South Carolina Harvest 

and Utilization

Study, 2006

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Southern 

Research Station

Resource Bulletin

SRS–140

James W. Bentley and

Tony G. Johnson
The Authors:

James W. Bentley, Resource Forester, and Tony G. Johnson, 

Resource Analyst, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research 

Station, Knoxville, TN 37919.

November 2008

Southern Research Station

200 W.T. Weaver Blvd.

Asheville, NC 28802
i

Foreword

This resource bulletin describes the principal fi ndings of 

a harvest and utilization study conducted during the ninth 

inventory of South Carolina’s forest resources. Survey 

crews sampled and measured trees harvested in a variety 

of logging operations, and analysts calculated wood 

volume and percent of wood utilization. Harvest volume 

data and factors for growing-stock and nongrowingstock logging residue are described and interpreted.

Annual surveys of America’s forest resources are mandated 

by the Forest and Rangeland Act of 1978. Surveys and 

utilization studies are part of a continuing, nationwide 

under taking by regional experiment stations of the Forest 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Inventories and 

utilization studies of the 13 Southern States (Alabama, 

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and the Commonwealth 

of Puerto Rico are conducted by the Southern Research 

Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Research 

Work Unit. Unit headquarters is in Knoxville, TN, 

and FIA has operational offi ces in Asheville, NC, and 

Starkville, MS. The primary objective of these appraisals 

is to develop and maintain resource information needed 

to formulate sound forest policies and programs. More 

information about Forest Service resource inventories 

is available in “The Enhanced Forest Inventory and 

Analysis Program—National Sampling Design and 

Estimation Procedures” (Bechtold and Patterson 2005).

Tabular data included in FIA resource bulletins present 

a comprehensive array of forest resource statistics, but 

additional information is available to those who require more 

specifi c information. Access to data for the Southern States 

can be found at: http://srsfi a2.fs.fed.us/data/index.shtml.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Byron Rominger and Tim Adams for 

their review and comments; Carolyn Steppleton for key -

punching and processing preliminary data; Anne Jenkins, 

Janet Griffi n, and Sharon Johnson for the map, tables, 

graphs, and statistical checking; and the Southern Research 

Station (SRS) Technical Publications Team for editorial 

review, styling, and publication of this report.

iii

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Site Stratifi cation and Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Data Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Highlights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Characteristics of Harvested Trees in South Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Softwood Removals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Hardwood Removals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Index of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Tables A.1–A.17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Page

a

a All tables in this report are available in Microsoft® Excel workbook fi les. Upon request, these fi les will be supplied in the 

format the customer requests.

 The use of trade or fi rm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture of any product or service.
iv

Figure 1—Harvest operations, South Carolina, 2006.

Types of operations Number

25

15

23

18

6

4

3

3

2

Softwood saw log

Hardwood saw log

Softwood pulpwood

Hardwood pulpwood

Softwood veneer

Hardwood veneer

Composite panel (softwood)

Softwood pole

Hardwood fuelwood

Pickens

Greenwood

McCormick

Oconee

Anderson

Greenville

Spartanburg

Abbeville

Laurens

Cherokee

York

Union Chester Lancaster

Fairfield

Newberry

Saluda

Edgefield

Berkeley

Georgetown

Clarendon Williamsburg

Sumter

Richland

Kershaw

Lee

Chesterfield

Darlington

Marlboro

Florence

Dillon

Marion

Horry

Charleston

Calhoun

Lexington

Aiken

Barnwell

Allendale

Bamberg

Orangeburg

Hampton

Colleton

Jasper

Dorchester

Beaufort

Southern Coastal 

Plain

Northern Coastal 

Plain

Piedmont
South Carolina Harvest and Utilization 

Study, 2006

James W. Bentley and Tony G. Johnson

Introduction

Forest planners and managers have a continuing need for 

information about the timber resource, and the general 

public is expressing increasing interest in the effects of 

logging. Therefore, up-to-date data on the Nation’s forests—

and how they are changing—are essential to well-informed 

decisionmaking. Information about the condition of and 

changes in the timber resource of South Carolina comes 

from three primary sources: (1) inventory plots, which 

describe current conditions and quantify changes due to 

mortality, growth, removals, and land use; (2) mill surveys, 

which quantify timber volume harvested and delivered to 

primary wood products facilities, i.e., sawmills, pulpmills, 

veneer mills, composite panel mills, and pole mills; and 

(3) logging utilization studies, which characterize harvest 

operations and quantify the timber volume that is cut and 

utilized, and that portion that is left in the forest. 

This bulletin presents the fi ndings of a 2006 harvest and 

utilization study in South Carolina. The study’s main goal 

was to provide an estimate of softwood and hardwood 

volume used, and of volume left in the woods as logging 

residue. Survey crews randomly selected and measured 

felled trees on 99 active harvest operations throughout South 

Carolina (fi g. 1). This bulletin also provides information on 

logging in South Carolina and some general characteristics 

of trees harvested for various products, examples of which 

are average diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) by product, 

average bole length by product, average heights of residual 

stumps, and average diameter outside bark (d.o.b.) at the end 

of utilization.

Some standard FIA terms are used in this study. Two that 

are particularly important for understanding and interpreting 

study results are growing stock and nongrowing stock. 

A growing-stock tree is a live tree of commercial species 

that either contains or is capable of producing at least one 

12-foot or two 8-foot logs in the saw-log portion of the 

bole. A nongrowing-stock tree is one that does not meet 

the requirements of growing stock due to poor form or 

rot. For growing-stock trees, the growing-stock portion 

of a tree (5-inches d.b.h. or larger) includes the volume 

of sound wood between a 1-foot stump and a 4-inch top, 

d.o.b. Volume in the 1-foot stump, volume in the main 

stem from 4 inches to the growing top of the tree, and the 

volume of any limbs 4 inches or larger with at least one 

5-foot section are considered nongrowing-stock volume by 

FIA standards. Rough or rotten trees were also sampled and 

make up another piece of nongrowing-stock (cull) volume. 

Figure 2 illustrates a poletimber and a sawtimber tree and 

the growing-stock section of each.

Methods

Site Stratifi cation and Selection

Producing a complete list of timber-harvesting operations 

and ownerships in a State such as South Carolina is problematic. Because the industry is so complex, it is impossible 

to list the names and locations of all during the timeframe 

considered in this resource bulletin. Many uncontrolled 

factors affect how, when, and where harvesting operations 

will take place; but the most common events that affect 

harvesting operations are weather and timber markets. A 

random sample provides a reasonably accurate estimate of 

utilization.

The sites selected for study were stratifi ed by species group 

and product using the most recent data available from 

the publication “South Carolina’s Timber Industry—An 

Assessment of Timber Product Output and Use, 2001” 

(Johnson and others 2004), which provides county-level 

output of timber products harvested in South Carolina by 

species group. Using those proportions, we designated 60 

of the 99 selected sites as softwood operations, and the 

remaining 39 as hardwood operations. Harvest oper ations 

by product were based along these same general guidelines, 

although some fl exibility was given to fi eld crews for 

substitution due to the diffi culty of locating harvesting 

operations for some specifi c products. Table 1 shows the 

fi nal breakdown number of harvest operations and trees by 

product and species group.
2

After the harvest operations were stratifi ed by major species 

group and product, the operations were placed in the 

appropriate region and county in the State. Using countylevel product output data from the “South Carolina’s Timber 

Industry—An Assessment of Timber Product Output and 

Use, 2001” (Johnson and others 2004) and a map that 

showed current mill locations, prospective utilization sites 

were selected based on a high probability of being able to 

locate a harvesting operation for the particular product and 

species group assigned. Figure 1 shows where the fi nal 

harvest operations considered in this bulletin were located.

Data Collection

During the ninth survey, fi eld crews were trained to collect 

data on felled trees at harvest locations. Using the list of 

operations and a map of sites, they began collecting data 

by county for the particular species group and designated 

product(s). Data were collected from October 2005 to 

December 2006 on active harvest operations. Field crews 

visited local mills and talked to county personnel to locate 

active harvest sites.

1-foot stump 

Growing-stock 

volume (cubic feet) 

Growing-stock 

volume (cubic feet) 4.0 inches d.o.b. 

Top 

Top 

4.0 inches d.o.b. 

Softwood = 7.0 inches d.o.b.

Hardwood = 9.0 inches d.o.b.

Sawtimber 

volume (cubic feet) 

Poletimber tree 

Softwood = 5.0–8.9 inches d.b.h.

Hardwood = 5.0–10.9 inches d.b.h.

Sawtimber tree 

Softwood = at least 9.0 inches d.b.h. 

Hardwood = at least 11.0 inches d.b.h. 

Figure 2—Stem sections of poletimber and sawtimber trees.
3

At each harvest operation site, the crew members talked 

to the logger or the person in charge of operations. Those 

contacts provided vital information about product(s) 

utilized, specifi c diameters, and log lengths the receiving 

mill(s) would accept, along with minimum diameters at the 

cutoff points for specifi c products. Crews also noted the type 

of logging equipment that was being used. This information 

was used to determine the level of mechanization for each 

harvesting operation. 

On each harvest operation site, the crew’s goal was to 

measure 25 to 30 trees for each product to ensure an 

adequate representation of overutilization and underutilization for a given type of harvest operation. Trees were 

randomly selected and had to be at least 5-inches d.b.h. and 

alive prior to harvest. Although they often had been bucked, 

limbed, and topped, the main bole of each tree selected for 

measurement had to be intact to be measured for utilization. 

The State, unit, county, and location number were recorded 

for each site. Each tree was assigned a number and identifi ed 

by species, d.b.h., tree class, product, and bole length, as 

well as percent cull if rot was detected. Each tree was 

measured from the top of the cut stump to the end of 

utilization. Measurements were made along the main stem 

in sections no longer than 16 feet until the end of utilization. 

The end of utilization usually is determined by the sawyer, 

according to particular specifi cations set by the receiving 

mill(s). Again, FIA merchantability standards for growingstock volume are defi ned as the volume in the main stem of 

the tree from a 1-foot stump to a 4-inch top. However, most 

trees are not cut exactly at a 1-foot stump, nor are they cut 

off at exactly 4 inches. For example, trees that are cut off 

above a 1-foot stump and below 4 inches would be 

considered underutilized, and that volume not utilized would 

be considered growing-stock residue. On the other hand, by 

FIA standards, trees cut below a 1-foot stump and above a 

4-inch top are considered 100 percent utilized, and those 

portions below and above are considered overutilization. A 

myriad of combinations actually occurs on active harvest 

operations. The aggregated volume from measured trees has 

provided overutilization and underutilization factors that can 

be applied to statewide inventory results for an estimate of 

growing-stock and nongrowing-stock logging residues. 

Other required measurements, besides d.b.h. and end of 

utilization, are the top of the sawtimber portion (7.0 inches 

in softwoods and 9.0 inches in hardwoods). Those 

measurements allow calculation of the sawtimber and 

poletimber portion of the growing-stock section.

Table 1—Number of operations and trees 

by product and species group, South 

Carolina, 2006

Product and

species group Operations Trees

number

Saw logs

Softwood 25 750

Hardwood 15 410

Total 40 1,160

Veneer logs

Softwood 6 179

Hardwood 4 77

Total 10 256

Composite panels

Softwood 3 91

Hardwood 0 0

Total 3 91

Pulpwood

Softwood 23 662

Hardwood 18 604

Total 41 1,266

Poles

Softwood 3 81

Hardwood 0 0

Total 3 81

Fuelwood

Softwood 0 0

Hardwood 2 50

Total 2 50

All products

Softwood 60 1,763

Hardwood 39 1,141

Total 99 2,904
4

Table 2—Average diameter at breast height by species group and product, 

South Carolina, 2006

Species 

group

Product

Saw 

logs

Veneer

logs

Composite

panels

Pulpwood PolesFuelwood

 inches

Softwood 12.33 15.15 7.20 7.03 13.83 —

Hardwood 15.81 17.82 9.60 7.63 — 7.38

— = no sample for the cell.

Highlights

Characteristics of Harvested Trees in South 

Carolina

Results of this study have identifi ed several key characteristics of trees harvested, which cannot be obtained from 

a typical fi eld inventory or a forest industry study that 

supplies product output data only. Characteristics such as 

average d.b.h. by product, average bole length by product, 

average residual stump height, and average d.o.b. at the 

end of utilization constitute important information that 

can help us more fully understand the complex nature of 

removals. Averages discussed in this section are based on 

the measurement of 2,904 trees. Of those, 1,763 (61 percent) 

were softwood, and 1,141 (39 percent) were hardwood.

According to the publication “South Carolina’s Timber 

Industry—An Assessment of Timber Product Output and 

Use, 2001” (Johnson and others 2004), softwood and hardwood saw-log volume together accounted for 39 percent of 

the total product output for the State. This study classifi ed 

750 trees as having softwood saw log(s) averaging 

12.3 inches d.b.h. It classifi ed 410 hardwood trees as having 

saw log(s) averaging 15.8 inches d.b.h. Veneer and plywood 

constitute another important component of the product mix 

for South Carolina. Based on 179 trees measured for softwood veneer, the average d.b.h. was 15.2 inches. Advances 

in lathe technology at softwood plywood mills are resulting 

in a drop of the average d.b.h. of peeler logs across the 

South. Seventy-seven trees were measured for hardwood 

veneer, and they averaged 17.8 inches d.b.h. As expected, 

the d.b.h. of trees measured for pulpwood was signifi cantly 

smaller. Of 662 softwood trees total, the average d.b.h. was 

7.0 inches, while the 604 trees measured for hardwood 

pulpwood averaged 7.6 inches d.b.h. Table 2 shows the 

breakdown of average d.b.h. for each product by species 

group. 

Bole length is the distance between a 1-foot stump and a 

4-inch top. As expected, trees harvested for solid wood 

products tended to have longer average bole lengths than 

trees harvested for pulpwood or composite panel products. 

The average bole length for softwood trees measured for 

saw logs was 57 feet, while trees measured for hardwood 

saw logs had an average bole length of 68 feet. In comparison, trees measured for pulpwood had average bole lengths 

of 30 and 32 feet, respectively. Softwood veneer trees had an 

average bole length of 74 feet, while hardwood veneer trees 

had an average bole length of 76 feet. Table 3 shows the 

average bole length by species group.

Planted sites constituted a subset of the total number of 

trees measured. Trees measured in planted stands tended to 

have shorter bole lengths than those measured in the natural 

stands. Table 4 shows the average bole length for each 

product by species group and stand origin.

Residual stump height is a key component in determining 

utilization rates for harvested trees. By FIA standards, 

the stump is that portion of the tree measured at ground 

level from the uphill side of the tree to 1 foot up the bole. 

Loggers try to maximize volume harvested by cutting the 

tree as close to the ground as possible. Residual stump 

heights across the products ranged from 0.20 to 0.75 feet; 

however, most softwood trees harvested had an average 
5

Table 3—Average bole length by species group and product, South 

Carolina, 2006

Species 

group

Product

Saw 

logs

Veneer 

logs

Composite

panels

Pulpwood PolesFuelwood

feet

Softwood 57.09 74.00 28.13 29.97 71.51 —

Hardwood 68.02 76.00 34.00 32.36 — 29.52

— = no sample for the cell.

Table 4—Average bole length by species group, stand origin, and product, South 

Carolina, 2006

Species group

and stand origin

Product

Saw 

logs

Veneer

logs

Composite

panels

Pulpwood PolesFuelwood

feet

Softwood

Natural 62.64 76.00 29.67 27.13 70.88 —

Planted 52.07 70.00 28.08 30.30 72.57 —

Hardwood

Natural 68.02 76.00 34.00 32.74 — 29.52

Planted — — — 25.13 — —

— = no sample for the cell.

residual stump height of about a 0.40 foot, while hardwood 

trees harvested averaged slightly higher residual stumps. In 

softwoods and across all products, this accounted for about 

52 percent of the stump volume being used. In hardwoods 

and across all products, about 25 percent of stump volume 

was used. Stump volume for both hardwood and softwood 

contributed to utilization of the nongrowing-stock portion of 

trees, i.e., overutilization. Table 5 shows the average residual 

stump heights for each product by species group.

The fi nal component we used to determine use rates was 

d.o.b. at the end of utilization. Tops and limbs constitute 

most of the nongrowing-stock volume, although they 

accounted for only 47 percent of the nongrowing-stock 

portion that was utilized. The average end of utilization for 

softwood saw logs was 3.2 inches, and for hardwood saw 

logs 4.4 inches. For veneer logs it was 6.0 and 6.2 inches 

for softwood and hardwood, respectively. The average 

for pulpwood was 2.2 and 2.9 inches for softwoods and 

hardwoods, respectively. Table 6 shows the average end of 

utilization by the different products and species group.

Softwood Removals

Results from this study document 40,344 cubic feet 

of softwood volume, of which 35,110 cubic feet, or 

87 percent, was used for product(s). Thirteen percent, or 

5,234 cubic feet, was left onsite as logging residue (fi g. 3). 

Thirty-two percent of the residue volume came from the 

growing-stock portion of the tree, while 68 percent came 

from the nongrowing-stock portion (stumps, tops, and 

limbs) (fi g. 4) (table A.1).

The total softwood growing-stock volume measured was 

31,838 cubic feet. Of that total, 95 percent was utilized, 

and 5 percent was logging residue (fi g. 5). By FIA 

merchant ability standards, the logging residue portion 

of growing-stock trees is underutilized volume. Of the 

total utilized volume, 1,491 cubic feet, or 4.25 percent, 

was from the nongrowing-stock portion of trees. By the 

same merchant ability standards, that volume is considered 

overutilization (tables A.2 and A.3).
6

Table 5—Average residual stump height by species group and product, 

South Carolina, 2006

Species 

group

Product

Saw 

logs

Veneer

logs

Composite

panels

Pulpwood PolesFuelwood

feet

Softwood 0.42 0.37 0.32 0.39 0.60 —

Hardwood 0.67 0.75 0.20 0.47 — 0.44

— = no sample for the cell.

Table 6—Average end of utilization by species group and product, South 

Carolina, 2006

Species 

group

Product

Saw 

logs

Veneer

logs

Composite

panels

Pulpwood PolesFuelwood

inches

Softwood 3.22 5.95 1.79 2.20 3.78 —

Hardwood 4.37 6.21 3.70 2.92 — 3.91

— = no sample for the cell.

Figure 3—Disposition of total softwood harvest volume, 

South Carolina, 2006.

Total 40.3 thousand cubic feet

Not utilized

(residue)

13%

Utilized

87%

Softwood volumes and percentages are broken down further 

by poletimber and sawtimber, and by the various products 

measured (tables A.2 through A.9). By product, trees 

harvested for pulpwood and composite panels had aboveaverage rates of utilization for the merchantable portion of 

the tree (98 percent) and the highest rates of overutilization 

(13.4 and 15.6 percent, respectively). This means that more 

of the non-growing-stock portion of the tree was being used 

for product(s) and less was left as logging residue. 

Softwood percentages and volumes presented in these tables 

represent just trees measured in this study of 99 active 

harvest operations. However, it is possible to apply the 

percentages to inventory data from South Carolina’s ninth 

survey (Conner and others, in press) to get an estimate 

of total softwood logging residues for the State. Annual 

softwood removal from all live trees was 596.1 million cubic 

feet. Softwood growing-stock removals were 581.6 million 

cubic feet, or 97.6 percent of the total. Applying the factors 

from this study to total softwood removals for all live trees 

tallied in the State survey (Conner and others, in press) 

provides an estimate of 152.6 million cubic feet total 

annual softwood residue. Of the total residue for all live 

trees, 42.5 million cubic feet, or 28 percent, was considered 

growing-stock residue. The remaining 72 percent, or 

110.1 million cubic feet, was nongrowing-stock residue 

from stumps, tops, and limbs, and cull trees not used.
7

Growing stock

32%

Total 5.2 thousand cubic feet

Nongrowing

stock

68%

1.7 thousand cubic feet

Growing stock

Upper

stems

37%

Saw

logs

63%

3.5 thousand cubic feet

Nongrowing stock

Stumps

22%

Tops/

limbs

78%

Figure 4—Softwood residue by volume type, South Carolina, 2006.

Total 35.3 thousand cubic feet

Not utilized

(residue)

5%

Utilized

95%

Figure 5—Disposition of softwood growing-stock volume, 

South Carolina, 2006.

Hardwood Removals

Results from this study document 35,025 cubic feet of hardwood volume, of which 27,734 cubic feet, or 79 percent, 

was utilized for product(s). Twenty-one percent, or 

7,292 cubic feet, was left onsite as logging residue (fi g. 6). 

Thirty-four percent of residue volume came from the 

growing-stock portion of trees, and 66 percent came from 

the nongrowing-stock portion (stumps, tops, and limbs) 

(fi g. 7) (table A.1).

The total hardwood growing-stock volume measured 

was 29,402 cubic feet. Of that total, 92 percent was 

used, and 8 percent was logging residue (fi g. 8). By FIA 

merchantability standards, the logging residue portion 

is underutilized volume. Of the total utilized volume, 

818 cubic feet, or 2.9 percent, was from the nongrowingstock portion of trees. By the same merchantability 

standards, that volume is considered overutilization (tables 

A.10 and A.11). 

Hardwood volumes and percentages also were measured 

for poletimber and sawtimber, and differentiated by the 

various products they provided (tables A.10 through A.17). 

At 95 percent, however, those trees measured for pulpwood 

were more fully utilized. Also, more of the nongrowingstock portion was used for pulpwood. Trees measured for 

hardwood saw logs and veneer were the least utilized of all, 

although they have the most nongrowing-stock material. 
8

Figure 6—Disposition of total hardwood harvest volume, 

South Carolina, 2006.

Total 35.0 thousand cubic feet

Not utilized

(residue)

21%

Utilized

79%

Total 7.3 thousand cubic feet

Nongrowing

stock

66%

Growing stock

34%

2.5 thousand cubic feet

Growing stock

Saw

logs

59%

Upper

stems

41%

4.8 thousand cubic feet

Nongrowing stock

Stumps

24%

Tops/

limbs

76%

Figure 7—Hardwood residue by volume type, South Carolina, 2006.

Figure 8—Disposition of hardwood growing-stock volume, 

South Carolina, 2006.

Total 29.4 thousand cubic feet

Not utilized

(residue)

8%

Utilized

92%

Hardwood percentages and volumes presented in the tables 

represent just trees measured in this study of 99 active 

harvest operations. However, it is possible to apply the 

percentages to inventory data from South Carolina’s 

ninth survey (Conner and others, in press) to provide an 

estimate of total hardwood logging residue for the State. 

Annual hardwood removals from all live trees totaled 

218.1 million cubic feet. Hardwood growing-stock removals 

totaled 182.5 million cubic feet, or 84 percent of that total. 

Apply ing factors from this study to total hardwood removals 

from all live trees tallied in the State survey (Conner and 

others, in press) provided an estimate of 66.8 million 

cubic feet total annual hardwood residue. Of that total, 

20.6 million cubic feet, or 31 percent, was considered 

growing-stock residue. The remaining 69 percent, or 

46.2 million cubic feet, was nongrowing-stock residue from 

stumps, tops, and limbs, and rough or rotten trees that were 

not used.
9

Literature Cited

Bechtold, W.A.; Patterson, P.L., eds. 2005. The enhanced forest inventory 

and analysis program—national sampling design and estimation 

procedures. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–80. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 85 p.

Conner, R.C.; Adams, T.; Johnson T.G.; Oswalt, S.N. [In press]. The state 

of South Carolina’s forests, 2006. Resour. Bull. Asheville, NC: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

Johnson, T.G.; Harper, R.A.; Bozzo, M.J. 2004. South Carolina’s timber 

industry—an assessment of timber product output and use, 2001. Resour. 

Bull. SRS–89. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest 

Service, Southern Research Station. 33 p.
10

Glossary

Board foot. Unit of measure applied to roundwood. It 

relates to lumber that is 1-foot long, 1-foot wide, and 1-inch 

thick (or its equivalent).

Composite products. Roundwood products manufactured 

into chips, wafers, strands, fl akes, shavings, or sawdust and 

then reconstituted into a variety of panel and engineered 

lumber products.

Drain. The volume of roundwood removed from any 

geographic area where timber is grown.

Growing-stock removals. The growing-stock volume 

removed from poletimber and sawtimber trees in the 

timberland inventory. (Note: Includes volume removed for 

roundwood products, logging residues, and other removals.)

Growing-stock trees. Living trees of commercial species 

classifi ed as sawtimber, poletimber, saplings, and seedlings. 

Growing-stock trees must contain at least one 12-foot or two 

8-foot logs in the saw-log portion, currently or potentially (if 

too small to qualify). The log(s) must meet dimension and 

merchantability standards and have, currently or potentially, 

one-third of the gross board-foot volume in sound wood.

Growing-stock volume. The cubic-foot volume of sound 

wood in growing-stock trees at least 5.0 inches d.b.h. from a 

1-foot stump to a minimum 4.0-inch top d.o.b. of the central 

stem.

Hardwoods. Dicotyledonous trees, usually broadleaf and 

deciduous.

Soft hardwoods. Hardwood species with an average 

specifi c gravity of 0.50 or less, such as gums, yellowpoplar, cottonwoods, red maple, basswoods, and 

willows. 

Hard hardwoods. Hardwood species with an average 

specifi c gravity > 0.50, such as oaks, hard maples, 

hickories, and beech.

Industrial roundwood products. Any primary use of the 

main stem of a tree, such as saw logs, pulpwood, and veneer 

logs, intended to be processed into primary wood products, 

such as lumber, wood pulp, and sheathing, at primary woodusing mills.

International 1⁄4-inch rule. A log rule or formula for 

estimating the board-foot volume of logs, allowing 1⁄2-inch 

of taper for each 4-foot length. The rule appears in a number 

of forms that allow for kerf. In the form used by FIA, a 

1⁄4-inch of kerf is assumed. This rule is used as the USDA 

Forest Service standard log rule in the Eastern United States.

Log. A primary forest product harvested in long, primarily 

8-, 12-, and 16-foot lengths.

Logging residues. The unused merchantable portion of 

growing-stock trees cut or destroyed during logging 

operations.

Merchantable portion. That portion of live trees 5.0 inches 

d.b.h. and larger between a 1-foot stump and a minimum 

4.0-inch top d.o.b. on the central stem. That portion of 

primary forks from the point of occurrence to a minimum 

4.0-inch top d.o.b. is included.

Merchantable volume. Solid-wood volume in the merchantable portion of live trees. 

Noncommercial species. Tree species of typically small 

size, poor form, or inferior quality that normally do not 

develop into trees suitable for industrial wood products.

Nonforest land. Land that has never supported forests and 

land formerly forested where timber production is precluded 

by development for other uses.

Nongrowing-stock sources. The net volume removed from 

the nongrowing-stock portions of poletimber and sawtimber 

trees (stumps, tops, limbs, cull sections of central stem) 

and from any portion of a rough, rotten, sapling, dead, or 

nonforest tree. 

Other forest land. Forest land other than timberland and 

productive reserved forest land. It includes available and 

reserved forest land that is incapable of producing annually 

20 cubic feet per acre of industrial wood under natural 

conditions because of adverse site conditions such as sterile 

soils, dry climate, poor drainage, high elevation, steepness, 

or rockiness.

Other products. A miscellaneous category of roundwood 

products, e.g., cooperage, excelsior, shingles, and mill 

residue byproducts (charcoal, bedding, mulch, etc.).

Other removals. The growing-stock volume of trees 

removed from the inventory by cultural operations such as 

timber stand improvement, land clearing, and other changes 

in land use, resulting in the removal of the trees from 

timberland.
11

Other sources. (See: Nongrowing-stock sources.)

Poletimber-size trees. Softwoods 5.0 to 8.9 inches d.b.h. 

and hardwoods 5.0 to 10.9 inches d.b.h. 

Posts, poles, and pilings. Roundwood products milled (cut 

or peeled) into standard sizes (lengths and circumferences) 

to be put in the ground to provide vertical and lateral support 

in buildings, foundations, utility lines, and fences. May also 

include nonindustrial (unmilled) products.

Primary wood-using plants. Industries that convert roundwood products (saw logs, veneer logs, pulpwood, etc.) into 

primary wood products, such as lumber, veneer or sheathing, 

and wood pulp.

Pulpwood. A roundwood product that will be reduced to 

individual wood fi bers by chemical or mechanical means. 

The fi bers are used to make a broad generic group of pulp 

products that includes paper products, as well as chipboard, 

fi berboard, insulating board, and paperboard.

Rotten trees. Live trees of commercial species not containing at least one 12-foot saw log, or two noncontiguous saw 

logs, each 8 feet or longer, now or prospectively, primarily 

because of rot or missing sections, and with less than onethird of the gross board-foot tree volume in sound material.

Rough trees. Live trees of commercial species not containing at least one 12-foot saw log, or two noncontiguous saw 

logs, each 8 feet or longer, now or prospectively, primarily 

because of roughness, poor form, splits, and cracks, and 

with less than one-third of the gross board-foot tree volume 

in sound material; and live trees of noncommercial species.

Roundwood (roundwood logs). Logs, bolts, or other 

round sections cut from trees for industrial manufacture or 

consumer uses.

Roundwood chipped. Any timber cut primarily for industrial manufacture, delivered to nonpulpmills, chipped, and 

then sold to pulpmills for use as fi ber. Includes tops, jump 

sections, whole trees, and pulpwood sticks. 

Roundwood product drain. That portion of total drain used 

for a product.

Roundwood products. Any primary product, such as 

lumber, poles, pilings, pulp, or fuelwood that is produced 

from roundwood.

Salvable dead trees. Standing or downed dead trees that 

were formerly growing stock and considered merchantable. 

Trees must be at least 5.0 inches d.b.h. to qualify.

Saplings. Live trees 1.0 to 5.0 inches d.b.h.

Saw log. A roundwood product, usually 8 feet in length or 

longer, processed into a variety of sawn products such as 

lumber, cants, pallets, railroad ties, and timbers.

Saw-log portion. The part of the bole of sawtimber trees 

between a 1-foot stump and the saw-log top. 

Saw-log top. The point on the bole of sawtimber trees above 

which a conventional saw log cannot be produced. The minimum saw-log top is 7.0 inches d.o.b. for softwoods and 9.0 

inches d.o.b. for hardwoods.

Sawtimber-size trees. Softwoods 9.0 inches d.b.h. and 

larger and hardwoods 11.0 inches d.b.h. and larger.

Sawtimber volume. Growing-stock volume in the saw-log 

portion of sawtimber-sized trees in board feet (International 

1⁄4-inch rule).

Seedlings. Trees <1.0 inch d.b.h. and >1 foot tall for 

hardwoods, > 6 inches tall for softwood, and > 0.5 inch in 

diameter at ground level for longleaf pine.

Softwoods. Coniferous trees, usually evergreen, having 

leaves that are needles or scalelike.

Standard cord. A unit of measure applied to roundwood, 

usually bolts or split wood. It is a stack of wood 4 feet 

high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long encompassing 128 cubic 

feet of wood, bark, and air space. This usually translates 

to approximately 75.0 to 81.0 cubic feet of solid wood for 

pulpwood, because pulpwood is more uniform.

Standard unit. A unit measure applied to roundwood 

timber products. Board feet (International 1⁄4-inch rule) is 

the standard unit used for saw logs and veneer; cords are 

used for pulpwood, composite panel, and fuelwood; hundred 

pieces for poles; thousand pieces for posts; and thousand 

cubic feet for all other miscellaneous forest products.

Timberland. Forest land capable of producing 20 cubic feet 

of industrial wood per acre per year and not withdrawn from 

timber utilization.
12

Timber product output. The total volume of roundwood 

products from all sources plus the volume of byproducts 

recovered from mill residues (equals roundwood product 

drain).

Timber products. Roundwood products and byproducts.

Timber removals. The total volume of trees removed from 

the timberland inventory by harvesting, cultural operations 

such as stand improvement, land clearing, or changes in land 

use. (Note: Includes roundwood products, logging residues, 

and other removals.)

Tree. Woody plant having one erect perennial stem or 

trunk at least 3 inches d.b.h., a more or less defi nitely 

formed crown of foliage, and a height of at least 13 feet 

(at maturity).

Upper-stem portion. The part of the main stem of sawtimber trees above the saw-log top and the minimum top 

diameter of 4.0 inches outside bark, or to the point where 

the main stem breaks into limbs. 

Utilization studies. Studies conducted on active logging 

operations to develop factors for merchantable portions of 

trees left in the woods (logging residues), logging damage, 

and utilization of the unmerchantable portion of growingstock trees and nongrowing-stock trees.

Veneer log. A roundwood product either rotary cut, sliced, 

stamped, or sawn into a variety of veneer products such as 

plywood, fi nished panels, veneer sheets, or sheathing.

Weight. A unit of measure for mill residues, expressed as 

oven-dry tons (2,000 oven-dry pounds).
Appendix

15

Index of Tables

Table A.1—Harvest and utilization volume by species 

group, source, and volume type, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.2—Volume of softwood growing stock by 

product and utilization for sawtimber and poletimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Table A.3—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for softwood growing stock by product for sawtimber and 

poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.4—Volume of softwood growing stock by product 

and utilization for sawtimber, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.5—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for softwood growing stock by product for sawtimber, South 

Carolina, 2006 

Table A.6—Volume of softwood growing stock by product 

and utilization for poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.7—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for softwood growing stock by product for poletimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Table A.8—Volume of softwood cull by product and 

utilization, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.9—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for softwood cull by product, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.10—Volume of hardwood growing stock by 

product and utilization for sawtimber and poletimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Table A.11—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for hardwood growing stock by product for sawtimber and 

poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.12—Volume of hardwood growing stock by product 

and utilization for sawtimber, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.13—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for hardwood growing stock by product for sawtimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Table A.14—Volume of hardwood growing stock by product 

and utilization for poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.15—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for hardwood growing stock by product for poletimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Table A.16—Volume of hardwood cull by product and 

utilization, South Carolina, 2006

Table A.17—Percent of overutilization and underutilization 

for hardwood cull by product, South Carolina, 2006
16

Table A.1—Harvest and utilization volume by species group, source, and volume type, South Carolina, 2006

Species group

and source

Total tree

volume

Growing stock Nongrowing stock

Total

Saw log Upper stem

Total

Stumps Tops/limbs

Utilized

Not

utilized Utilized

Not

utilized Utilized

Not

utilized Utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Softwood

Sawtimber 36,021.14 31,838.13 28,404.53 1,052.53 1,784.89 596.18 4,183.01 689.44 663.05 218.36 2,612.16

Poletimber 4,323.03 3,456.01 — — 3,429.57 26.44 867.02 139.90 115.68 443.52 167.92

Total 40,344.17 35,294.14 28,404.53 1,052.53 5,214.46 622.62 5,050.03 829.34 778.73 661.88 2,780.08

Hardwood

Sawtimber 30,650.84 25,939.52 20,810.31 1,460.81 2,757.11 911.29 4,711.32 282.14 1,000.71 166.76 3,261.71

Poletimber 4,374.61 3,462.18 — — 3,348.68 113.50 912.43 116.64 165.37 252.30 378.12

Total 35,025.45 29,401.70 20,810.31 1,460.81 6,105.79 1,024.79 5,623.75 398.78 1,166.08 419.06 3,639.83

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.2—Volume of softwood growing stock by product and utilization for sawtimber and poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Total

volume

utilized

Growing stock

Nongrowing

stock

utilized

Saw-log portion

Total Utilized

Not

utilized Total Utilized

Cull

utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 19,590.33 19,883.54 18,948.12 935.42 642.21 17,793.06 17,115.84 670.32 6.91

Veneer logs 8,086.39 8,412.82 7,898.62 514.20 187.77 8,018.87 7,789.75 149.03 80.09

Composite panels 503.22 431.18 424.49 6.69 78.73 68.67 66.10 2.58 —

Pulpwood 3,941.35 3,490.91 3,412.76 78.15 528.59 668.08 623.84 44.24 —

Poles 2,988.90 3,075.66 2,934.97 140.69 53.93 2,908.35 2,808.99 99.36 —

Fuelwood — — — — — — ———

Total 35,110.21 35,294.14 33,618.99 1,675.15 1,491.22 29,457.03 28,404.52 965.53 87.00

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
17

Table A.3—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for softwood growing stock by product for sawtimber and poletimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization Saw-log portion

Growing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Nongrowing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Growing stock

utilized/total

growing-stock

volume

Growing stock

not utilized/

total growingstock volume

Saw log

utilized/total 

saw-log

volume

Cull utilized/

total saw-log

volume

Saw log

not utilized/

total saw-log

volume

percent

Saw logs 96.72 3.28 95.30 4.70 96.19 3.77 0.04

Veneer logs 97.68 2.32 93.89 6.11 97.14 1.86 1.00

Composite panels 84.36 15.64 98.45 1.55 96.26 3.76 —

Pulpwood 86.59 13.41 97.76 2.24 93.38 6.62 —

Poles 98.20 1.80 95.43 4.57 96.58 3.42 —

Fuelwood — — — — — — —

All products 95.75 4.25 95.25 4.75 96.43 3.28 0.30

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.4—Volume of softwood growing stock by product and utilization for sawtimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Total

volume

utilized

Growing stock

Nongrowing

stock

utilized

Saw-log portion

Total Utilized

Not

utilized Total Utilized

Cull

utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 19,076.29 19,402.07 18,467.89 934.18 608.40 17,793.06 17,115.84 670.32 6.91

Veneer logs 8,086.39 8,412.82 7,898.62 514.20 187.77 8,018.87 7,789.75 149.03 80.09

Composite panels 98.54 94.42 89.67 4.75 8.87 68.67 66.10 2.58 —

Pulpwood 847.08 853.12 798.24 54.88 48.84 668.08 623.84 44.24 —

Poles 2,988.90 3,075.66 2,934.97 140.69 53.93 2,908.35 2,808.99 99.36 —

Fuelwood — — — — — — — ——

Total 31,097.20 31,838.09 30,189.39 1,648.70 907.81 29,457.03 28,404.52 965.53 87.00

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
18

Table A.5—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for softwood growing stock by product for sawtimber, South Carolina, 

2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization Saw-log portion

Growing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Nongrowing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Growing stock

utilized/total

growing-stock

volume

Growing stock

not utilized/

total growingstock volume

Saw log

utilized/total 

saw-log

volume

Cull utilized/

total saw-log

volume

Saw log

not utilized/

total saw-log

volume

percent

Saw logs 96.81 3.19 95.19 4.81 96.19 3.77 0.04

Veneer logs 97.68 2.32 93.89 6.11 97.14 1.86 1.00

Composite panels 91.00 9.00 94.97 5.03 96.26 3.76 —

Pulpwood 94.23 5.77 93.57 6.43 93.38 6.62 —

Poles 98.20 1.80 95.43 4.57 96.58 3.42 —

Fuelwood — — — — — — —

All products 97.08 2.92 94.82 5.18 96.43 3.28 0.30

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.6—Volume of softwood growing stock by product and utilization for 

poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Total

volume

utilized

Growing stock

Nongrowing

stock

Total Utilized utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 514.04 481.47 480.23 1.24 33.81

Veneer logs — — — — —

Composite panels 404.68 336.76 334.82 1.94 69.86

Pulpwood 3,094.27 2,637.79 2,614.52 23.27 479.75

Poles — — — — —

Fuelwood — — —— —

Total 4,012.99 3,456.02 3,429.57 26.45 583.42

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
19

Table A.7—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for softwood growing stock by 

product for poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization

Growing stock

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Nongrowing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Growing stock

utilized/total

growing-stock

volume

Growing stock

not utilized/

total growingstock volume

percent

Saw logs 93.42 6.58 99.74 0.26

Veneer logs — — — —

Composite panels 82.74 17.26 99.42 0.58

Pulpwood 84.50 15.50 99.12 0.88

Poles — — — —

Fuelwood — — — —

All products 85.46 14.54 99.23 0.77

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.8—Volume of softwood cull by product and utilization, South Carolina, 

2006

Product

Total 

volume

utilized

Nongrowing stock

Merchantable

Unmerchantable

Total Utilized utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 57.52 54.06 54.06 — 3.46

Veneer logs 5.18 4.38 4.38 — 0.80

Composite panels 33.41 23.37 23.37 — 10.04

Pulpwood 62.72 53.83 53.72 0.11 9.00

Poles — — — — —

Fuelwood ——— — —

Total 158.83 135.64 135.53 0.11 23.30

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
20

Table A.9—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for softwood cull by product, 

South Carolina, 2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization

Merchantable

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Unmerchantable

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Merchantable

utilized/total

merchantable

volume

Merchantable

not utilized/total 

merchantable

volume

percent

Saw logs 93.98 6.02 100.00 —

Veneer logs 84.56 15.44 100.00 —

Composite panels 69.95 30.05 100.00 —

Pulpwood 85.65 14.35 99.80 0.20

Poles — — — —

Fuelwood — — — —

All products 85.33 14.67 99.92 0.08

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.10—Volume of hardwood growing stock by product and utilization for sawtimber and poletimber, South Carolina, 

2006

Product

Total

volume

utilized

Growing stock

Nongrowing

stock

utilized

Saw-log portion

Total Utilized

Not

utilized Total Utilized

Cull

utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 18,963.18 20,338.14 18,594.86 1,743.28 368.32 17,096.25 15,952.71 1,013.84 129.70

Veneer logs 4,661.52 5,156.85 4,600.48 556.37 61.04 4,572.25 4,309.51 191.22 71.51

Composite panels 10.92 9.67 9.67 — 1.25 — — — —

Pulpwood 3,945.23 3,743.19 3,566.59 176.60 378.64 551.57 499.87 51.70 —

Poles — — — — — — — — —

Fuelwood 153.08 153.84 144.48 9.36 8.60 51.05 48.21 2.84 —

Total 27,733.94 29,401.70 26,916.10 2,485.60 817.84 22,271.12 20,810.30 1,259.60 201.21

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
21

Table A.11—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for hardwood growing stock by product for sawtimber and poletimber, 

South Carolina, 2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization Saw-log portion

Growing stock

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Nongrowing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Growing stock

utilized/total

growing-stock 

volume

Growing stock

not utilized/

total growingstock volume

Saw log

utilized/

total saw-log

volume

Cull utilized/

total saw-log

volume

Saw log not

utilized/

total saw-log

volume

percent

Saw logs 98.06 1.94 91.43 8.57 93.31 5.93 0.76

Veneer logs 98.69 1.31 89.21 10.79 94.25 4.18 1.56

Composite panels 88.55 11.45 100.00 — — — —

Pulpwood 90.40 9.60 95.28 4.72 90.63 9.37 —

Poles — — — — — — —

Fuelwood 94.38 5.62 93.92 6.08 94.44 5.56 —

All products 97.05 2.95 91.55 8.45 93.44 5.66 0.90

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.12—Volume of hardwood growing stock by product and utilization for sawtimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Total

volume

utilized

Growing stock

Nongrowing

stock

utilized

Saw-log portion

Total Utilized

Not

utilized Total Utilized

Cull

utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 18,585.60 19,964.89 18,228.23 1,736.66 357.37 17,096.25 15,952.71 1,013.84 129.70

Veneer logs 4,661.52 5,156.85 4,600.48 556.37 61.04 4,572.25 4,309.51 191.22 71.51

Composite panels — — — — — — — — —

Pulpwood 706.37 750.20 677.37 72.83 29.00 551.57 499.87 51.70 —

Poles — — — — — — — — —

Fuelwood 62.82 67.57 61.32 6.25 1.50 51.05 48.21 2.84 —

Total 24,016.31 25,939.51 23,567.40 2,372.11 448.91 22,271.12 20,810.30 1,259.60 201.21

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
22

Table A.13—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for hardwood growing stock by product for sawtimber, South Carolina,

2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization Saw-log portion

Growing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Nongrowing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Growing stock

utilized/total

growing-stock

volume

Growing stock

not utilized/

total growingstock volume

Saw log

utilized/

total saw-log

volume

Cull utilized/

total saw-log

volume

Saw log

not utilized/

total saw-log

volume

percent

Saw logs 98.08 1.92 91.30 8.70 93.31 5.93 0.76

Veneer logs 98.69 1.31 89.21 10.79 94.25 4.18 1.56

Composite panels — — — — — — —

Pulpwood 95.89 4.11 90.29 9.71 90.63 9.37 —

Poles — — — — — — —

Fuelwood 97.61 2.39 90.75 9.25 94.44 5.56 —

All products 98.13 1.87 90.86 9.14 93.44 5.66 0.90

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.14—Volume of hardwood growing stock by product and utilization for 

poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Total

volume

utilized

Growing stock

Nongrowing

stock

Total Utilized utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 377.58 373.25 366.63 6.62 10.95

Veneer logs — — — — —

Composite panels 10.92 9.67 9.67 0.00 1.25

Pulpwood 3,238.86 2,992.99 2,889.22 103.77 349.64

Poles — — — — —

Fuelwood 90.26 86.27 83.16 3.11 7.10

Total 3,717.62 3,462.18 3,348.68 113.50 368.94

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
23

Table A.15—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for hardwood growing stock 

by product for poletimber, South Carolina, 2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization

Growing stock

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Nongrowing

stock utilized/

total volume

utilized

Growing stock

utilized/total

growing-stock

volume

Growing stock

not utilized/

total growingstock volume

percent

Saw logs 97.10 2.90 98.23 1.77

Veneer logs — — — —

Composite panels 88.55 11.45 100.00 —

Pulpwood 89.20 10.80 96.53 3.47

Poles — — — —

Fuelwood 92.13 7.87 96.40 3.60

All products 90.08 9.92 96.72 3.28

— = no sample for the cell.

Table A.16—Volume of hardwood cull by product and utilization, South Carolina, 

2006

Product

Total 

volume

utilized

Nongrowing stock

Merchantable

Unmerchantable

Total Utilized utilized

Not

utilized

cubic feet

Saw logs 104.85 100.86 100.86 — 3.99

Veneer logs 173.23 173.23 173.23 — —

Composite panels — — — — —

Pulpwood 577.19 544.44 529.29 15.15 47.90

Poles — — — — —

Fuelwood 162.02 154.37 147.25 7.12 14.77

Total 1,017.29 972.90 950.63 22.27 66.66

Numbers in rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

— = no sample for the cell.
24

Table A.17—Percent of overutilization and underutilization for hardwood cull by product, 

South Carolina, 2006

Product

Overutilization Underutilization

Merchantable

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Unmerchantable

utilized/

total volume

utilized

Merchantable

utilized/total

merchantable

volume

Merchantable

not utilized/total 

merchantable

volume

percent

Saw logs 96.19 3.81 100.00 —

Veneer logs 100.00 — 100.00 —

Composite panels — — — —

Pulpwood 91.70 8.30 97.22 2.78

Poles — — — —

Fuelwood 90.88 9.12 95.39 4.61

All products 93.45 6.55 97.71 2.29

— = no sample for the cell.
Bentley, James W.; Johnson, Tony G. 2008. South Carolina harvest and 

utilization study, 2006. Resour. Bull. SRS–140. Asheville, NC: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 24 p.

In 2006, a harvest and utilization study was conducted on 99 operations 

throughout South Carolina. There were 2,904 total trees measured; 1,763 or 

61 percent were softwood, while 1,141 or 39 percent were hardwood. Results 

from this study showed that 87 percent of the total softwood volume 

measured was utilized for a product, and 13 percent was left as logging 

residue. Seventy-nine percent of the total hardwood volume measured was 

utilized for a product, while 21 percent was left as logging residue.

Keywords: FIA, growing stock, logging residue, nongrowing stock, 

overutilization, product, removals, underutilization.
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is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management 

of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of 

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Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.

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