Studies in Site Evaluation for Southern Hardwoods

Abstract

SOUTHERN HARDWOODS, which supply more than half of the nation's hardwood lumber, are a complex and varied mixture of nearly 40 commercial species. On a good share of the 112 million acres of southern hardwood types the hardwoods are mixed with or have replaced southern pines. Faced with this profusion of species, the silviculturist's first problem is to know what species to grow on a given type of land. Superficially, this would appear to require only a knowledge of the market value of different species. But actually it requires a basic knowledge of the comparative growth rate and quality of different species if grown on the same land, or of a particular species if grown on different types of land. This paper discusses current studies designed to evaluate southern hardwood sites. Such information is needed in stand improvement operations, in type conversion work, and particularly in seeding and planting where there may be no existing trees from which to estimate future growth rate.

Citation

Nelson, Thomas C.; Beaufait, William R. 1956. Studies in Site Evaluation for Southern Hardwoods. In: Proceedings, Society of American Foresters. 67-70.