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Improving small woodlands in the United States

W. S. SWINGLER
Assistant Chief, United States Forest Service

In the United States the forestry profession is relatively young. America's first formally trained foresters went to work about 1898. The job of developing the forestry profession and acquainting the American people with forestry has been one of the principal tasks of American foresters ever since.

The attitude of the American woodland owner toward what the forester considers to be good management practice is often conditioned by the owner's knowledge of the principles of forest management and how much good he thinks their application to his woodland would do him. How well he is acquainted with the type of forest assistance that is to be had and how he should go about getting it may also affect his decision.

How repeatedly to carry the forest conservation message to the woodland owner in new and fresh ways presents a continuing challenge to American foresters.

Information and education

One of the most important approaches to securing better management of the small privately-owned woodlands in the United States is through the informational and educational programs of the national, state and local governments, the forest industries and privately-supported forestry associations. The forest owner must be convinced through information and education that better forest practices are desirable for his land; he must want them.

National action

The Forest Service and the Extension Service of the United States Department of Agriculture conduct many informational and educational activities throughout the country, to get the small woodland owner interested in doing more to improve his woodland. Much of this activity is in cooperation with state and private agencies, including many forestry associations. These activities take various forms. It may be a motion picture on how to plant trees. It could be a television or radio program on how to prevent forest fires. It may consist of any number of bulletins and leaflets on any number of forestry subjects designed for the lay timber owner. And it could be a speech, a slide lecture, a personal contact, or a trip to a forestry demonstration area. All of these and other information media are used every day by American foresters.

Much of this information activity deals with forest fire prevention, which is still a major problem in the United States. During the past decade the Co-operative Forest Fire Prevention Program has helped bring a spectacular drop in the number of man-caused forest fires. This is a co-operative program between the United States Forest Service and 45 individual state forestry departments. It is, in a great measure, financed and supported by American business men as a free public service on behalf of forest conservation. The program is more popularly known as the Smokey Bear Forest Fire Prevention Program after the symbolic bear that has been adopted as the national trademark of forest fire prevention. A new central theme, built around "Smokey," is developed each year. This program is sponsored as a free public service by the Advertising Council, Incorporated, a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization whose members operate privately-owned advertising businesses. Last year, American business men contributed about 10 million dollars worth of magazine, newspaper, and billboard space, television and radio time and other services to the program. Forestry and related agencies, both public and private, as well as hundreds of schools and associations, participate in the Co-operative Forest Fire Prevention Program each year. This program is one of the best single examples of how the national government, the states, forest industries, American business men, civic organizations, and individuals harmoniously work together to accomplish a highly worthwhile public service objective.

Special educational attention is given to those American farmers who own 62 percent of the nation's small woodlands. The extension service of the United States Department of Agriculture is the principal federal educational agency dealing with American farmers. It is a partnership arrangement in which the national, state and county governments sit in council with rural people and together they look at their resources, develop programs for improving land practices, and determine how they should be carried out. The extension service aims at wider participation of farm people in programs which encourage them to improve methods, and do things for themselves. Among the problems confronting many farmers is the development of better timber stands, better yields, and a better income from forest lands. Owners are assisted with plans for growing and harvesting timber as a crop in connection with the overall management program for the farm. Extension foresters work closely with farm owners, rural youth, state forestry departments, forest industries, banks and other public and private agencies interested in forestry.

State action

The various states employ 90 full-time state extension foresters who work through local county agricultural agents. In addition, 46 out of the 50 states have state forestry departments. These departments are in a large measure locally supported, separate and completely independent from the United States Forest Service which is the national forestry organization. Each of the state forestry departments conducts forestry information and education programs. Some states, such as Florida not only have a centralized information and education division, but have individual information foresters stationed throughout the forested sections of the state. The individual state organizations are near to the people who own the timberland and therefore in an excellent position to contact them on the behalf of better forestry.

Industrial and forestry association program

The wood-using industries of the United States are aware of the fact that more than half of all the commercial forest land is owned by small forest owners. These privately-owned industries have tremendous investments in plant and equipment. In many cases their chief source of wood supply is the small forest owner. Since America's forest industries provide the principal markets for the small forest owners' timber products, they have a vital interest in them. The forest industries have a number of strong educational forest conservation programs, many of which are conducted in close co-operation with respective state forest services. Among the outstanding industry programs is the Keep America Green Program to prevent forest fires and the Tree Farm Program to give recognition to timber owners who now practice good forestry and are willing to pledge themselves to continue the practice on their lands.

There are numerous other forest industry educational programs, some sponsored by individual forest industries, some by wood-using industrial associations. The Southern Pulpwood Conservation Association is an outstanding example of an educational program designed to bring better management to the small woodlands. Much of the forest industry work is centralized in the American Forest Products Industries, Incorporated, a privately-endowed, nationwide organization of forest industries. The wood-using industries now employ more foresters than the national and local governments combined. The trend is toward more and more information and educational activity among the small woodland owners on behalf of better management practices.

FIGURE 3. - High school students (the science class) planting red pine (Pinus resinosa) on their school forest land. (State of Wisconsin).

Small forest protection

Forest fire protection

The 4.5 million owners of small tracts of timber together have over 265 million acres (about 55 percent) of all commercial forest land in the United States. To produce an optimum volume of quality timber these small woodlands must be adequately protected from fire. The level of this protection should assure the private owner the privilege of insuring his woodland at a fair rate.

The protection of these lands, if left entirely to the owners, results in a problem to our forest economy, both federal and state. Many of the owners are interested in activities other than timber growing and wood manufacture. Many are not resident on their forest acres and, in the main, protection of these small acre-ages from fire by the owners is practically nonexistent. Where the owner tries by himself to provide protection he often finds the expense prohibitive. Sometimes there is a banding of owners into associations for mutual protection which works reasonably well when a large landholder leads the way. But the country cannot rely upon associations of landholders to present an unbreached front to forest fires. More and more the responsibility comes to rest upon organized public protection and, in most states, the pattern decidedly follows that approach.

Organized public protection calls for a responsible agency of the state government, normally the state forester, to furnish the necessary leadership in statewide protection of forest lands. The national government matches this effort with both co-operation and a cash reimbursement in order to stimulate adequate protection of forest resources throughout the nation and to provide a basis for proper management. The program that has developed in forest fire protection during the last 50 years has resulted in an increase of protection coverage from a beginning of 61 million acres to 396 million acres in 1957.

While impressive progress has been made in the protection of both the small and large-sized woodlands in the United States since 1911, much remains to be done. Americans are working to bring organized fire protection to 39 million acres of forest lands which are still unprotected. They are also bending their efforts to bring better protection to 200 million acres of forest land now receiving only a minimum level of organized protection.

Forest pest control

In the United States, annual timber losses due to insects and diseases exceed fire losses. Foresters are working vigorously to plug this drain on forest resources. Insect and fungus pests respect no boundaries.

In recognition of this fact two national pest control laws provide for shared responsibility with state and local governments and private owners in the control of forest insects and disease on all forest lands irrespective of ownership. Under the terms of these laws, the national government will share the cost of suppressing forest insects and diseases on nonnational lands. Leadership, technical direction, detection and biological evaluation of outbreaks are also provided as needs require.

State legislation relating to the control of forest insects and diseases is essential to full co-operation. Most states with forest resources have enacted such legislation and also provide financial and technical assistance to all forest landowners, including the small woodland owner. Thus, financing control of forest insects and diseases on small woodlands is, for most situations, a three-way sharing proposition by the national and state governments and the private landowner.

Under the leadership of the national government a detection program is carried out on most of the nation's forested lands to discover destructive outbreaks early. Such outbreaks are evaluated biologically by national and state agencies to determine their destructive potential and need for suppression. National and state research organizations carry on continuous studies and experimentation to develop better and cheaper suppression methods and to make them available to the small woodland owner.

FIGURE 4. - An American forester comes to the woods to advise a small woodland owner on management of his timber. The owner, states, "When I want to borrow some money, I don't. I go to my woods and cut something that needs to come out anyway." (State of Louisiana).

Forest management action

State and national

The partnership concept of joint state-federal responsibility for securing better forest management in woodlands of America is a tested concept that has proved particularly successful in the United States. In most cooperative state-national forestry programs there is cost sharing by the parties involved. As the state organizations build themselves up, they assume a larger share of the responsibility and cost for getting the forestry job done in their states.

Tree planting and reforestation

About 43,700,000 acres of understocked or nonstocked plantable privately-owned, commercial forest lands are in need of planting. Last year, for the first time in its history, the United States planted more than one million acres to trees. It took over one billion trees to do this, 72 percent of which were grown in state-operated nurseries.

The United States Department of Agriculture has been interested in these plantable lands for many years. It has provided assistance to landowners in planting trees for decades. This assistance has been given through cooperation with and financial assistance to state forestry agencies in:

1. production, acquisition, and distribution of trees to landowners at favorable prices, generally much below cost;

2. technical advice on when and what trees to plant and how to plant them.

Through its agricultural conservation program, the Department of Agriculture also provides financial assistance to farmers to help cover the cost of planting trees and site preparation work to encourage the natural reseeding of trees. Under this program, the federal government pays from 50 to 80 percent of the total cost of the trees and the work performed in tree planting and site preparation.

There is tremendous activity in tree planting in the United States. Local banks, forest industries, trade associations, county governments, soil conservation districts, civic clubs, and schools sponsor tree planting on small ownerships through financial, technical, and other forms of assistance. The purchase, operation, and maintenance of tree planting machines is frequently financed and administered cooperatively by such local organizations and agencies. The availability and efficiency of tree planting machines have increased the amount of tree planting to a marked degree.

As a part of a national program to take marginal crop lands out of production, the Soil Bank Conservation Reserve, a special tree planting practice, has now begun to add a substantial acreage of forest plantations to small woodlands. Under this program, the farmer contracts with the government to withhold from agricultural crop production specified areas of crop land and agrees to apply and maintain conservation practices on this land during the contract period. The federal government pays up to 80 percent of the cost of applying the practices and makes a rental payment to the farmer each year of the contract. A total of 3 million acres is expected to be planted to trees under this program by 1962.

The Great Plains in the central United States are subject to periodic droughts and dust storms. The Prairie States Forestry Project was conceived in 1934 to aid farmers in planting shelterbelt-windbreaks of trees to protect fields from the damaging effects of winds. As a condition of planting by the government, co-operating farmers agreed to fence, cultivate, and maintain the tree belts. The project, which was directed by the United States Forest Service during its first eight years, is now administered by the Soil Conservation Service. Both of these services are in the United States Department of Agriculture. The Soil Conservation Service also gives on-the-farm technical assistance to farmers and ranchers in planning, applying, and maintaining conservation farm and ranch systems, including farm woodlands. The conservation plan includes anticipated actions for land use and soil and water management and for conservation and use of cultivated land, grassland and woodland.

Co-operative forest management program

This is a partnership program of the national government and the states to furnish the small private landowner with technical advice on the management of his land for forestry purposes. Under this activity the individual states employ professional "service" or "farm" foresters who meet with the landowner out on his land and give on-the-ground advice and technical assistance as to its management. They will advise on the most profitable type of product, selection of trees for cutting, sales practices, improvement of the remaining stand, and other matters relating to practical, profitable long-range forest management.

If a specific tract's condition permits, this forester will advise the landowner on how to harvest a portion of the crop while at the same time build the remainder to a better, more valuable condition for future growth. If the tract is small so that it can be examined and the advice given in a few days of time, this service is free. Some states charge for marking this timber for sale and, if the tract is large and presents a complex management problem, the state forester will recommend that the owner employ a private consulting forester, who works for a fee.

By the end of 1957, the program over the years had reached a total of 336,000 woodland owners, involving over 30 million acres.

Naval stores conservation program

In the United States, turpentine, rosin and numerous derivatives are made from the oleo-resin of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). These pines grow abundantly in the southeastern states, mostly on the properties of small woodland owners.

About 20 years ago, the United States government initiated a program to stabilize the naval stores industry and improve its practices. The woodland application of this program is under the direction of the United States Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, and is administered as part of the over-all Agricultural Conservation Program of the United States.

In this work cost-sharing benefits are offered to those timber producers who employ improved naval stores conservation and forestry practices. It has been an important factor in making the turpentine belt of the southeast possibly the outstanding example of well-managed forest properties. The program has gone a long way in changing the naval stores industry from destructive practices of working small trees to a permanent industry with conservative practices. These practices provide a more profitable operation and also save the trees for other uses - lumber, poles and piling, and pulpwood. Fire protection and good cutting practices are basic requirements. Approximately 2,500 producers are directly assisted and another 2,500 are provided with information annually.

FIGURE 5. - Many small woodland owners do their own logging and skidding with their farm horses. (State of New Hampshire).

Cost-sharing in forestry

The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP), begun in 1936, has helped advance good forestry practices. Through it a landowner can receive cost-sharing financial help to improve his forest management. It is conducted by the Agricultural Conservation Program Service. With variations suited to fit local conditions the program operates by helping the landowner defray the costs of carrying out such good forestry practices as planting trees, thinning crowded stands, pruning young stands, eliminating "weed" trees, and other practices on his land.

To participate in the program the landowner must get in touch with the local agricultural stabilization and conservation committee composed of his neighboring farmers in which the land is located and work out, in advance, a systematic program of forest improvement in accord with locally recommended specifications. Upon completion of this work in a manner complying with these standards of performance, federal assistance is paid. In most localities these cost-share payments amount to about 50 percent of the cost of doing such work.

To date, the Agricultural Conservation Program has helped farmers to plant 2.2 million acres to trees. In addition, timber stand improvement work has been done on 1.6 million acres. The tree planting practice has been voluntarily adopted on over 30,000 farms and the timber stand improvement practice on over 8.5 thousand farms.

Soil conservation: district action

There are over 2,700 soil conservation districts in the United States. These legal subdivisions of the state governments are voluntarily organized by the citizens of a watershed, county, or community. They now cover over 90 percent of the agricultural land of the nation. Through an elected governing body, usually called a Board of District Supervisors and composed of citizens of the district, each district directs and manages its own soil conservation program. Supervisors are interested in the conservation of all natural resources and can call upon all federal and state agencies for assistance in giving technical guidance to all landowners within the districts.

FIGURE 6. - In flatwoods country of southeastern United States it is often possible to drive e a pulpwood hauling truck right to the cut tree. This reduces logging costs and brings the woodland owner a higher profit. Note that pine trees of this small woodland are not only producing pulpwood, but are being worked for naval stores as well. (State of Georgia).

Community forests

Community forests serve as memorials, meeting grounds, and outdoor laboratories for students, homes for wildlife, and places for recreation. They can be profitable too, if good forestry practices are followed. The size may vary from one acre to 100 acres or more.

The need of the community is the guiding principle in determining the kind of forest to be developed. Locally-owned forests may be as different in character as the 440-acre Escambia County rural youth forest in Florida; the 15-acre community forest planted by the Future Farmers of America youth organization in Lowell, Michigan; the one-acre home demonstration tracts of Arkansas, or the 600-acre community forest at Arcata, California. These forests are designed for the same purpose, namely, to build a unified community spirit by working in friendly co-operation with others to develop something for the benefit of all. Desirable qualities of such forests are:

1. good accessibility;

2. attractive features, both scenic and recreational;

3. high demonstration value, such as timber in various stages and conditions of growth which will permit a continuous balanced operation.

As a public service American foresters render free advice, management plans, and subsequent on-the-ground assistance. Records are essential to the continuation of the original objective under successive readerships. Usually title to the land is held by the counties, cities, towns, state agencies, schools and organizations.

There are about 4,000 community forests covering a total of about 4½ million acres in 40 states.

Rural development programs

The United States Department of Agriculture and other departments and agencies of the national government have joined with the individual states to make balanced farm, industry, and community development in underdeveloped rural areas a principal objective of national policy. To implement this policy, the rural development program has been started on a pilot or demonstration basis in 63 counties and 9 areas of two or more counties each in 30 states and Puerto Rico. Many underdeveloped rural communities are looking to their own forests and woodlands for greater economic strength.

Forest growth covers a large portion of rural America. Wide areas, even whole regions, depend on their forest resources - wood, water, wildlife, recreation - for use and basic income; for social and economic advancement.

Local industry is often glad to help in production and market promotion, for instance, through increased purchases of wood where steady supplies can be assured. An example of this has been the operations of the Champion Paper & Fiber Company in the State of North Carolina. It employs 2,800 local workers and provides indirect employment for an additional 6,000 families through purchases of pulpwood.

Action to improve watershed conditions on small woodlands

Soil and water are basic resources. In the United States, as in other parts of the world, the top soil is a relatively thin skin of earth covering rock, gravel, clays, sands, and other sub soils. The task of keeping this productive top soil from washing or blowing away and controlling the flow of water is a challenging one in which America's small woodlands play a prominent part. Studies have shown that flood sources are often relatively small areas which need to be stabilized with vegetation. The condition may be the result of forest fires; overgrazing by livestock; or poor farming or timber cutting practices. In most cases, these lands are privately owned. The national government, in co-operation with the states and private landowners, conducts a vigorous program of watershed improvement and flood prevention through soil stabilization. The general responsibility for administering these programs has been delegated to the Soil Conservation Service. The United States Forest Service has responsibility for the forestry phases.

The forestry measures installed under the watershed program are aimed at prevention of damage from soil erosion, flood water, and sedimentation. Recommended improvement measures on a given woodlot may call for better control of cover-destroying forest fires. It may be necessary to fence a critical land area to keep out grazing livestock. Trees may have to be planted on denuded or understocked lands to check erosion. And one of the most productive activities might be that of convincing a timber owner who was about to cut his timber, to do it in accordance with good forest management practices. The cost of these measures is shared by the national government and the state government and private landowners in accordance with cost-sharing principles established by active forestry programs.

About two thirds of one million acres of marketable woodland owned by almost 10,000 owners has already been placed under forest management under watershed program activities.

Action by self-employed consulting foresters

Better forest fire protection, advanced mechanization in logging and milling, a rapid expansion in wood-using industries that use thinnings and other improvement cuttings, new uses for wood at one time considered "weed trees," and better road accessibility are helping to make timber growing a more profitable investment than ever before in the United States. An indication of the interest in forest management in the United States is the fact that today, in addition to the free forestry service performed by public and industry foresters, there are over 350 self-employed consulting foresters who make their services available to timber owners for a fee. This is an increase of almost 900 percent in the number of forestry consultants in the United States in the last 12 years. Most of these consultants have both good professional training and experience in multiple-use forest management and are available to give technical advice and assistance to woodland owners, both large and small.

Timber stand improvement, tree planting, fire, insect and grazing control, taxes, insurance, selective cutting, harvesting, marketing and the wise economic use of the forest resources from their client's property are all activities which the present-day forester, in private practice, is capable of considering in any prescription and complete management plan he may make for a woodland. Complete forest land management involving recreation, water, wildlife and forage is the criteria on which their service to the woodland owner is now predicated. Working under the code of ethics of the Society of American Foresters, provisions of special licensing acts in some states, and the objectives of the Association of Consulting Foresters, the private consulting forester is now an important and necessary part of any improvement program for the small woodlands of America.

Research action to improve small woodlands

Forest management research

Most forest research in the United States is conducted by the national government supplemented by research by the forest industries, the states, and forestry colleges. Forest management research can help and has helped the small woodland owner in the practice of forestry from seed to sawlog. The owner can derive greater income from his woodlands by growing higher-quality products. Research has shown him how to do this in a great many ways.

One way is to grow a better quality or a faster growing tree. Research in forest genetics and forest tree improvement has demonstrated that better trees are a reality. For example, select southern pines (Pinus elliottii and Pinus palustris) capable of yielding greater amounts of oleoresin for naval stores have been isolated and certain of these trees have been shown to be genetically superior in pine gum yield. When seed from these superior trees becomes available commercially, the naval stores operator will certainly profit by growing the superior strain.

In the northeastern and midwestern United States, hybrid poplars of outstanding growth rate or desirable figured grain have been developed or isolated. The figured grain hybrid is particularly promising for the small owners of the Midwest. Tree breeders have created many hybrid pines, like the Monterey-Knob-cone (Pinus radiata - Pinus attenuata) cross, suitable for planting in California woodlands, the shortleaf-loblolly (Pinus echinata - Pinus taeda) pine cross, which seems to be resistant to fusiform rust, for planting in the southern United States, and the ponderosa-Apache pine hybrid (Pinus ponderosa - Pinus engelmannii) which may be quite drought-resistant, for planting in the western states.

FIGURE 7. - Insects respect no boundaries. Defoliating insects sometimes attack thousands of acres of national, state and privately-owned forest lands. Here, a Forest Service plane sprays an insect-infested stand of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) with a DDT mixture to control the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana). (State of Idaho).

Tree breeders have also selected trees from wild stands with outstanding characteristics. In the South, certain slash pine trees have fine-limbed, narrow crowns, but still have good growth rate. And in the northern Rocky Mountains native western white pines (Pinus monticola) have been found which by all the tests to date are naturally resistant to white pine blister rust. In every major timber region, studies are under way to determine the best races of the important timber species for planting in various locations. As in growing other crops, the tree farmer will profit by using improved varieties or hybrids.

Successful planting or regeneration is just as important as selecting the best trees for planting. Because many forest lands have not regenerated properly, planting is necessary on millions of acres. Through years of research American foresters have been studying how best to plant on a great variety of sites-on cutover land, on old fields, on strip-mined lands, and on brush fields. In every major planting region, tree planting guides have been prepared based on the best results of research. Research has shown, for example, that although pines can be planted successfully on old fields in the central United States, hardwoods do poorly here even though the land originally grew hardwood forests. Studies have shown that the sand hills of northwestern Florida and other places in the southern United States can be reforested with pine if the scrub oak and wire grass are removed. They have shown that old cutover land in the southern States can be seeded with longleaf pine by sowing from aircraft if the heavy seed is properly treated with bird and rodent repellents and if the land is scarified or the undergrowth is first burned. Through years of research and experience in planting in the southern United States, planting success of 80 percent survival is common. Research is continuing, however, to develop methods of successfully planting many of the hardwoods and of planting cheaply on the more difficult sites.

Many small woodlands require careful management or rehabilitation to make them produce at the maximum rate. Silvicultural studies and case histories of small forests under management show what should be done. For example, to improve quality young pine trees can be pruned up to about 50 percent of the live crown without decreasing the growth rate appreciably. Pruning of some hardwood trees is complicated by the fact that removal of the branches often results indirectly in the development of epicormic sprouts along the stems. Research has shown that judicious thinning will concentrate the growth in the selected crop trees although usually no more total growth is obtained.

The proper level of growing stock is being determined in a variety of types and sites. This information will tell the woodland owner how much he should reserve per acre following an intermediate harvest cut. In many eastern American forests a basal area of 70 to 80 square feet per acre is a desirable reserve and the owner can harvest periodically the crop trees which are in excess of this reserve. Studies are also in progress to find out the best ways to obtain natural regeneration of desirable species, such as by scarification of the soil, elimination of competing species, and by openings of proper sizes.

Years of carefully kept records show what woodlands will produce with a reasonable amount of management. From a 40-acre loblolly pine forest treated as a small woodland owner would handle it under good management, the annual return per acre has averaged about U.S. $12 over a 20-year period and the growing stock has been built up. Although this is one of the better management demonstrations, others on poorer sites or with less initial growing stock have yielded an average return of U.S. $2 or more per acre per year while the growing stock was being built up. An upland mixed hardwood forest managed as a farm woodlot shows how a run-down stand can be rehabilitated. This 21-acre forest contained 65,000 board feet in 1952. In a rehabilitation cut, 23,000 board feet of less desirable trees were cut and sold at the roadside for U.S. $540. In five years the stand had grown back to 55,000 feet, growth rate is increasing, and the growth is being accumulated in higher-quality trees.

Forest management research is developing tools and techniques for a more efficient job of managing the woodlands. In the naval stores industry, research has developed new tools for chipping and scraping the tree faces, an acid technique to stimulate the flow of the resin, and better gutters and other equipment. Simple instruments have been devised for checking the stocking or basal area of the forest, effective methods have been found for killing undesirable trees in the stand, and more efficient systems of moving the product, the log, out of the woods, as tree lengths or on pallets, are being tested.

The results of this research are written up in a readily understandable style in Farmers' Bulletins published by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Forest products utilization research

Good forest management of small woodlands is highly dependent upon developing profitable uses for the previously unusable forest products now retarding the growth of merchantable trees. The national program of forest products utilization research is largely directed at developing uses for cull and defective trees left from previous harvest, species not now economically useful, and thinnings and improvement cuttings below the level of economic return. It is centralized by the United States Forest Service in the Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin, with additional on-the-ground research and service conducted at the nine regional forest experiment stations.

Utilization of wood as a raw material depends in part upon its competitive economic position with other substitute materials. One of the primary ways in which the cost of raw material may be lowered is to increase the efficiency of harvesting and transporting it to market. This is an important part of research to benefit the small woodland owner.

Research to develop better means for appraising quality of timber and for directing it to its most profitable use is not only helping the small timberland owner in managing his timber stand, but also aids the sawmill operator or other manufacturer in purchasing timber, selecting logs for alternate products, and quality control in manufacture. The end result is increased efficiency and potentially higher returns to the small timber grower.

Research to improve sawmilling, seasoning machinery, gluing, fastening, stabilization, fire retardance, protection from decay and insects all add to the usability and value of wood. Of particular value to the small woodland owner are those studies which improve the usability of species now unused because of difficulties of seasoning, machining, and nailing. Also, the timberland owner benefits from the development of simple methods of preserving posts, poles, and lumber from insects and decay.

Research in the utilization of little-used species and small trees for veneer products is being conducted to explore possibilities for use of this material for both decorative and structural purposes. Slicing ultra-thick veneer for special uses formerly satisfied by sawn products is also being studied. The possibility of composite products of veneer with other materials is being examined.

The upgrading of low-grade lumber, veneer, and plywood by "resin-paper" which is glued over the faces of low-grade lumber is another study which is being directed toward increasing utilization of the lower-grade timber which is now largely unmarketable and a major problem on small woodlands.

Possibility for increasing the use of the lower grades of hardwood lumber for structural purposes is being explored. The problem here is largely concerned with joining structural members. Both mechanical fasteners (nails, bolts, connectors, staples, etc.) and gluing are being examined. Solution of this problem could help create a market for many small woodland "problem" hardwoods.

FIGURE 8. - Forest genetics research achieves hybrid vigor in pine, The short tree is a jack pine (Pinus banksiana), the tall one is a hybrid lodgepole-jack pine (Pinus contorta-Pinus banksiana). The U.S. Forest Service operates forest genetics institutes in the States of California, Wisconsin and Mississippi.

In spite of all that can conceivably be done to utilize wood-as-wood, there is a need for developing large-scale pulp and chemical utilization of the little-used species and trees not suitable for other uses improvement of pulping processes for using hardwoods is continuing but additional refinement is being developed.

In the chemical field, production methods for charcoal in low-cost kilns are being improved. Basic reactions of wood and wood components with physical and chemical agents are being developed to give data for the establishment of new industrial uses for wood as a raw material for industrial chemicals and other uses. Chemical and pulping research has already made a great increase in the number of species suitable for wood products and has enabled the small woodland owner to market many of his so-called "weed" species.

In addition to the research being conducted, forest products utilization is also being furthered by an action program to study regional utilization problems and to give advice and other assistance to industry and other processors of the small forest owner's wood on the possibilities of improving existing processes and establishing new industries. Co-operation is also being maintained with industrial and regional public institutions engaged in forest products utilization research. Education of qualified scientists in this field is being encouraged by a co-operative aid program in which assistance is being given to educational institutions to further graduate study.

Forest economics research action

A number of economic research programs in the United States are contributing to the improvement of small woodlands. Research in timber quality standards, market development, price and market information and timber production economics is being conducted by nine experiment stations of the United States Forest Service and by various state educational institutions and private organizations.

In the field of marketing research, a wide variety of projects has been undertaken by research agencies to provide information of direct value to farmers and other owners of small woodlands. As an aid in selling timber more effectively, for example, grades have been developed for certain species of logs and trees - notably grades for sawlogs intended for lumber production. These have included establishment and application of grades for eastern hardwoods and, for example, for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).

The practice of selling timber on grade, including both standard Forest Service grades and a wide variety of local grades specified by wood-using plants, is still highly variable in the United States. Much timber is still sold on a lump-sum basis and much of the timber cut is not utilized for the highest value products obtainable. Research on timber quality, selling methods, and marketing information is leading to definite improvements in the marketing practices of small woodland owners and higher returns from timber growing.

Considerable utilization economics research has also been conducted on ways and means of utilizing more of the low-value species and the woods and mill residues that have long been wasted. Use of sawmill residues has increased spectacularly in this country over the past 10 years. The resulting increase in efficiency of manufacture and intensity of wood utilization benefits both the wood-using plants and the small landowners who supply much of the timber for industry in the United States.

Research in the economics of timber production is likewise providing information that small as well as large landowners can use in planning forest production programs and in deciding upon profitable investments. Information on returns to be expected from tree planting, for example, provides direct guides to a large number of landowners interested in establishing new forests. The determination of forest earnings under different conditions also provides a basis for more exact determination of land values, both for the general buying and selling of property and for more specialized purposes such as tax assessment.

Summary

Seventy-three percent of all the commercial forest land in the United States is privately owned. There are 4.5 million small forest owners, who possess more than 55 percent of all the commercial forest land

There are a number of action programs in the United States to improve small woodlands. But while there has been a great deal of forestry progress during the past 50 years, much remains to be done before the small forests can be raised to optimum timber production.

The national government, the state and local governments, forestry colleges, the forest industries, self-employed consulting foresters, and citizen-associations, are all working to achieve higher production on the small woodlands. As a further effort, the national forest service and the state forest services are now sponsoring joint meetings of small forest owners throughout the United States, at which they seek the opinion of these owners on the best approaches to the problem of securing better forest management.


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