Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-04-06
REGARDING PINE FORESTS.
Can They BE Restored---Some Expcr-
iments that Attract Attention.

The yellow pines of the Eastern
and Southern States are being cut at
the rate of 13,000,00O,0OO board
feet year. The total stands at this
time is approximately 4OO,OOO,OOO,-
900 board feet.
One d'scouragtng condition on cut
ting over lands in the Southern
States Is the lack, iCr various causes,
Of adequate young growth. Much of
the cut-over land has grown up to
scrub oaks With very little or widely
scattered pine reproduction. A re-
alization Of these unfavorable con-
ditions Is becoming apparent all
through the South, and there is O
manifest interest in reforesting such
lands.
Successful renewal of Southern
pine forest lands depends essentially
upon conservative numbering and
adequate protection from fire. The
problem Of fire protection, however,
Is both a serious and difficult one.
Reforestation Of Southern pine
lands can probably be effected by
direct seeding, but such efforts would
prove futile unless the lands were
protected against fire. The forest SER
vice has made plans for several pri-
vate landowners and companies in
the South for direct sowing of pine
hN
cause Of the more rapid growth Of
loblolly pine 1t Is preferred where
the soil and moisture conditions are
favorable. The feasibility of estab-
fishing loblolly pine plantations by
sowing seed broadcast, on Drepared
ground, has been determined by eX-
periments and by observation on the
natural reseeding Of this tree on
abandoned fields. The pcrpetuation
OF loblolly pine on sites suited to 1t
Is, therefore, not a matter of much
concern. But there are vast areas
on which the less eXacting but slower
growing lOngleaf pine IS the only
one that will thrive Artificial re.
generation of 'ong-leaf pine, either
by sowing seed or by transplanting
seedlings, Is still in the experimental
| stage. LOng-leaf pine seedlings
grow very slowly in height for the
first four or six years, but in the
meantime develop long, neshy tap,
roots. This habit Of growth makes
it very difficult to transplant them
successfully and makes some method
of direct seeding necessary.
A planting pla3 for the lands OF
the Graniteville Manufacturing Co.
Graniteville, S. c., has just been pre-
pared by the forest servic". The plan
provides for direct seeding of lob.
lolly and longleaf pines on about 500
acres. 1t recommends that loblolly
pine seed be so"'n broadcast on the
cleared lands which occur on the
lower slopes. Long-leaf pine seed is
to be planted on the high sandy lane
IN seed spots, prepared about six
feet apart each way. The plan also
includes detailed directions for pre-
pairing the ground and sowing the
seed.
1t is estimated that the cost OF
planting will be about $3.50 pei
acre for broadcast sowing of loblolly
pine and about $685. per acre fol
seed spot planting Of longleaf pine
A conservative estimate Of the time
required to produce merchantable
crops, the yield Of each pine and the
| total cost Of producing lumber. pei
thousand board feet, compoundine
the initial Investment at per cent
are about as follows:
Loblolly pine, 40 year rotation
1900 board feet per acre; cost pei
thousand board feet, 1855.
Longleaf pine, 70-year rotation
1900 board feet per acre; cost pei
| thousand feet, $967.
Thus anything above $3.65 fol
| loblolly stumpage will be in excess OF
per cent compound interest on the
| investment. 1t Is also apparent thai
unless the stumpage value for long
| leaf pine advances considerably, plan
| tations of this pine will yield consid.
| erably less than a per cent return
On the basis Of the estimate the
cost at 3 per cent compound interest
| would be $4.47 per thousand board
| feet.
,JOhnuy'S OueStion