Reproduced from JOURNAL OF FORESTRY
January 1977/Volume 75/Number
1
by the FOREST SERVICE,
U.S. DEPARTMENT QF AGRICULTURE,
for official use
EXPECTATIONS FROM INTENSIVE
CULTURE ON
INDUSTRIAL FOREST LANDS
by
D.
A.
S.
P.
DeBell,
Brunette,
and
D.
L.
Schweitzer
Expectat ions from Intensive Culture on Industr ial Forest Land s D. S. DeBell, A. P. Brunette, and D. L. Schweitzer
ABSTRACT-A
nationwide survey of industrial forest
managers showed that use of most cultural practices is in­
creasing markedly, that anticipated investments in such
practices are estimated to increase annual harvests through
1985 by 14 percent above the 1970 level, and that research
and development is most desired on problems related to ge­
netics, site preparation, fertilization, and commerical thin­
ning.
S everal recent reviews and forecasts have indicated
that substantial increases in timber prices (relative to
other commodities) will occur if present levels of
forest management and utilization continue. One way
THE AUTHORS- D. S. DeBell is project leader, Intensive Cul­
ture Research, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment
Station, USDA Forest Service, Olympia, Washington. A. P.
Brunette is consulting forester, Pendleton, Oregon. D. L.
Schweitzer is forester, Policy Analysis Staff, Forest Service,
Washington, D.C.
This paper is based on a report prepared by a Subcommittee
on Intensive Culture for the Technical Association of the Pulp
and Paper Industry's Committee on Forecasting Technological
Trends and Needs in the Pulp and Paper Industry. The authors
thank other members of the subcommittee: D. A. Gansner, S.
G. Boyce, E. Shoulders, D. W. Rose, J. C. Gordon, G. H.
Schubert, and W. L. McKillop.
10/JoURNAL OF FORESTRY/January 1977
to reduce this rise is to increase timber supply through
investment in intensive culture. The 1970 Outlook for
Timber1 examined opportunities and concluded that
much additional wood could be provided through in­
tensified practices. This report provides information
on trends, expectations, and needs in the industrial
sector. It is based upon a questionnaire survey of in­
dustrial managers.
The Survey
For survey purposes, intensive culture was consid­
ered to include the techniques (used singly or in vari­
ous combinations) of precommerical thinning, timber
stand imprbvement, commercial thinning, site prepa­
ration, weed control, species conversion, use of genet­
ically improved stock, fertilization, drainage, irriga­
tion, short-rotation forestry, and intensified protec­
tion. Questions dealt with past (1971-1974) and antici­
pated future (1975-1985) use of these practices, esti­
mated contributions of the practices to future timber
harvests, expected harvest increases if the practices
were used for an entire rotation, and the information
1USDA Forest Sen•ice. 1973. The outlook for timber in the United
States. For. Resour. Rpt. 20. 367 p.
base for evaluating the practices. Our goal was to sur­
vey all industrial owners having more than 50,000
acres of forest land. Owners of smaller acreages re­
ceived a questionnaire if their tree farms were regis­
tered with the American Forest Institute and the
addresses and businesses could be verified in Standard
& Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and
Executives, 1974 edition. Questionnaires were sent to
166 firms, or regional headquarters in the case of large
firms.
Two-thirds of the firms-109 in all-returned the
questionnaires. Of these firms, 62 were integrated
business enterprises with fiber and solid processing
plants, 30 dealt only with solid wood products, 11 had
only fiber product interests, and the remaining 6 had
no manufacturing plants. Of these responding firms, 18
owned less than 50,000 acres, 39 owned between
50,000 and 250,000 acres, and 52 owned more than
250,000 acres.
,Table 1:
.
P ercent: f lit du
t ially held lands tre ted
Firms in the eastern United States-North (31) and
South (45)---participated to a greater extent than those
in the Rocky Mountain (9) and Pacific Coast (24) re­
gions. Because of the excellent response and the fact
that most of the major forest products companies par­
ticipated, we believe that the data adequately reflect
the current plans and attitudes of industrial land mana­
gers in the United States.
Trends in Intensive Culture
Managers we e asked to estimate the percentage of
company land treated by specific cultural practices
each year for the period 1971-1974. They also were
asked·to indicate intentions for the next decade (1975­
1985): that is, did they plan to increase, decrease, hold
constant, or not use the various practices? Summaries
of their replies are presented in tables 1 and 2. Aver­
.
Firm size-class (acres)
Region reco'mm.ercial
i l.
Nationwide
thinning
;Timber stand improvement
;commerc:;ia thlnf1ing.·
:Fe rt lizatio n
:
:site preparation:>
:Species conversion
;Genetic 'Improvement
Weed control.
'Short-rotation
Drainage. • Irrigation
Intensified protection
.
·
North "-
South
.:.
..:____ - ,..- - ':.:.. """ -- _ :..
0.2
<0.05
0.1
1.8
'2.7
2.0.'
2.5
1:1
3.4
;4
.0
.4
1
2
:
:
< .05
.6
.4
.3
.1
.2
!
:
.0
1.8
:
<
g
: 5
.0
1.8
."'
nnually by various Intensive. practices, 1 97 1 1974?::'
:
.0
2.0
Rocky
Mountain
Pacific
coast
0.6
< .05
5.
< .05
0;5
<7
·t"":'j.' , ', '1
j
50,000 to
250,000
More than
0.1
.7
'1.6
.0
0.1
1.8
1.8
:o
0.2
1.9
2 6
·.· .4
.2
.5
.3
.3
Less than·.
50,000
i
250,000
\
----·"'"---Percent'--------..;._.,..'"'-' --' -----'-
·i
I
l
-
..
:6
.0
.0
:
.0
.0
2.1
.
•
,g.
:
:
' .6
.8
:
.0
1.5
··
: .
:
.
1: ·
1t
.
i
j\
. ··.·
.4 ....
. ,3 • .
: '.j
:
.0
1.4
.0
4.2
.0
10
•
..
l
j
'
i
.I
Table 2. Percentage of firms Intending to maintain or Increase current use of practices during 1975-1985.1
Cultural practice
Precommercial thinning
Timber stand Improvement
Commercial thinning
Fertilization
Site preparation
Species conversion
Genetics
Weed control Short-rotation
Drainage
Irrigation .
Intensified protection
Nationwide
North
South
Rocky
Mountain
Pacific
Coast
-------------------- Percent of firms ..:.
53
69
92
52
83
65
71
50
16
34
6
58
32
74
81
39
55
58
61
52
26
1
3
52
47
71
98
67
96
73
87
51
13
51
7
67
88
75
88
25
88
38
25
13
0
0
0
38
l
Firm size-class (acres)
Region 79
63
96
50
96
67
71
58
8
29
4
58
Less tharf
50,000
50,000 to
250,000
- -------·-----
35
65
82
18
71
47
47
29
12
18
0
35
54
67
97 33
82
59
59'
44
13
28
5
54
More than
250,000
----
:.... '
-
i
j
58
75
90
75
88
75
88
62
10
44
2
69
.1Remalnlng firms that responded Indicated they would either decrease present use or not use practice at all.
January 1977/JOURNAL OF FORESTRY/II
;
Table 3. Estimated annual effect of Intensive culture on roundwood supplies from Industrial lands In recent past
(1971-1974) and near future (1975-1985).
·
.
·:Region
Range
harvest1
-- MM
f
; North
• South
: Rocky Mountain
' Pacific Coast
i
cu ft --
316
1,307
170
1,637
-
I
All U.S.
3,430
Additional
annual
supplies
1971-1974 gain's
1970'
Average2
-- MM
--- Percent3 --0-20
0-40
0-10
0-80
3.8
5.7
2.5
3.9
. 0-80
4.5
·
cu ft--
12
74
4
64
154
197&.1985 gains
Average2
Range
--- Percenf3--0-40
0-80
0-15
0-100+
8.9
14.1
11.3
15.2
0-100+
14.0
·
Additional
annual
supplies
-- MM
cu ft--
28
184
19
249
480
: 1Source: The Outlook for Timber in the United $tates, 1973. USDA For. Serv. For. Res. Pap. 20, 367 p.
: 2Weighted by 1970 harvest of responding firms.
.
I
i38ase: 1970 harvest.
t'
ages for percent of area treated were weighted by
acreage size-class of individual firms.
Applications of most techniques (especially grow­
ing-stock control, fertilization, and use of genetically
improved stock) more than doubled from 197 1 through
1974. The greatest use of intensive cultural practices
was on the large ownerships which occur primarily in
the South and on the Pacific Coast. During the next
decade similar or greater activity is anticipated by
most firms for most practices (table 2). Exceptions to
these general trends are irrigation and short-rotation
forestry, where past use has been negligible and little
or no expansion is anticipated in the near future.
In viewing the percentages· of land treated, one
should remember that most practices are needed or
applicable to only a portion of the land. For example,
perhaps 5 percent of the stands are of such age and
stocking that precommercial thinning is needed; thus,
treatment of less than 1 percent can be rather signifi­
cant in terms of accomplishing the needed task. Simi­
larly, although many companies have made substantial
investments in genetic improvement programs, these
efforts are not adequately reflected in terms of acres
treated with improved stock.
Expected Effects on Levels of Harvest
Two questions were asked to determine by how
much the intensified practices caused the actual har­
vests in 197 1- 1974 to exceed the 1970 harvest, and how
much planned investments would raise 1975-1985 har­
vests above the 1970 level. It should be noted that
changes in harvest levels can occur because of factors
other than increased growth associated with intensive
culture (e. g. , 'more complete utilization, over-cutting).
Answers are summarized by geographic region in table
3. Recent ( 1971- 1974) increases in harvest were esti­
mated to be 4.5 percent. on a nationwide basis. Esti­
mates from the South were considerably higher than
those from other regions, presumably because south­
ern pine forests have been intensively managed for a
longer time and because rotations are shorter. The
West and North, however, are gaining.
A future ( 1975- 1985) increase of 14.0 percent due to
intensive culture is expected in roundwood harvests
from industry lands across the nation. The greatest
gains are anticipated in the Pacific Coast and South
regions: 15.2 and 14. 1 percent. These increases are
significant for forest industry lands, but when viewed
from the standpoint of total national wood supply they
represent increases of 5 percent or less.
Table 4.
-Percent-. . -"Numbef¢.'·'' - Pe rcent!
r!. .· 't ,l.. {1l/·f: :· t .: ! : I
·
·i E !2
Fertilization
Site preparation
Species conversion
Genetics
Weed control
Short-rotation
ent
Drainage
·•
· . ..
·Irrigation
Intensified pr t ct ion
.
·
12/JOURNAL OF FORESTRY/January 1977
'· 1.
19
·
26
26
28
14
26
20
13
16
·
•
;21
7
. 21·
19
21
16
15
14
14
14
18
24
·
39
·
.
13 .
63
11
13
17
,1
'
)
.•
·
i
oe
' .1Rernainlng firms either.did not answer the question, or Indicated the gain was unl<noW,
E�pectedlflcr.e{l.se (n wood remov d and utilized over a gr wth .cycle or 'rQ,tailonlf th
·
Table 5.' Information base of decisions on Intensive cultural practices in Industry (national averages)
·
Quality of existing
information
Proportion of firms developing mostor all
data Inside the firm1
•
Precommercial thinning
Timber stand. improvement
Commercial thinnin9
Fertilization Site preparation . Species .conversion. , Genetics Weed control
Short-rotation.
Drainage
Irrigation . .
• ..
Intensified protection :·'·
Nonexistent
or poor
----"'" -. ..:. -·--'-'-''- _..:. ___
.t
·
.91'".·
' 39:
>' 81 '
·
·. .
.
• 25 <
57
50
32
54
.
·
15
31 ·.
57
56
77
34
•
36 . '
34
32 .
38
34
34
28
31
18.
43
.
..
1Remainlng 1/rins indicated that most or all Information was deveioped by outside S,ources
'
'
)
'. '
''
·
-
'
''
'
-,
Although there may be a variety of motives for ap­
plying cultural practices (e.g., increased product
value, lower production costs) the additional volume
was of paramount interest in this survey. Industrial
managers were asked to estimate percentage gains in
yield' obtainable if they applied a given cultural prac­
tice on their lands during one growth cycle or rotation.
On a national btlsis, the expected volume gain for most
cultural practices lies in the range of 18 to 28 percent
(table 4). As expected, estimates fluctuated widely
among regions and firms.
·
Information Base for Decisions
One reason for the variation in gain estimates may
be the amount of knowledge about effects of various
cultural practices on volume produced. Industrial
managers were therefore asked to identify the source
and to rank the quality of existing data for cultural
practices, and also to state priorities for research and
development to gather additional information.
A surprising proportion of firms indicated that they
develop most or all of their cultural information inter­
nally (table 5). This is especially true for some of the
more common practices such as growing-stock con­
'' .
.
..
.
·
·
'
.·
,
.
.
· Medium
1
- ..:. .:.. ..:. - ,_.'- ..;, ..;, :.;:
· c:-..:-';,. i
.
:.. \, · ···:g
. 21
22
22
4li
·
15.
A6'
·s5···
67
83
38
.
..
40
32
26
.28.
24
39'
23
22
. 13.
36'.
;
:
.: .1.:1
39
46.
52;.
24;.
61
15 :
'
.
'
.tZi
fl;•.
.,
'4/
. '26C: ..
l
ji
··
l
1
.
trol, species conversion, site preparation, and weed
control. Cooperative research programs, however,
have been used to gather information for fertilization
and tree improvement practices. As expected, data on
practices not in common use (e. g. , short-rotation for­
estry, irrigation) were developed by people .outside the
companies.
Some industrial managers view information as good
to excellent for all cultural practices surveyed; some
view it as nonexistent or poor. In general, industrial
managers in the South thought information was better
than did managers in other regions. Even within the
same region, it is apparent from the discrepancy in
replies that information is not generally available or
applicable to all ftrms, or that all firms are not equally
aware of existing information. Although the survey did
not atterript to explore what a firm meant by poor,
good, or excellent information, it is interesting that
some firms indicated that information was good to ex­
cellent and also gave high priority to research. Such
responses may indicate that information requirements
for applying cultural practices are changing with time,
and that management decisions are becoming more
complex. •
,
South ,
Rocky Mountain
Pacific Co st
Firms
providing
estlmate1
Average
expected
gain2
Firms
providing
estimate1
Average
expected
galn2
-Number-
- Percent-
- Number -
- Percent-
32
37
37
34·
39
37
38
34
22
32
23
27
16
17
15
19
34
32
22
16
11
29
8
17
7
7
7
6
7
7
6
6
6
6
6
6
·
46
30
34
14
20
9
16
12
17
.
'17
25
22
Firms
providing,
·· estimate1
.:.:.Number•·. 21
15
21
18
18
18
18
16
'
11
11
10
13
Average
expected
galn2
- Percent30
15
22.
16
21
21
18
11
12
4
14
9
believed the practice was not applicable to their lands.
practice were applied to the firm's lands.
or
GPO 997·676
1
'1
Intensive-culture practices.
.I
J
J
-
Potential of Various Cultural Practices to Increase Yield
,
·.··
Low
k
h
c ec lhg,.
., .
52'.
24
47
28
'51
36
15
13
5
23
.
3L •.
.
11
·
.
excellent.
..;,Percent of. firms
10''
42
·21
.·
·
<;f· ,·: · r· :.:
'· <
•....•.•7. ;''
..·
Fai r
•
Priorities for
research and development.
·
January 1977/JoURNAL OF FoRESTRY/13