Timber
Timber management has strongly shaped the landscape of the southern Appalachians. Practically all of the regions forests have been harvested at least once since the mid-1800s, and an industry based on sustained timber growth and production in second-growth forests thrives there today. Several forest types are managed for timber in the southern Appalachians, including mixed oak and cove forest (71% by area), mixed pine-oak forests (12% by area), pine forests (12% by area), bottomland hardwood forests (2% by area) and high elevation forests (3% per area) (Conner and Hartsell, 2002).
The focus of this encyclopedia is currently primarily on the management of the two most common hardwood forest types in the southern Appalachians: mixed oak and yellow-poplar dominated cove forests. The management of the other forest types will be covered at some point in the future.
For a brief overview of the timber resource and options for its management, see Managing the timber resource. The following sections of the encyclopedia discuss in more detail various aspects of timber management in the southern Appalachians:
- The timber industry describes the economic importance of the timber industry in the southern Appalachians, including the extent of timberland, ownership of this land, and factors influencing timber supply and demand.
- Silvics of major species provides summaries of the silvical characteristics of important Appalachian hardwood and conifer species from the Silvics of North America (USDA Forest Service 1990).
- Silviculture of oak stands describes techniques for establishing regeneration and managing established stands of oak.
- Silviculture of yellow poplar stands describes techniques for establishing regeneration and managing established stands of yellow-poplar.
- Silviculture of low quality hardwood stands defines low-quality stands and explains the special management considerations they require.
- Timber harvesting and roads discusses techniques for harvesting timber and the direct and indirect effects of roads on forest ecosystems.
- Acorn Maturity Indices
- The Timber Industry : A vibrant timber industry based on sustained timber growth and production in second-growth forests thrives in the Southern Appalachians.
- Managing the Timber Resource: An Overview : Several factors, both historic and current, have a bearing on selecting the appropriate management strategy. Various authors have pointed out that development of advance regeneration is critical to success in Appalachian hardwood stands. Maintaining spec
- Silvics of Major Species : Provides summaries of the silvical characteristics of important Appalachian hardwood and conifer species from the Silvics of North America (USDA Forest Service 1990).
- Silviculture of Oak Stands : Comprehending the options, opportunities, and limitations in managing oak forests requires, among other things, an understanding of oak regeneration problems, oak sivics/ecology, and management options for new and mature oak stands.
- Silviculture of Yellow-Poplar Stands : Importance of yellow-poplar, yellow-poplar silvics/ecology, Site Quality and yellow-poplar management, Establishing yellow-poplar regeneration, and managing established yellow-poplar stands.
- The Silviculture of Degraded Hardwood Stands : A degraded hardwood stand contains either a substantial number of low-quality trees, or an insufficient number or low basal area of manageable trees. These stands are often created by high-grading, wildfires, or insects and disease outbreaks and can occur
- Timber Harvesting and Roads
Encyclopedia ID: p1601
