Walter J. Damtoft Collection
"Organizing for Forest Management in the Southern Appalachians," by W.J. Damtoft, Forester - the Champion Fibre Company, Canton, N.C., January 1926. [Note at top of page:  Read before meeting of Woodlands Section of A P & P C by One Porter (?)]  [8 pages]
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Organization for Forest Management in the Southern Appalachians

By W. J. Damtoft, Forester - The Champion Fiber Company

Canton, N.C.

           It is well that the subject assigned for the Appalachian hardwood region is "Organizing for Forest Management" rather than Forest management itself. Both topics are bound to be provocative of argument, with the difference that argument on the former is probably terminable at some time while argument on the latter could go merrily on forever.

          Our problem in securing sufficient regeneration of desirable species among trees is very much like the problem of our northern states to secure a preponderance of reproduction of the more desirable nationalities among its heterogeneous human population. The least desirable kinds seem to be in both instances the most prolific.

          The foresters of the Southern Appalachians, I believe rightly view their problems as being more complicated than the problems of their colleagues in any other section of the United States. Witness, e.g. extracts from a paper recently delivered by Mr. E. H. Frothingham, Director of the U. S. Government's Appalachian Forest Experiment Station. "One of the outstanding features of the Southern Appalachian hardwood forests is their ability to reproduce themselves under hard usage. They are hard to kill. If the quantity of regeneration were the only or the chief requirement for successful timber growing, the problem would be solved with very little effort.................What the hardwood forests are suffering from is not quantity but quality of regeneration. 

 
    2 chiefly responsible for this deterioration are fire and resultant decay.......Another form of deterioration, however, is prevalent even is sound and thrifty regeneration. This consists in the disproportionate representation of species which do not now and probably never will have high intrinsic value. Such conditions are likely to be found in stands which have been culled, from time to time, of their best species, thus reducing the seed supply of the desirable kinds. The gaps lefts by these cullings become more or less filled by the crowns of other trees of the forest, thus shutting off light from the reproduction. It happens that some of the most desirable trees, such as yellow poplar, basswood, red oak, white pine, cherry, and locust, need much light for good growth and a moderate supply for bare existence. On the other hand some of the least desirable, like beech, black gum, sourwood, rhododendron, and laurel, are able to thrive with considerable less light. The competition under a partial overhead shade is thus likely to result in the mastery of the better by the poorer species, so that when the reproduction is uncovered by the removal of the remaining timber stands it represents at best a mediocre and un-promising basis for future yield. Even under the more modern railroad lumbering, which has taken a very much larger proportion of material than was possible in earlier cuttings, there is often enough of the crown cover, represented in very defective trees and particularly trees of the poorer species, to handicap seriously the establishment of desirable reproduction and thereby reduce the percentage of profit" Mr. Frothingham then goes on to point out added complications such as the prolific sprouting of chestnut which "on account of its abundance and wide distribution seems destined to be one of the most troublesome, since several generations

      

 
    3 of sprout clumps may come up and be killed before the blight finally puts an end to its sprout producing capacity."

           Mr. Frothingham is quoted so extensively for the reason that he has given such a splendid word picture of the conditions in the Appalachian hardwoods. And now to ass one of his pertinent remarks, "How to control the composition of the stand and shape it, economically and effectively, for the production of the most valuable yields involves a large fund of knowledge which we are only just beginning to gain."

         This fact that we are just beginning to gain knowledge is what gives to the subject "Organizing for Forest Management" such prominence at this time. In anticipation of the securing of the best solutions of our problems it is imperative that we begin now to prepare to be in position to apply such solutions and at the same time take advantage of what little we already know; and it is of course also advisable for all of us to aid to as large an extent as possible in researching solutions by carrying on individual experimental work in cooperation or conjunction with established research agencies such as the Government experiment stations.

         The three major propositions therefore with which a forester for a wood using industry in the Southern Appalachians is at present concerned are:

A. Preparing to keep timberlands in the best possible condition for application of the best cutting systems as rapidly as they are determined. This involves adequate protection from fire and other enemies, fullest utilization of existing stands, careful treatment of the forest in cutting operations, and accurate compilation of all data as it become available.

 
    4 B- Applying existing forestry knowledge toward putting into best productive condition all barren lands, and toward bettering the condition of cutover lands already in forest growth.

C- Carrying on of a reasonable amount of experimental work to augment that being done by public and other agencies.

         The first consideration in keeping forest land in best possible condition is, of course, protection from fires and other forest enemies. It is not difficult for owners of large areas of Appalachian timberlands to perfect organizations for discovering and fighting fires because the nature of the topography allows for commanding views, and the scattering of farmlands among the timber provides tenants or farm owners for a fighting organization. The real pressing problems are educating the public away from carelessness and indifference towards forest fires, and the establishment of a co-operation among neighboring land owners. These problems can probably best be solved through the agency of State organizations to which all possible support should be given. In North Carolina a very effective start has already been made by the State Forester although working with very meagre funds.

        In any endeavor to secure the fullest utilization of existing stands close supervision must be maintained from the forest through all stage of preparing and transporting the products to the mill. In the woods there is the problem peculiar to any forest industry of getting labor to cut low stumps and to utilize as far into the tops of trees as possible. In transporting and storing the manufactured product there is the problem of preventing decay; and this is especially intricate in the case of a pulp and paper mill which utilize almost every variety of three species native....

 

  
    5 to the Appalachians, for the reasons that there is such a great variation among the species in resistance to decay, and their rate of consumption by the mill varies with the great uncertainties of the market in its demands for the different grades of pulps and papers into the making of which the different species enter.

         To secure careful treatment of the forest in logging operations merely involves in cases of skidding close supervision of timber cutters and skidding crews, and can be accomplished with little difficulty in most of the hardwood types of the Southern Appalachians. In the spruce type, however, there are real problems in this connection; first in determining just what constitutes proper treatment and, secondly, in accomplishing such treatment and, secondly, in accomplishing such treatment. The spruce areas of the Southern Appalachians occupy the highest reaches of the mountains where the exceedingly steep slopes and the very high expense of railroad construction makes the use of steam skidders almost imperative. (If there are any in the audience familiar with the conditions surrounding Appalachian spruce stands it is hoped that they will offer any suggestions which may occur to them as to the best methods of handling this type to secure satisfactory regeneration.

       As to the necessity of compiling accurate forest data as it become available there can be no argument as this need is common to all regions. The outstanding data needed in the Southern Appalachians is rate of growth of various species over the many different sites on which they occur, especially the early growth of seedlings and sprouts of the different species which determine their success of failure in competition with each other. E. G.

  
    6 our most rapidly growing and most valuable species for the most part require a large amount of light although they still will exist under partial shading. To determine just how much light competition they can stand in their early life and yet finally overtop their competitors of great importance. It is only after acquiring such knowledge that we will be in position to determine the extent of release cutting which will be necessary, or to determine whether it will be advisable to provide for seeding of certain desirable species under a given amount of shade. We have many instances of cutover lands but with a sparse scattering of defective trees left after logging where at first glance it would appear advisable to fill in open spaces either by seed spotting of such species which lend themselves to regeneration by this method, or by planting. Second thought however may bring up the question as to whether even the comparative lightness of the overhead shade of the standing defective trees will allow satisfactory growth of the species which we wish to encourage, and no convincing answer is available.

        This will be true in connection with most of our questions, yet happily there are a few facts known concerning some of our most desirable species which give encouragement in making a start in applying forest management. Chief among these are in connection with yellow or tulip poplar. One fact is that on sites favorable to the growth of this species clear cutting with the leaving of sufficient seed trees will bring about plentiful regeneration. Another is that seed spotting of old fields or other areas barren of tree growth will give satisfactory results provided factors of soil, elevation, etc. are favorable. It has also been determined that planting of poplar seedlings at the proper season can be

  
    7 successfully accomplished where distance from forest nursery to the planting area is limited.

      The yellow poplar is so outstandingly the most desirable species of the Southern Appalachians from standpoints of rapidity of growth, freedom from disease and enemies, and desirability of product that every effort should be made to get as complete a stocking of it as possible over the entire area favorable to its growth, which area in South Carolina will probably comprise about 15 percent of the total Appalachian hardwood area. In cutting operations seed tree should be left and other trees species should be as completely eliminated as possible. On areas already logged where opportunity for natural seeing has not been provided or where natural seeding has not occasioned full stocking, seed spotting should be attempted; and on limited areas where intensive methods can be employed, such as on once cultivated slopes or coves now abandoned and on areas readily accessible to highly developed means of transportation, setting out of one year nursery seedlings would probably be justified.

       Then there are some exotic species which have given sufficient promise to warrant their artificial introduction, such as ailanthus and Norway spruce. However where one undertakes to extensively introduce these species he should be reconciled to the possibility of having to take his eventual and only satisfaction out of what contribution he may have added to knowledge through negative or unsatisfactory results.

       But even though that be the only satisfaction obtained it can well justify a rather large outlay of money. Practically every member of any sort of industry contributes directly or indirectly in some way to research which is calculated to inure, not to the

  
    8 sole benefit of the contributor, but to the industry as a whole. The best aid which any single member of a wood using industry can contribute to research in forest management is by himself conducting part of it, and correlating it through public or other centralized research agencies with the work being done by others. The only laboratory for management research covers millions of acres; and for the most comprehensive and most applicable results of such research it must be carried on over as large a portion of that area and under as many different sets of conditions as possible.

         It may appear that this discussion is dealing to largely with the need of seeking after more knowledge and has not dealt sufficiently with facts. If so, it is unfortunate but, from the author's standpoint, such treatment of the subject is necessary; and the fact of its necessity is, as has been previously stated, the chief reason why this particular subject of "Organization" for the Appalachian region is of greater prominence than the subject of "Management" itself; and is also the reason why the three propositions previously mentioned, namely keeping existing timberland well protected, putting bare and poorly stocked land into production, and carrying on experimental work, are the major propositions for consideration at the present time b any forester to large industries owning and depending upon large areas of Appalachian timberlands.