G. D. Van Iluoscr 

,. 

FOREST STATISTICS FOR 

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS 

A REPORT OF THE SOUTHERN FOREST SURVEY 

William A. Duerr, in charge 

SOUTHERN FOREST EXPERIMENT STATION 

Chas. A. Connaughton, Director 

New Orleans, La. 

FOREST SERVICE, U. S. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE 
THE SOUTEERN FOREST SURVEY 

The Southern Forest Survey, an activity of the Southern 

Forest Experiment Station, covers the seven States of the 

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

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

McSweeney-PIcNary Forest Research Act of 1928. Its fivefold purpose is (1) to take inventory of the supplr of 

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

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

supply is being diminished through industrial and local 

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

(4) to estimate the present requirements and the probable 

future trend in the requirements for timber and other 

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

existing Find anticipated economic conditions, in order 

that policies may be formulated for the effective use of 

lands suitable for forest production. 
FOREST STATISTICS FOR 

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS 
Figure I--Southwest Arkansas in relot~on to the other Forest Survey 

regions in the State. 
CONTENTS 

Page 

Forest statistics for southwest Arkansas .............. 1 

Forest acreage. 1949 ....................... 2 

Timber volume. 1949 ....................... 3 

Accuracyofthedata ........................ 5 

Figures: 

1 . Map of Arkansas ....................... ii 

2. Changes in forest type. 1936-49 ............... 1 

3. Changes in growing stock. 1936-49 .............. 1 

4 . Generalized forest types in southwest Arkansas ........ 4 

Tables: 

1 . Forest and nonforest land area .............. 2 . Forest land by class of ownership ............ 3. Land area and commercial forest by county ........ !+ . Comercial forest land by stand size and forest type ... 5 . Commercial forest . land by tree stocking and forest type 

6. Area of saw-timber stands by stand quality and forest type 

7 . Basal area per acre by forest-type group ......... 8. Distribution of the total growing stock by species .... 9* Total growing stock and sawlog volume by species ..... 10. Total volume by class of timber and species ....... ll . Total growing stock by species and stand size ...... 12. Average volume per acre of total growing stock ...... 13. Sawlog volume by species and tree dfameter ........ 14. Sawlog volume by species and stand size ......... 15 . Sawlog volume by species and quality of timber ...... 16 . Average sawlog volume per acre .............. 

Definition of terms ........................ 18 
UPLAND HARDWOOD 

BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD 

LOBLOLLYSHORTLEAF PINE-HARDWOOD I ARKANSAS 

Pi 6-50 

Figure 4.--Generalized forest types in southwest Arkansas. The pure pine and upland hardwood-pine 

types ore not shown. 
In sawlog growing stock, both softwood and hardwood declined 

2 percent between the Forest Surveys. The 1949 saw-timber volumes are 

11.3 and 6.9 billion board feet, respectively. 

Before determining changes in the forest between 1936 and 1949, 

it was necessary to put the data from the first inventory on a basis 

comparable with the reinventory. For example, between the two Forest 

Surveys, the official land-area statistics for Arkansas were changed; 

the boundaries of the southwest region were shifted onto county lines; 

and the lower limit for hardwood saw timber was dropped from 13.0 to 

11.0 inches, d.b.h. 

Definitions of terms used in this report will be found in the 

appendix. 

Accuracy of the Data 

Data were obtained from a sampling of aerial photographs and from 

on-the-ground measurements on pairs of quarter-acre sample plots located 

every 4 miles on lines 3 miles apart throughout the region. Statistical 

analysis of the data indicates a sampling error of about 1 percent for 

the estimate of total forest acreage, 3 percent for total cubic-foot 

volume, and 4 percent for total board-foot volume. As these totals are 

broken down by forest type, species, and other subdivisions, the error 

possibility increases and is greatest for the smallest items, 

The maximum sampling error to which the estimates are liable, on 

a probability of two out of three, is approximately as follows: 

Maximum sampling : Maximum sampling : Maximum sampling 

error in forest error in cubic- error in boardarea foot volume foot volume 

Thousand Percent Million Percent Million Percent 

- acres - error cu. ft. - error bd. ft. - error 

6,000 1 4,600 3 18,000 4 

3 900(3 1 2,500 4 10,000 5 

1,000 2 1,000 6 4,000 8 

500 3 300 11 1,000 15 

50 9 30 36 100 . 49 

The estiarates of sampling error do not include errors in volume 

tables, cull allowances, or other such measurements, Methods of estimating errors of this type have not been developed. 
Table 1.--Forest and nonforest land area, 1949 

Land use Land area 

Thousand acres Percent 

 ores st:&/ 

Commercial 6,339.2 71.4 

Reserved-commercial e e o *.. 

Nonconmercial ... . . . Total 6,339.2 71.4 

Nonf orest 2,535.1 28.6 

All land 8,874.3 100.0 

No forest land was found that was incapable of producing commercial 

timber, 

Table 2.--Forest land by class of ownership, 1949 

-- - ~ 

Class of ownership Commercial forest 

Private :, 

Thousand acres Percent 

~ar& 1,224.5 19.3 

Other 5,010.5 79.1 

Total private 6,235.0 98.4 

Public: 

National forest 4.0 -1 

Soil Conservation Service 19.1 .3 

Other federal 55.1 

State - 3 

County 25.7 

(3, 0 4 

Total public 104.2 1.6 

All ownership 6,339.2 100.0 

1/ Based on 1945 Census of Agriculture. 

Negligible. 
Table 3.--Land area and commercial forest by county, 1949y 

- --- ------ 

County All land Commercial forest 

Thousand Thousand 

acres acres Percent 

Ashley 

Bradley 

Calhoun 

Clark 

Cleveland 

Columbia 

Dallas 

Drew 

Grant 

Hempst ead 

Hot Spring 

Howard 

Laf ayette 

Little River 

Miller 

Nevada 

Ouachita 472.3 344.1 72.9 

Pike 393.6 305.6 77.6 

Sevier 374.4 268.3 71.7 

Union 673.2- 485.5 -- 72.1 

All counties -- 8,871r.3 6,339.2 71.4 

1/ Countv data on saw lo^. and total arowine: stock, suitable for com- d " - - - bining into county groups, are available as a supplement to this release. 
Table 4.--Commercial forest land by stand size and forest type, 1949 

: All : Large : Small : :Seedling: 

Forest type : stand : saw : saw : Cordwood : and :Denuded 

: sizes : timber : timber: :sapling : 

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

Softwood tmes: 

Loblolly-shortleaf 

pine 1,903.8 244.7 1,010.9 454.0 160.0 34.2 

Loblolly-shcrtleaf 

pine-hardwood 2,052.6 222.1 779.3 913.6 123-5 14.1 

Total 3,956.4 466.8 1,790.2 1,367.6 283-5 48.3 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 1,300.7 243.7 365.0 551.7 131.2 29.1 

Upland hardwood 138.2 13-9 31.1 79.7 6.8 6.7 

Upland hardwoodpine 943.9 60.3 116.0 622.8 118.2 26.6 

Total 2,382.8 317-9 512.1 1,234.2 256,2 62.4 

All types 6,339.2 784.7 2,302.3 2,601.8 539,7 110.7 

Table 5 .--> 

type, 1949 

Forest type : All r Well : Medium : Poorly : Non- 

: stocking: stocked : stocked : stocked : stocked - - - - - - - - - Thousand acres - - - - - - - - 

Softwood types: 

~oblolly-shortleaf 

pine 1,903-8 1,417.8 381.2 70.6 34.2 

Loblolly-shortleaf 

pine-hardwood 2,052-6 1,345-5 640.3 52.7 14.1 

Total 3,956.4 2,763.3 1,021.5 123.3 48.3 

Aardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 1,300.7 484.0 675.5 112.1 29.1 

U~land hardwood 178.2 L8.5 76.1 6.9 6.7 

upland hardwood-pine 0 % -9 377.2 26.6 

Total 2,382.8 909.7 1,241.1 169.6 62.4 

All types 6,339.2 3,673.0 2,262,6 292.9 110.7 
Table 6.-Area of saw-timber stands by stand quality and forest tmes. 

w 

Forest type A11 : Fair or : Poor qualities : - better : 

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

Softwood types: 

Loblolly-shortleaf pine 1,255.6 626.0 629.6 

Loblolly-shortleaf pinehardwood 1,001.4 401.9 599.5 

Total 2,257.0 1,027.9 1,229.1 

Hardwood types : 

Bottomland hardwood 608.7 246 .& 362.3 

Upland hardwood 45.0 20.8 24.2 

Upland hardwood-pine 176.3 64.2 112.1 

Total 830.0 331.4 498.6 

A11 types 3,007.0 1,359.3 1,727.7 

Table ?.--Basal area per acre of firowing stockL/ and cull trees by 

forest-t:me Eroup. 1949 

Growing : Forest-type group A11 trees : Cull 

stock : trees 

- - - - - - - Sauare feet - - - - - - - 

Softwood 71.8 62.7 9.1 

Bottomland hardwood 70.9 47.7 23.2 

Upland hardwood 56.6 42.8 13.8 

A11 types 69.0 56.2 12.8 

Includes sound, well-formed 2- and /+-inch trees. 

Includes upland hardwood-pine. 
Table 8.--Distribution - of total grow in^: stock by species within each 

:Loblolly-: Upland :LOblO1l~-:shortleaf: Upland : 

Species : :types-/. 1shotea : land :hardwood: hardwood- 

.hardwood. : pine :hardwood . . pine 

Softwood: 

Loblolly pine 32.7 47.4 36.6 ... 7.6 

Shortleaf pine 22.8 bo.2 16.8 (27 ... 4.0 

Cypress .S (ul 4.7 ... Cedar (dl (a) (2; ... ... ($5 

Total 56.3 87.6 53.5 8.6 ... 11.6 

Hardwood: 

Southern red, 

black, and 

scarlet oaks 

Cherrybark, fihunard, 

and northern red 

oaks 

Water oaks 

White oak 

Other white oaks 

Sweetgum 

Black and tupelo 

gums 

Cottonwood 

Willow 

Pecan .4 ... ... 2.6 (2,') (&'I 

Other hickories 3.2 .9 3 -4 4.6 9.9 9.8 

Elms 1.6 .6 6.0 5.1 2.3 

Maples -5 .4 1.0 ... 1.7 

Y &ow-poplar (a') ... ... ... (2/) 

Sycamore $3 ... ($j 1.6 ... .5 

fish .5 .1 .3 1.8 .8 1 ..1 

Beech -3 (dl .3 .7 ... 1.5 

Sweet bay and 

magnolia .1 4.9 .2 .5 ... (2/) 

Hackberry .4 (&'I 2.1 ... .1 

Other hardwoods .7 cijj .2 3.3 .8 .4 

Total 43.7 12.4 46.5 91.4 100.0 88.4 

All species 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Cedar type included. 

2/ Negligible. 
Table 9.--Total growing stock and sawlog volume by species, 1949 

Species Total Sawlog 

: growing stock volume 

Million cubic feet killion board f&

Softwood: 

Loblolly pine 

Shortleaf pine 

Cypress 

Cedar 

Total 

Hardwood: 

Southern red, black, 

and scarlet oaks 

Cherrybark, Shumard, and 

northern red oaks 

Water oaks 

White oak 

Other white oaks 

Sweetgum 

Black and tupelo gums 

Cottonwood 

Willow 

Pecan 

Other hickories 

Elms 

Maples 

Yellow-poplar 

Sycamore 

Ash 

Beech 

Sweet bay and magnolia 

Hackberry 

Other hardwoods 

All species 4,615.1 18,238.3 
Table 10.--Total volume by class of timber and suecies, 1949 

Growing stock . 

: All : : Sawlog trees . Species . 1 Cull 

: timber : 'I1 : Sawlog : :Cordwood : and : trees 

: trees :portions : Tops : trees : limbs . ---------- - - Piillion cubic f& - - - - - - - - - - - 

Softwood: 

Lob'ly pine 1,520.6 1,510.1 1,136.0 130.2 243.9 ... 10.5 

Shortl. pine 1,054.6 1,051.4 691.4 76.4 283.6 ... 3.2 

Other softw. 40.1 37.5 29.5 3.8 4.2 ... 2.6 

Total 2,615.3 2,599.0 1,856.9 210.4 531.7 ... 16.3 

Hardwood: 

Red oaks 1,039.3 583.2 334.3 . . . 248.9 197.2 258.9 

White oaks 767.2 461.0 24L.9 ... 216.1 156.8 149.4 

Hickories 238,6 147.0 78.6 ... 68.4 48.1 43.5 

Sweetgum 692.2 470.1 242.0 ... 228.1 118.3 103.8 

Black & tupelo 

ws 216.8 113.1 73.3 . . . 39.8 40.8 62.9 

Okher hardwood 566.3 241.7 120.8 ... 120.9 72.3 252.3 

Total 3,520.4 2,016.1 

-- 

1,093.9 ... 922.2 633.5 870.8 

All species - 6,135.7 4,615.1 2,950.8 210.4 

-- 

1,453.9 633.5 887.1 

----------- - Thourand cords - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Softwood: 

Loblly~ine 20,274.7 20,134.7 15,146.7 1,736.0 3,252.0 ... 140.0 

Shortl. pine 14,061.3 14,018.6 9,218.6 1,018.7 3,781.3 ... 42.7 

Other softw, 534.7 500.0 393.3 50.7 56.0 .. . 34.7 

Total 34,870.7 34,653.3 24,758.6 2,805.4 7,089.3 . . . 217.4 

Hardwood: 

Red oaks 15,511.9 8,704.4 4,989.5 ... 3,7111.9 2,943.3 3,864.2 

White oaks 11,450.7 6,880.5 3,655.2 . . . 3,225.3 2,340.3 2,229.9 

Hickories 3,561.2 2,194.0 1,731 ... 1,020.9 717.9 649.3 

Sweetgum 10,331.3 7,016.4 3,611.9 ... 3,404.5 1,765.7 1,549.2 

Black & tupelo 

Ws 3,235.8 1,688.0 1,094.0 ... 594.0 609.0 938.8 

Other hprdwood 8,452.2 3,607.5 1,303.0 ... 1,804.5 1,079.1 3,765.6 

Total 52,543.1 30,090.8 14,326.7 . . . 13,764.1 9,455.3 12,997.0 

All species 87,413.8 64,71,4.1 1+1,085.3 2,1705.4 20,853.4 9,/+55.3 13,214.4 
Table 11.--Total growing stock by species and stand size, 1949 

: All : Large : Small : :Seedling: 

Species : stand : saw : saw :Cordwood: and : Denuded 

: sizes : timber : timber : :sapling : 

------- Million cubic feet - - - - - - - - 

Softwood: 

Loblolly pine 1,510,l 428.7 862,2 207.9 10.8 0.5 

Shortleaf pine 1,051,4 165-8 727.0 15L.5 3.9 .2 

Other softwoods 37,5 19.0 11.8 6,5 . 2 -. s 

Total 2,599.0 613.5 1,601.0 368.9 14,9 o 7 

Hardwood: 

Red oaks 583-2 136,5 264.1 178,l 4.5 ooe 

White oaks 461.0 85,8 196,2 172-0 5.8 1.2 

Hickories 147.0 31-4 57.9 56.6 .7 .4 

Sweetgum 470.1 95.1 205.3 163.3 6.4 . s 

Black and 

tupelo gums 113.1 37Q7 49.5 24.7 1,2 o. 

Other hardwoods 241.7 59.4 86,8 91-0 3.4 1.1 

Total 2,016.1 445.9 859.8 685.7 22.0 2.7 

All species 4,615-1 1,059.4 2,460,8 1,054,6 36.9 3.4 

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

and forest type, 1949 

: All : Large : Small : :Seedling: 

Forest type : stand : saw : saw :Cor&iood: and : Denuded 

: sizes : timber : tirnber : :sapling : 

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

Softwood types: 

Loblolly-shortleaf 

pine 1,051 1,864 1,307 469 58 15 

Loblolly-shortleaf 

pine-hardwood 666 1,336 921 376 66 Beq 

Total 

Hardwood types : 

Bottomland hardwood 59L .. . 969 8L1 Lll 67 - 82 

Upland hardwood 481 1,036 672 388 oan 45 

Upland hardwe-pine 433 925 802 399 95 8 

Total 524 964 $22 403 76 4.6 

All types 728 1,350 1,069 405 68 31 
Table 13.- sawl lo^: volume by species and tree diameter, 1% 

: *11 : 10 - 12 14 - 18 20 - 24 26 inches Species : diameter: - 'inches ;1/ : inches : inches . and up 

: classes : 

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

Softwood: 

Loblolly pine 6,985.4 2,477.1 3,401.2 929.4 177.7 

Shortleaf 

pine 4,133.7 2,099.7 1,893.7 140.3 ... Cther softwoods 180.7 33.3 87.6 34.6 25.2 

Total 11,299.8 4,610.1 5,382.5 1,104.3 

-- 

202.9 - -

Hardwood: 

Red oaks 2,118.7 658.7 1,123.5 406.6 129.9 

White oaks 1,558.0 310.3 821r. 1 3C7.7 115.9 

Hickories 506.3 97.4 282.8 62.4 63.7 

Sweetwm 1,525.2 365.5 910.2 184.2 65.3 

Black and 

tupelo gums 470.6 67.3 227.7 134.3 41.6 

Other hardwoods 759.7 176.8 393.3 116.0 73.6 

Total 6,938.5 1,1+75.7 3,761.6 1,211.2 490.0 

All species 18,238.3 6,085.8 9,144.1 2,315.5 692.9 

- 1/ Hardwood sawlog volume not tallied in trees unJer 11.0 inches d.b.h. 
Table 14,--Sawloi: volumc by species end stand size, 1949 

: All : Lar~e : Sr;all : :Seedling: 

Species : stand: saw : s2w :Coriiliood: and :Jenuded 

: sizes : tinher : tin.ber : : saoling : 

- - - - - - - - - Million -- hoard feet - - - - - - - - 

Softwood: 

Loblolly pine 6,985.4 2,400.9 3,958.1 584.7 31.7 ... Shortleaf pine 4,133,7 866.4 2,942.5 312.9 11.9 ... Other softwoods 180.7 102.7 47.6 29.5 .9 ... Total 11,299.8 3,370.0 6,958.2 927.1 44.5 ,.. 

- 

Hardwood: 

Red oaks 2,118.7 632.0 1,056.1 416.1 14.5 a , . Jhite oaks 1,558.0 412.6 674.8 449.1 14.4 7.1 

Hickories 506.3 165.7 199.5 137.6 1.5 2 .O 

Sweetmrn 1,525.2 409.2 773.8 326.9 15.3 a . . Rlack and 

tupelo gums 470.6 194.3 192.1 80.5 3.7 ... Other hardwoods 

- 

759.7 289.3 287.8 172.6 3.9 6.1 

Total 6,938.5 2,103.1 3,141 1,592.8 53.3 15.2 

811 species 18,238.3 5,473.110,142.3 2,509.9 97.8 15.2 
Table 15.--Sawlog volume by species, softwood tree grade, hardwood 

log grade, and stand quality, 1949 

- 

Grade 3 

Species : All : Grade 1 Grade 2 : In fair : 

: grades : : and : In poor 

: better : stands 

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

Softwood: 

Loblolly pine 6,985.4 1,348.2 1,732.4 1,608.8 2,296.0 

Shortleaf pine 4,133.7 768,9 1,128.5 863.2 1,373.1 

Other softwoods 180.7 104,l 31.8 15.5 29.3 

Total 

Hardwood: 

Red oaks 

White oaks 

Hickories 

Sweetgum 

Black and tupelo 

gums 

Other hardwoods 

Total 

All species 
Table 16.--Average sawlog volume per acre by stand size and forest 

type, 1949 

: All : Large : Small : :Seedling: 

Forest type : stand : saw : saw :Cordwood: and : Denuded 

: sizes : timber: timber: :sapling : 

- - - - - - - - - - Board feet - - - - - - - - - - 

Softwood types: 

Loblolly-shortleaf pine 4,356 9,604 5,440 939 112 . . . Loblolly-shortleaf pine-hardwood 2,548 6,776 3,627 9 64 155 se. 

All softwood types 8 8,259 4,650 956 131 a.P 

Hardwood types: 

Bottomland hardwood 2,474 5,197 3,661 1,073 231 L81 

Upland hardwood 1,751 5,453 2,614 1,050 *.. 179 

Upland hardwoodpine 1,329 4,570 3,444 882 257 - * * 

All hardwood types 1,978 5,090 3,5L8 975 237 2& 

All types 2,877 6,975 4,405 965 181 137 
Definition of Terms 

Forest Land 

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

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

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

Commercial forest land. Forest land bearing, or capable of bearing, 

timber of commercial quantity and auality, and not withdrawn from 

commercial timber use. 

Reserved-oommeycial forest land. Forest land in public parks or 

preserves which qualifies as commercial forest land except that it 

is withdrawn from comercia1 timber use through statute, ordinance, 

or administrative order, 

Tree Species 

Softwoods. Loblolly pine (Pinus -- taeda), shortleaf pine (P. echinata), 

bald cypress (Taxodium distichurn), and eastern redcedar (Juniperus 

virginiana) . Hardwoods. Broad-leavsd species, of which the most numerous groups or 

species are the white oaks (Quercus, subgenus Lencobalanus), red oaks 

hrobalanus) , hickories (Car a spp. ), sweetgum (Liquidambar 

tupelo gums -P Ngssa spp.), 

Forest Type 

Forest type is determined only from dominant znd codominant growing 

stock and dominant and codominant smaller sound trees of good form. 

Loblolly-shortleaf pine, Stands in which pines comprise a,t least 75 

percent of the trees. 

Loblolly-shortleaf pine-hardwood. Stands in which pines comprise at 

least 25 percent of the trees, but less than 75 percent. 

Bottomland hardwood. Stands in which bottomland hardwoods and cypress 

comprise 76 percent or more of the trees, 

Upland hardwood. Stands in which upland hardwoods comprise 76 percent 

or more of the trees, and no pine is present. 

Upland hardwood-pine. Stands in which upland hardwoods comprise 76 

percent or more of the trees, and some pine is present. 
Class of Timber 

Growing stock, Sawlog growing stock is Khe sawlog portion of sawlog 

trees. Total growing stock includes sawlog growing stock, and upper 

stems of softwood sawlog trees and entire stems of cordwood trees to 

a minimum diameter of 4 inches inside bark. 

Sawlog tree, A live, merchantable softwood 9,O inches or larger in 

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

d.b,h. To be merchantable, the tree must have at least a merchantable 12-foot butt log or 50 percent of its gross volume in merchantable logs. 

Cordwood tree. A live tree 5.0 inches or larger in d.b.h., but 

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

should grow to sawlog size. 

Cull tree, A live tree 5.0 inches or larger in d.b.h., which because 

of decay or sound defect fails to meet the specifications for a cordwood or sawlog tree. 

Tops and limbs. Upper stems and limbs of hardwood sawlog trees between the top sawlog and a minimum diameter of 4 inches inside bark. 

Stand-size Class 

Large saw timber. Stands having a net volume of at least 1,500 

board feet per acre in sawlog trees and at least half of this volume 

in softwoods 15.0 inches d.b.h. and larger, and hardwoods 17.0 inches 

d.b,h. and larger. 

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

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

board feet per acre in sawlog trees. 

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

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

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

Seedling and sapling. Stands that do not meet saw-timber and cordwood specifications in which at least 10 percent of the growing space 

is occupied by growing stock and smaller sound trees of commercial 

species, and with at least 5 percent of the space occupied by seedlings and saplings. 

Denuded. Commercial forest land which does not qualify for any other 

stand-size class. 
Tree Stocking 

Degree of stocking is determined by the ratio of the actual number 

of growing-stock and smaller sound trees of good form in the stand to 

the number of trees of the same size required to occupy the site fully 

(for best growth). Under this criterion, stands are well stocked when 

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

percentage is 40 to 69, poorly stocked when the percentage is 10 to 39, 

and nonstocked when the percentage is under 10. 

Volume and Basal Area 

Sawlog volume. Net volume in merchantable sawlogs in sawlog trees, 

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

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

stems and branches of hardwoods between stump and minimum top diameter 

of 4 inches inside bark, measured in cubic feet. 

Basal area, Cross-sectional area of trees at breast height, measured 

in square feet. 

Diameter 

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

measured at 45 feet above ground, 

Diameter class. Each 2-inch diameter class includes diameters 1.0 inch 

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

includes trees 11.0 up to and including l2,9 inches. 

Log and Tree Grade 

Tree grades for softwoods: 

Grade1 (srnoothu treesl. Not less than 20 feet of clear bole and 

at least 40 percent of the merchantable length clear of limbs and 

knots in sections not less than 8 feet in length. 

All cedar kawlog trees were graded as No. 1, 

Grade 2 (limby trees). Not less than 12 feet of clear bole and 25 

to 39 percent of the merchantable length clear of limbs and knots 

in sections not less than 8 feet in length, 

Grade 3 (rou~h trees). Merchantable trees below grade-:! specifications, 

Except as noted in the case of cedar, 

- 20 - 
Log grades for hardwoods. .Y 

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

of their volume in higher grades of lumber. 

Grade 2. Logs of average clearness which yield from one-third to 

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

Grade 3. Small logs or logs of less than average clearness which 

yield less than one-third of their volume in higher grades of lumber, or sund, straight logs with many small defects which make them 

suitable only for ties and timbers. 

Stand Quality 

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

softwood trees are present, 

- Poor. A stand in which no grade 2 hardwood logs or softwood trees are 

present. 

For detailed external specifications of log grades used, see "Interim 

Sawlog Grades for Southern Hardwoods," Southern Forest Experiment Station, 

9 pp., January 1949. (Revised).