Public Forests

Government agencies hold 21 percent (4.9 million acres) of the timberland in the in the southern Appalachians. While this share is small compared to that in parts of the western United States, it is the highest concentration of public land in the southern United States. More than 4 million acres (17 percent of all timberland) are managed by the USDA Forest Service (SAMAB 1996d).

National forests are not evenly spread across the landscape; 50 of the 135 counties in the southern Appalachians contain no national forest land at all. In general, the national forests are concentrated in two distinct areas. One area stretches from Asheville, North Carolina south to northern Georgia. The other ranges from the northeastern corner of Tennessee to the West Virginia border. In these two areas, national forests control about 50 percent of the timberland. In counties with major national forest holdings, decisions by the Forest Service may significantly influence the size of the local wood proc

essing sector (SAMAB 1996d).

There appear to be sufficient differences between management practices on private and public forests to result in major differences in forest structure and composition.  For example,  national forest land has more growing stock and higher-quality timber than private land. National forests on average have 20 percent more growing-stock volume and 28 percent more sawtimber volume than private forests. Although national forests make up only 17 percent of timberland in the region, they contain 21 percent of sawtimber, 27 percent of grade 1 sawtimber, and 44 percent of select red oak grade 1 sawtimber. Clearly, the national forests dominate markets for the highest-quality timber. Despite larger growing stock volume, however, national forests produce less timber than privately owned forests. Private timber harvests per acre of timberland are 70 percent higher for growing stock and 77 percent higher for sawtimber (SAMAB 1996d). Lower levels of timber production despite higher levels of growing stock on public land result from differences in land managment objectives and intensities when compared to privately owned forestland.

One reason national forests have higher timber inventories is that they are managed on longer rotations. The Forest Service is generally bound by law not to harvest a forest stand until after the age of culmination of mean annual increment, or the age when the maximum physical (though not necessarily economic) yield can be achieved. As a result, the average growth rates are substantially higher on private forests than on national forests. The national forests growth:inventory ratios are 2.04 percent per year for growing stock and 2.71 percent for sawtimber. On private land, the growing-stock ratio is 2.89 percent per year and the sawtimber ratio is 4.01 percent per year. Differences in management also can influence average mortality rates in forest stands. Because national forest stands are generally older, we would expect higher natural mortality (SAMAB 1996d).

Timber production from national forests in the southern Appalachians expanded from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. After peaking in 1985, national forest timber sale levels have declined in the region, especially since 1990. Current sale levels are roughly comparable to sale levels of the late 1970s. Since the early 1980s, national forests have provided 10 to 12 percent of southern Appalachian timber production. This relatively low percentage reflects a less intensive management approach than on private timberland. While the Forest Service produces 10 to 12 percent of total timber production in the southern Appalachians, there is a wide range among zones. National forests in Virginia and North Carolina produce proportionally more pulpwood than surrounding lands. In Tennessee and Georgia, in contrast, the national forests produce proportionally more sawlogs (SAMAB 1996d).

As the regions largest single timberland manager, the USDA Forest Service significantly influences the structure and function of the regions timber markets. One primary effect of national forests on wood-products industries is the production of less timber than might be expected if the forests were privately owned. Areas with a high portion of national forestland therefore have a smaller timber economy than areas without. It is likely that national forests have had and will continue to have dominant influence over the production and therefore the price of high-quality oak sawtimber in the southern Appalachians (SAMAB 1996d).

Suitability of National Forest land for timber production

Planning the management of national forests requires information on the various values and capabilities of forest land. An especially important step in this analysis is determining which land is and is not suitable for timber production. Suitability analysis is mandated by the Resources Planning Act of 1974 as amended by the National Forest Management Act (RPA/NFMA) of 1976. Suitability analysis as practiced by the Appalachian national forests is complex and can be researched at the following link: National Forests in North Carolina.  Initial suitability analysis screens out land from further consideration at an early stage in the planning process. Once unsuitable land is identified, timber harvesting can only occur there under exceptional conditions. Screening therefore can have an important effect on the eventual supply of timber from national forests (SAMAB 1996d).

National forests in the southern Appalachians have identified 616,000 acres (11 percent) as not suitable for timber production (SAMAB 1996d).  The remaining 3.7 million acres are tentatively suitable for timber production. Recent changes in national forest management indicate a need for a careful review of silvicultural prescriptions in subsequent analysis of suitability. In addition, timber supply and demand analysis indicates that prices and price trends vary greatly by species and grade. Therefore, detailed rather than averaged prices and price forecasts should be applied to suitability analysis. Historical prices from national forest sales should be used with caution (SAMAB 1996d).