REBUILDING A SOUTHERN FOREST

FRANK A. ALBERT.

The rebuilding of the Bienville National Forest began on June 15, 1936. It was then a sorry tract in the middle of Mississippi, about 45 miles east of Jackson. Severe logging and repeated wildfires had wasted it away.

The 175,375 acres in the forest should produce 10,000 board feet of timber to the acre. But, in 1936, only 89,455 acres were well enough stocked with timber to be considered salable; on that part, the average was only 569 board feet to the acre. The rest was even worse. The average stand for the whole forest was 298 board feet; it varied from 48 board feet to 4,011 in a few spots.

The bad economic conditions then reflected the exhaustion of the forest and the general depression. Between 50 and 75 percent of the land of the large lumber companies and 40 to 50 percent of the land of small owners was tax delinquent. Nearly all the sawmills in the area were losing money. The governments of Jasper, Newton, Scott, and Smith Counties, in which the forest lies, and the citizens were impoverished. Many of the people were sustained by the relief programs. This was the cut-over burned-over, abused land that the Government bought in 1936. With the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, work started.

The residents considered the area as wild land (laying out not being used) and therefore subject to burning and trespass at will. The aims and methods of the national forest program were explained to them; they had thought the Government was buying the land as a boondoggle.

In the tasks of changing such thinking into something cooperative as well as constructive, the first item was fire prevention. Demonstrations were given of what good forestry would mean to the welfare of the communities. Results were almost immediate. In 1941, Bienville had only 46 fires that burned 1,655 acres.

To control fires and develop the resources, fire lookout towers, telephone lines, residences for fire lookouts, warehouses, repair shop, fences, and 172 miles of roads were constructed. The first fire-suppression work was done mainly with hand tools. Today the work is handled by small crews of three or four men equipped with mobile radio and fast, light tractor-plow outfits. Modern methods and equipment have greatly reduced the losses and costs.

After the protective measures of fire control were under way, constructive action was started to restore the wrecked stands and the large denuded areas. The removal of the pine timber from those areas had left too great a proportion of low-grade hardwoods, and the areas were covered now primarily with brush and the worthless species.

Work to improve the timber stand was carried on in pine reproductions. The work consisted of felling or girdling the overtopping, worthless hardwoods to release the pine. Good hardwoods were left; so were food and shelter trees for wildlife.

To help check the encroachment of brush on large areas that had insufficient seed trees, 12,000 acres were planted to loblolly pine and longleaf pine. From 500 to 700 loblolly pine seedlings per acre survived; their enemy was fusiform rust (Cronartium fusiforme). Brown spot disease and hogs and sheep destroyed some longleaf pine seedlings, but 400 to 500 survived per acre. (In some places natural loblolly reproduction now is encroaching into the longleaf pine and is causing some concern, because loblolly pine on poor sites is especially susceptible to fusiform rust disease.)

ALREADY, AFTER 13 YEARS of protection and management, the results can be seen. People who visit the area now find it hard to believe that a few years ago the tract was almost worthless. It is stocked with a merchantable stand of about 3,000 board feet an acre-10 times the volume that existed when the land was purchased. A steady stream of sawlogs, pulpwood, railroad ties, fuel wood, and other products comes out of the forest. It has made a great change in the economic and community life of adjoining towns and villages.

At first, because of the poor stand, little timber was sold. From 1936 to 1942, only 756,000 board feet were cut. The annual cut since then has been: In 1942, 2,190,000 board feet; 1943, 3,048,000; 1944, 5,304,000; 1945, 5,133,000; 1946, 8,333,000; 1947, 15,072,000; and, in 1948, 25,296,000.

Rapid restocking and growth of timber under effective fire protection made possible this unusual, steady increase.

Today the timber stands and growth are estimated as follows: Present volume of saw timber, 330 million board feet, and 190 million of pulpwood; annual growth of saw timber, 35 million board feet, and 11 million of pulpwood.

The annual cut of saw timber in 1948-52 is put at 12 million board feet, and of pulpwood, 5 million. In 1952 57, the annual cut will be about 20 million board feet; the cut will increase gradually until it reaches a potential cut of approximately 70 million board feet a year by 1970 or so. The intention is to sell the sawlog timber first and then the pulpwood. After the sale of pulpwood will come whatever silvicultural work is needed, such as removing the unmerchantable hardwoods which overtop pine. Cutting will be regulated so that food and den trees are left for game.

Some of the areas are being cut for the second time in 13 years. The short cutting intervals-5 years for pulpwood, 10 years for sawlogs are possible because of rapid growth and the good system of forest roads.

On one 20-acre parcel in Scott County, 2,585 board feet an acre were cut in 1941. The second cut, 2,300 board feet of logs and 4 cords of pulpwood an acre, was made in 1946; the grade of the second cut ran 20 percent better than the 1941 cut. It is estimated that the plot now has 10,000 board feet per acre of good saw timber.