. Concentration yards in Lauderdale, Colbert. and Franklin 

Counties: on the west side of th,? unit, and in Jackson and DeKalb Counties, on 

the east side, furnish tha bulk of the commercial lumber, which they ship into 

northern and eastern markets. 

Other forest industries 

In 1937 8 cooperage plants were operating within iha unit (table l?), 

1 but 2 discontinued their activity about the middle of the year. Their chief 

t product is tight cooperage, but a few of the larger plants make both tight, and 

slack cooperage. White oak is used chiefly for staves to be assembled into 

whiskey, oil, syrup, and turpentine barrels, while ash, gum, elm, and maple 

are used for the slack cooperage. These plants used 6,400 cords of wood in 

1937, most of which came from within the unit. 

Only 3 veneer plants were in the area in 1937. One of these plants has 

been operating more or less continuously for 50 years, one for 40 years, and 

one for 20 years. They manufacture basket veneer, baskets, broom fibre, hampers, and vegetable containers from red, black, and tupelo gums, red and white 

oaks, hickory, elm, hackberry, sycamore, maple, yellow poplar, and pine. In 

1937 nearly 6 million board feet were used, about nine-tenths of which was cut 

within the unit and in general was trucked to the plants, whereas the remainde~ 

was produced outside the unit and came in chiefly by rail. 

Other wood-using establishments in the unit that draw upon the forest 

resource include: 1 tannic acid plant,, 1 hardwood dimension plant, 1 handle 

plant, and 2 shuttle block mills (using dogwood). Shingle mills are often 

attached to small sawmills and were not considered separately. The tannic acic 

plant is by far the most important of these five; it uses a large quantity of 

chestnut wood and chestnut oak wood and bark, employs many men regularly 

throughout the year, and is permanently established, having been in operation 

here more than a half a century. 

A large quantity of semi-manufactured material produced in the woods 

was used locally or shipped out of the unit without further manufacture. 

About 142,000 hewn cross ties were sold to treating plants and railroads, 

30,000 poles and piles were produced, and 2,800 cords of hardwood pulpwood 

were shipped to Tennessee. Nearly 2,000 cords of hardwood went to handle 

and bentwood-products plants in Tennessee, and 5,900 cords of pine and hardwood cooperage stock were shipped to plants in Tennessee, Georgia, and 

adjacent regions of Alabama. A small quantity of export logs also were 

taken from the unit. Material produced entirely for local use included 

766,000 pine and 962,000 hardwood posts, 375,900 cords of pine and 646,700 

cords of hardwood fuel wood, cut both on and off farms; also about 23,000 

cords of pine and hardwood material were used in an unsawed condition for the 

maintenance of farm buildings. 
Employment 

The labor required in the 524 forest-industrial plants amounted in 1937 

to 278,000 man-days (table 17). This includes labor spent in processing material cut within the unit and material shipped into it from other areas. 

Moods labor anomted to 848,000 man-days, representing all the labor involved 

in cutting material to be sent out of the unit as well as that used locally. 

A large part of the woods labor is involved in the production of fuel wood, 

fence posts, and saw timber for farm use. This labor returns scarcely any 

cash directly to the individual, but it does red~ce expenditures for these 

necessary items. Since a majority of the farmers do some forest work during 

the year, it is difficult to estimate the total number of individuals engaged 

in forest work, but studies made by the Department of Forestry Relations of 

the Tennessee Valley Authority aid in making a rough approximation of the nwnber engaged in the lumber industry. Data gathered in Marshall County in 1935 

showed that the average small mill employed about 7 men in both woods and mill, 

indicating that over 3,500 individuals may be employed in the lumber industry 

within the unit, exclusive of those employed in the concentration yards. 

Table 17. - Wood-products production and employment, 1937 

Thousand board feet - - Thousand man-days - - (lumber tally) (10 hours each) 

Industry 

or 

commodity 

Sawmills 508u 100,700 115,500 100 23 5 335 

Veneer 3 5,300 5,800 9 16 25 

Cross ties (hewn) 

Poles and piles 

Fence posts 

Number 

of 

plants 

Pulpwood 

Fuel wood 

Cooperage 

Miscellaneous 

Total 

cut in 

woods 

M pieces - lL2 

1/ All these mills are small with a rated capacity of less than 20 M board 

feet per day. 

Includes 1 tannic acid plant, 1 hardwood-dimension plant, 1 handle plant, 

and 2 shuttle block mills. 

Produced 

or. used 

by 

plants 

Commodity Drain 

The commodity drain from the sound-tree growing stock includes both the 

utilized material and the sound usable material left in felled trees. The 

drain on the saw-timber portion of the trees, including both the utilized and 

wasted portions, is expressed in board feet, while the volumes given in cubic 

Employment 

1n woods Total In 

plants 
feet include drain on saw-tiln'ker material, upper stems of sawlog.-size pines, 

and. small trees ranging from 5.0 inches d.b.h. to sawlog size. 

The total amount o.f saw-timber material removed from the sound-tree 

growing stock in 1937 amounted to 188.2 million board feet (table 18), of 

which 63 percent was pine and 37 percent hardwood. Three-fourths of the pine 

drain was caused by the lumber industry, and most of the remainder by local 

needs for fuel wood and miscellaneo*tis farm-construction material.. The hardwoods contribute to a greater variety of products than the pines, but a large 

part of the hardwood drain of saw-timber size was for fuel wood. If this reflects the poor quality of much of the hard~,vood timber, it is a justifiable 

use, but timberland owners should realize that t,here is an immense amount of 

material in cull trees (table 11) and in small trees of inferior species that 

is entirely satisfactory for fuel wood. The importance of the fuel-wood drain 

is further emphasized in the portion. of table 18 showing drain of all material 

in cubic feet; where it is seen that fuel-wood drain anounts to nearly 15 

mill-ion cubic feet as compared with 17i million cu~oic feet used for lumber. 

Table 18. - Commodii-? drain from the sound-tree growing stock, 1937 

- Thousand board feet - - Thousand cubic feet - (lumber tally) (inside bark) 

Lumber 88,900 13,700 102,600 15,450 2,080 17,530 

Cross ties (hewn) 400 8;600 9,000 80 1,350 1,430 

Poles and piles 800 - 800 250 - 250 

Veneer 1,500 4,500 6,000 250 650 900 

Cooperage 900 7,500 8,400 130 1.,080 1,210 

Misc. manufactures negl. 3,200 3,200 negl. 500 500 

Pulpwood - - - - 190 190 

Fuel wood 17,400 26,000 43,400 7,460 7,340 14,800 

Fence posts 800 600 1 , /,00 380 5 10 890 

Misc. farm use and 

land clearing 8,500 4,900 13,400 4,140 5,230 9,370 

Total 119,200 69,000 188,200 28,140 18,930 47,070 

This material expressed in cords of wood with bark equals 370,300 

cords of pine and 272,100 cords of hardwood. 

Reason for drain 

Comnarison of Increment and Drain 

In 1937, the total commodity drain was 32.3 million board feet more 

than the net increment (table 19). Commodity drain exceeded the net incremenr. 

by 27.1 million board feet in the pines and 5.2 million board feet in the hard 

woods. Under present methods of handling the timber stands, the commodity 

drain obviously is too high. More intensive forest ma=a.gement would increase 

the use of material now lost through mortality, thus reduein& the discrepancy 

between net increment and commodity drain. Gross growth in the hardwoods was 

Froin saw-timber 

material 

Pine 

From all growin stock 

materia d 

Hardwood Total Pine Hardwood Total 
geater than the comodity drain in 1937, but, because of mortality losses, 

the net increment was less than the drain. In the pines com~odity drain exceeded the gross growth, and the loss of 20.1 million board Feet by mortality 

served to further increase the deficit. With close attention to the health of 

the forests, fire protection, and selective cutting, the mortality losses can 

be reduced and utilization possibilities increased accordingly. 

Table 19. - Balance between net increment and commodity drain of 

saw-timber material, 1937 

Item I Pines I Hardwoods I Total 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1937 

Growth 

Mortality 

Net increment 

Commodity drain 

- - 

- - - - Thousand board feet - - - - 

(lumber tally) 

1,533,600 1,760,700 3,294,300 

Net change in growing stock, 1937 -27,100 -5,200 -32,300 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1938 1,506,500 1,755,500 3,262,000 

A comparison of growth wlth mortality and commodity drain is presented 

in figure 11, for 1936 and 1937. Growth, which is the amount of new wood 

added to the saw-timber growing stock, represents the amount of increase of 

the forest stand each year, before deducting the volmie of trees that died or 

were cut. Mortality and commodity drain are large items, however, and a 

glance at figure 11 shows that their combined volume was greater than the 

growth in each species-group. As a result the growing stock decreased in 

total volume both in 1936 and 1937. The remedy commonly advanced for a declining forest resource is a reduction in the cut, i.e., in the commodity 

drain. In practice, this would work a hardship upon forest workers, forestindustrial operators, and domestic users. Therefore, since the forest sites 

are capable of a much larger timber production, it seems more reasonable to 

advocate management practices that will put the area in a better "budget" 

consition by increasing the net increment. Volume gained in this way can be 

utilized to meet commodity-drain requirements or can be reserved as growing 

stock to contribute additional future growth. In either case, the deficit 

shorm in figure 11 would be reduced greatly, if not eliminated. 

1 The total sound-tree growing stock above 5.0 inches d.b.h. decreased 

I 4.2 million cubic feet in 1937 (table 20). There was not, however, a decrease 

in both hardwoods and pines. In the former, the net increment exceeded the 

drain by 4.1 million cubic feet, increasing the hardwood growing stock bj that 
amount, but this increase was offset by the fact that the pine growing stack 

was reduced 8.3 million cubic feet. The stand as a whole, therefore, decreased slightly during the year. 

FIGURE I/.- COMPARISON OF GROWTH WITH MORTALITY AND COMMODITY 

DRAIN. 1936 AND 1937. 

Table 20. - Balance (in cubic feet) between net increment and commodity 

drain of saw-timber and cordwood material, 1937 

Item I Pines ( Hardwoods I Total 

- - - - Thousand cubic feet - - - - 

(inside bark) 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1937 495,830 816,530 1,312,360 

Growth 

Mortality 

Net increment 

Commodity drain 

Net change in growing stock, 1937 -8,270 +4,100 -4,170 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1938 487,560 820,630 1,308,190 
The cubic-foot volumes in table 20 are expressed in cords of wood with 

bark in table 21. It is interesting to note that the volume of pine lost 

through mortality during the year is sufficient to supply the annual requirements of an average-sized pulp mill. 

Table 21. - Balance (in cords) between net increment and commodity drain of 

saw-timber and cordwood material, 1937 

Item I - 

Pines 1 Hardwoods I Total 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1937 

Growth 

Mortality 

Net increment 

Commodity drain 

Net change in growing stock, 1937 -108,000 C63,OOO -45,000 

Growing stock, Jan. 1, 1938 6,364,400 12,616,500 18,980,900 

Summary and Conclusions 

Agriculture is the chief activity in this area, where three-fourths of 

all the land is in farm ownership. Where farms are concentrated, the soil is 

so suitable for cultivation that a continued agricultural economy is probable, 

but where the farms are scattered on the less fertile soils, they will tend 

to revert to forest land if prices for farm commodities remain low. At present there are slightly over 2 million acres of forest land in the unit, more 

than half of which is made up of farm woodlands. Areas that are predominantly 

forest land include the Jackson County Mountains, the north end of Sand 

Mountain, the Coastal Plain, and areas in the western part of the Warrior 

Basin and Highland Rim. 

The forests are an important supplement to local agriculture. In a 

region where topography and soils limit the amount of tillable land, the forest stands provide revenue from land that would otherwise lie idle. The forests also are a valuable source of material for local construction. It is 

estimated that the 53,200 farms in this area require annually approximately 

56 million board feet of lumber for maintenance of buildings alone. Also more 

than a million cords of fuel wood are consumed by rural, urban, and industrial 

users. These products have a market value of at least 5 million dollars. 

On the forest land are 1.5 billion board feet of pine and 1.8 billion 

board feet of hardwood (lumber tally). The chief worth of this timber lies 

not in its immediate conversion value but in the fact that it provides a forest capital that will produce an annual interest in the form of wood for use 
by the forest industri~s and local population. In 1937 this interest (forest 

increment) amounted to 1'15.9 million boa.rd feet, after losses caused by moptality were deducted. Wood used by the 524 forest-industrial plants, plus all 

other sawlog material removed directly from the forest, amounted to 188.2 

million board feet in 1937. As a result, the already sadly depleted growing 

stock was reduced further by 32.3 'million board feet; while not a large overdraft in itself, this indicates tha~t there is at present a distinct limitatio,: 

to the general expansion of the forest industries. 

Employment is provided to many people through cutting, transporting, 

and manufact,uring forest prod11ct.s. In 1937, over 1 million man-days of labor 

were utilized in wood-products activities; this is equivalent to 5,600 manyears if 200 days are considered a working year. As a matter of fact, however: 

! the nw,ber of individuals working for the forest-industrial ant (full and 

part-time) probably is closa to 4,000, while practically every farm ope:rat,c 

(53,200) spends several weeks each year cutting fuel wood and fence posis for 

1 hem? use as well as various forest products for sale. 

i 

Deficiencies in the present forest 

1. Over-cutting, careless handling, and uncontrolled fires have so depleted the forest stand thaz the annual yield of wood is only one-fourch to 

one-half that which the soils and climate of north Alabama can produce. 

2. The proportion of larger pines and hardwoods is so small that there 

is little opportunity for sawmills to produce the better grades of lunber; 

this restricts the sawmill industry to small portable mills that generally produce lumber of inferior quality. 

3. There is an excess of small and poor-quality hardwoods; 62 percent 

of the net volume of all sowd hardwood material is in trees below 13.0 inches 

d.b.h. and in cull trees (table 11). 

4. The volume of growing stock lost through mortality is equivalent to 

almost one-third the total growth. 

5. Organized fire protection is lacking on about four-fifths of the for 

est area. 

Measures for improving the forest 

Intensive, unit-wide forest-fire control is the primary need in this 

area. The forest land can never yield more than a fract,ion of its full productivity as long as forest fires are allowed to burn unchecked. The elimination of fire also will go far to reduce the excessive mortality in the stands. 

An increased timber resource, properly utilized, contributzs directly to the 

public welfare, but at present the general public causes most of the forest 

fires. It seems logical, therefore, that fire protection for all forest land 

in the unit should be provided through cooperative funds furnished by public 

agencies and private landowners. 

Throughout the farming areas there is an excellent opportunity, and a 

definite need, for extension.workers to educate the farm operators in better 
forest-management practices. Fifty-eight percent of the forest land is on 

farms, and most of it contributes constantly toward the farm maintenance or 

income. While the farmers are aware of the importance of their timber land, 

they have failed to grasp the value of growing continuous crops of timber on 

their woodlots. There is also a general lack of thrift in wood utilization; 

too much good saw timber is used for fire wood, while many inferior trees and 

species that would serve equally well are left in the stand. The need of the 

farmers for large quantities of fuel wood and low-grade construction material 

provides an excellent opportunity for practicing good forest management through 

improvement cuttings, since they are among the few forest ormers who have a 

home market for low-grade material while reserving the high-grade saw timber 

for sale. 

A market for low-quality hardwoods must be developed, however, before 

forest management can make much progress in the main forest areas. This is 

particularly true in the Jackson County Mountains. A pulp mill located on the 

Tennessee River, where it would have access to cheap water transportation and 

electric power, and using all species of hardwoods, could be a definite asset 

in improving the forest stands. 

It would be desirable to reduce the saw-timber cut until the effect.: of 

fire protection, improved management practices, and better utilization are 

evident in an increased growing stack and greater annual yields. This is especially true in the pine stands, but from a practical standpoint, it is difficult to see how this reduction in cut can be expected under prevailing conditions and the present requirements for cash and woods material. The factor 

most likely to cause a reduction in cut is the increasing scarcity of suitable 

saw timber, followed by a gradual but temporary migration of the small sawmills 

to more favorable regions. 

Now is the time for interested public agencies and private individuals 

to formulate, finance, and execute a forest policy for this area that will 

develop the forest resource to its full productivity. Successful accomplishment means profitable use of 2 million acres of non-agricultural land, expanded 

forest industries, a broader tax base, more employment, and an increased income 

for the people. Surely these benefits are worthy of concerted action and sustained effort by all who will profit from a greater forest resource. 
APPENDIX 

Forest Type-Groups 

- Pine.- Includes the following forest types: shortleaf pine, loblolly 

pine, shortleaf-other pine, loblolly-other pine, Virginia pine, Virginia 

pine-other pine, cedar. About 63 percent of the net cubic volume is shortleaf and loblolly pine (table 5). 

Pine-hardwood.- Includes the following forest types: shortleaf-hardwoods, loblolly-hardwoods, Virginia pine-hardwoods, mixed hardwoods-pine. 

About 45 percent of the net cubic volume is shortleaf and loblolly pine. 

Upland hardwood.- Includes the following forest types: oak-chestnut, 

mixed upland hardwoods, scrub hardwoods. About 96 percent of the net cubic 

volume is mixed hardwoods; scattered pines and cedar account for the remainder. 

Bottom-land hardwood.- Includes the following forest types: covehardwoods, bottom-land hardwoods. About 38 percent of the net cubic volume 

is red, black, and tupelo gums, red maple, yellow poplar, and other pulping 

hardwoods; the remainder is in species such as oaks, hickories, ash, beech, 

elm, and hackberry, with a small amount of pine. 

Forest Conditions 

Old-growth uncut.- Old-growth stands from which less than 10 percent 

of the volume has been cut. 

Old-growth partly cut.- Old-growth stands from which 10 percent or 

more of the volume has been cut, but in which the remaining old-growth saw 

timber contains at least 1,000 board feet per acre of hardwood, or 600 board 

feet of pine or pine and hardwood mixed. 

Second-growth sawlog-size uncut.- Second-growth stands from which less 

than 10 percent of the sawlog-size - trees have been cut and in which the remaining saw timber contains at least 600 board feet per acre. 

Second-growth sawlog-size partly cut.- Second-growth stands from which 

10 percent or more of the sawlog-size - trees have been cut, and in which the 

remaining saw timber contains at least 400 board feet per acre 

Second-growth under sawlog size.- Second-growth stands composed largely 

of under-sawlog-size trees, and containing less than 600 board feet per acre. 

Reproduction.- Areas insufficiently stocked to classify as second 

growth, but bearing per acre more than 80 seedlings less than 1 inch d.b.h. 

Clear-cut.- Cut-over areas in which an insufficient quantity of young 

growth has come in to classify them either as second growth or as reproduction. 
Diameters 

D.B.H. (diameter at breast height) +- Diameter, outside of bark, ,!++ 

feet above the ground. 

A 2-inch diameter-class includes diameters 1 inch below and 0.9 inch 

above the stated midpoint, e.g.: the 6-inch class includes trees 5.0 to 6.9 

inches d.b.h. Corresponding limits apply to the other diameter-classes. 

Tree Classification 

Sawlog-size tree.- A pine tree at least 9.0 inches d.b.h.. or a hardwood tree at least 13.0 inches d.b.h., which will produce 1 sound butt log 

at least 12 feet long, or which contains at least 50 percenL of i-cs gross 

saw-timber volume in sound material in case the butt log is a cull. 

Under-sawlog-size tree.- Any tree between 1.0 inch and the minimum 

merchantable diameter at breast height, at least 75 percent sound and with a 

reasonably straight stem. Only trees 5.0 inches d.b.h. and larger have been 

included in cordwood and cubic-foot estimates. 

Cull tree.- A sound tree which, because of form, crook, extreme limbiness, or other sound defect, is not, and never will become, suitable for saw 

timber; or a sawlog-size tree that is more than 50 percent defective; or an 

under-sawlog-size tree that is more than 25 percent defective. 

Volume Estimates 

Board-foot volume.- Only sawlog-size trees are included in this estimate. Top diameters vary with the limits of usable material, but no hardwood 

logs less than 8.5 inches in diameter at the small end, nor any pine logs 

less than 5.5 inches, are included. Deductions are made for woods cull, such 

as rot, fire scar, crook, limbiness, and similar defects, as well as for loss 

in sawing at the mill due to sweep and hidden defects. Board-foot volumes, 

based on the International $-inch rule, closely approximate the lumber tally 

of green boards in the mill. No deduction has been made for kiln, yard, and 

other losses before shipping. 

Cordwood volume.- This includes the entire stand of sound trees at 

least 5.0 inches d.b.h., outside bark, and contains material from: 

1. Sound trees sawlog size-the merchantable sawlog portion of 

saw-timber trees. 

2. Upper stems of sawlog-size pine trees-the portion of'sawtimber trees not used as sawlogs but usable as cordwood. 

This includes only the upper stems to a variable top-dimeter limit (but not less than 4 inches). 

3. Sound trees under sawlog size-the full stems of both pines 

and hardwoods at least 5.0 inches d.b.h. to a variable 

usable top-diameter (b~t not less than 4 inches). 
Deduction is made for woods cull, such as rot, fire scar, excessive crook, 

bad knots, or other defects. 

Additional material included in table 11 is the estimated sound usable 

portion of cull trees at least 5 inches d.b.h. and the upper stems and limbs 

of sawlog-size hardwoods. 

Cubic-foot volume contains the material described under "Cordwood 

volume" but excludes the bark, except in table 5. 

Pine Tree Grades 

Smooth tree.- A tree with at least 20 feet of clear length and at 

least 50 percent of the total usable length practically free of limbs and 

knots. 

Limby tree.- A tree with at least 12 feet of clear length and with 

30 to 49 percent of the total usable length practically free of limbs and 

knots. 

Rough tree.- A merchantable tree not clear enough to be put in either 

of the previous classes.