Treesearch

The oaks are the most important species group in the Appalachian hardwood forests. In West Virginia, oaks provide more than half of the lumber produced in the State. In addition, they provide a large portion of the mine timbers and specialty products.

The preparation of these guides has been a joint undertaking of research and national forest administration. Reviews and suggestions of other members of the Station who are active in northern hardwood research were helpful, especially those from men working at the Upper Peninsula Research Center in Marquette, Mich., and the Northern Lakes Research Center in Wausau, Wis. Numerous field conferences helped to integrate research results and thinking with the experience of national forest managers. The advice and suggestions of industrial foresters and timberland owners provided additional ideas.

In 1951 foresters at the Penobscot Experimental Forest near Bangor, Maine, began a demonstration of the financial returns that can be realized through careful management of small forest properties. Light improvement cuts made in 1951 and 1952 on a moderately stocked 47-acre tract (Compartment 2) yielded gross incomes of $623.74 and $191.81 respectively. Another well-stocked 55-acre tract (Compartment 7) yielded $558.82 for a single harvest in 1952. This report describes the benefits from subsequent harvests of the same woodlands.

This report contains forest area and timber volume statistics for the State of Iowa. The information presented here was gathered and compiled according to three different geographical units, the divisions being made on the basis of similar forest, soil, and economic conditions (frontispiece). So, for the benefit of those who might find such localized information useful, forest statistics are shown separately for each of these units as well as for the State as a whole.

The recent Forest Survey of Iowa reported as forest land only those areas larger than 1 acre in size and more than 120 feet wide. In farming states like Iowa, however, such small patches and narrow strips of wooded land take on greater significance than in more heavily forested states. Reasons for this are that small woodlands, especially in the form of narrow strips, affect the use of adjacent land by providing game cover and protection from wind as well as forest products for local use. Had roadside and streamside strips and shelterbelt plantings on small areas been included in the...

Unusual development of white pine terminal shoots - due to some sort of damage - was observed during the summer of 1955 throughout northern New England. In at least one instance it was also observed in pitch pine, and it may have occurred in other species.

Although it has been known for many years that sodium arsenite solution applied in ax frills is an effective means of killing cull trees (1), no published information could be found on the cost of stand-improvement work with this method under Adirondack conditions.

Relatively worthless hardwoods often take over space that should be growing loblolly pine on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In many cut-over areas, hardwoods are suppressing small pines that would become a part of the next crop if released. One way of controlling these hardwoods is with chemicals such as ammate and 2,4,5-T.

Loggers and sawmill men have been wary of purchasing Virginia pine sawtimber. They point out that a heart rot, locally called "red heart, may spell the difference between profit and loss on a logging job. It is difficult to detect this rot in standing Virginia pine. It is even harder to estimate the volume loss. And total losses can be determined only after logging and milling.

American beech (Fagus grandifolia) can produce an abundance of root sprouts. In some cut-over woodlands, the sprouts occupy space that could be utilized by more desirable tree species. Therefore it seemed desirable to explore methods of destroying beech root sprouts.