OUTLINE

Introduction: subject indicates I should deal with what it is we desire to know with regard to forest growth and why, and how we should proceed to find it out.

Our Position Relative to Demands upon the Forest: Who are we

What raw-materials from the forest do we use

Where and how do we obtain them Our Ultimate Plan

To continue to depend to some extent on outside sources of supply

(gives us an interest in forestry extending beyond our own boundaries)

To have sufficient land under ownership or control to guarantee uninterrupted supply of species used,

To effectively accomplish this essential to know the reproductive and growth capacities of all sites in terms of species desired by the industry

what problems encountered in obtaining this information

Complexity of Appalachian forests

(Quantity reproduction easy- quality reproduction difficult,)

How are the problems to be solved

Whose duty to solve them

(Because of magnitude, long time involved & benefits of value to the general public the broad program of research in forest growth is a Hatter for public agencies, Federal or State.) Individual specialized projects of particular interest to any single industry might be undertaken by it. .At any rate should be cooperation between all investigative agencies - and a correlation of their work. Perhaps inject something about need of Jr§ieESihS$gtBons for long time programs - McSweeney Bill)

What have we been doing with our lands

Our General Program:

Waste Prevention Campaign

Forest Fire Prevention

Careful Cutting

Educational campaign

Artificial restocking - planting (nursery)

You have asked me for a statement as to my convictions on the research aspects

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of forest growth. I feel that whatever of value I can add to this discussion would naturally arise from my participation in the pulp and paper industry in the Southern hardwood region, and from the status and plans for the future of an industry that is depending largely upon Southern Appalachian hardwood timber for its continuance.

The future of our plant is entirely tied in with the growth of the forest. It is probable that already _____ % of the pine,  _ % of the poplar,  _ % of the chestnut and  . % of the gum used by us is of second growth.  From year to year the amount of virgin timber available becomes smaller. The volume of wood must come more and more largely from second growth. With a plant of large capacity and fixed area of timber-land the problem is one of figuring out whether the available supply is capable of supplying the plant - and this will depend upon the knowledge of growth capacity of different classes of land in terms of species which are acceptable for pulp production.

Our industry is engaged primarily in the making of pulp and paper by the three chemical processes of manufacture. The total consumption of raw-material is 150,000 cords annually. Of this amount the so-called sulphite process uses     cords, principally of spruce and hemlock; thesadda process     cords, principally of chestnut, gum, poplar and other broad-leaved or hardwood species} and the sulphate process cords of the Southern pines.

From the standpoint of continuous supply the Company must depend primarily upon

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its own timber lands and upon timber rights which may be obtained upon favorably situated lands. The fact however that considerable supplies of timber have been purchased and will

conceivably continue to be purchased from outside sources gives the Company an interest in

the development of forestry and the ate of growth of timber extending far outside    its

/ own boundaries.    It is logical to expect that this purchase from outside sources will

lead the Company not only into competition but also into cooperation with other large wood using industries.

The position of our Company is unique in the pulp industry in that it depends for its supply of raw material upon all three of the major forest types of Eastern America, the so-called Northern, Central and Southern Forests. It is situated in the region of their convergence. It uses the spruce, hemlock and maple of the Northern Forest type, the chestnut, poplar and gum of the Central Forest, and the pines of the Southern Forest. It not only uses these species but depends for its existence upon a contiguous supply of them.

Obviously with its future at stake the growth of timber is a matter of the utmost importance. No forward looking business enterprise could afford to omit from its plans for future development the consideration of supply of raw materials.

This supply, as far as our industry is concerned, being a matter of growth calls for a close appraisal of the growth capacity of the land.

Growth capacity of the land differs with the different types. Not only this but within each type there is a variation in the rate of growth depending upon existing

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composition of kinds of trees present, upon density of crown cover, upon effect of earlier treatment, upon protection from fire, insects and other enemies, upon soil character and upon existence of decay.

Decay undoubtedly is responsible for a tremendous loss of growth in the Southern Appalachian Region. An enormous problem is comprised in the hundreds and thousands of acres of fire swept timberlands where the great percentage of the reproduction has been wounded by fire and now carries the hidden seeds of decay. A superficially luxuriant vegetation conceals a seriousness of a liability which will become apparent only when the time to utilize the timber arrives.

Past methods of cutting of our forests are responsible for many additional thousands of acres reproducing to species of little or no value. One of the outstanding features of our Southern Appalachian hardwood forests is their ability to reproduce themselves

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under hard usage. Reproduction after cutting is in most cases highly satisfactory as

to quantity, but generally disappointing as to quality. This is mainly for the reason$ that the best species are usually removed and the seed supply of desirable kinds there­by greatly reduced. The gaps left by such removal become more or less filled by the crowns of the other trees of the forest thus shutting off the light from the tree reproduction. It happens that some of the most desirable trees need much light for good growth and a moderate supply for bare existence. On the other hand some of the least desirable species are able to thrive with considerably less light. Before proper plans for timber cutting can be made it becomes necessary to determine more exactly the relation of crown cover and condition to the rate of growth of different species and of different sized timber in second growth forests.

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Character of site is a factor effecting growth irrespective of all other conditions, therefore land classification is fundamental. It should be based on the ability of various classes of soil under different conditions of exposure and of climate to grow

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the different species which are considered desirable.

A comprehensive program of research in connection with forest growth will involve detailed studies of the rate of growth of all species under all different sets of con­ditions. It will involve not only the study of individual trees but of different

groupings of trees, e. g. groups of even-aged second-growth stands, and of uneven-aged

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stands.

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The forests of the Southern Appalachians are exceedingly complicated. They are

made up of forty or fifty different species of trees of commercial importance and nearly as many more of minor value. T attain general information with regard to all these

species under the many different sets of conditions under which they grow will involve a tremendous amount of investigative •work and will require a long period of time. The benefits of such information should accrue to the welfare of all wood-using industries and of the general public. It is perhaps therefore logical that it should not be under­taken alone by private industries but should become one of the major projects of our

Federal Research agencies.  Private agencies, such as our own industry, might tackle the specialized problems effecting certain of the species most desired by us.  And to make the investigations by both agencies most effective there should be close cooperation between them.

Our local Appalachian Forest Experiment Station has undertaken a broad program of research in connection with forest growth. Its purpose is to determine:

a) The rotation periods for the management of different species $o yield different propactcs.

b)  The relation of site to the rate of growth of different species of trees.

c)           The relation of crown position and crown condition to the rate of growth
of different species and different size classes of trees in old growth
and second growth forest.

d)           What constitutes optimum stocking of stands, and that can be expected
from the future growth of under or over stocked stands.

e)  Practicable measures for increasing the growth of desirable species in
amount and quality.