Practical forest management for the cut-over hardwood lands in southern West Virginia

THE MAJOR PROBLEM WEST VIRGINIA abounds in natural resources.Its wooded mountains, underlain by rich deposits of coal, oil and gas, are famous throughout the nation.As elsewhere, these resources have been used lavishly and with considerable waste.Forward-looking operating companies and the people of the state as a whole have decried this waste and have taken measures to use the mineral heritage more wisely.Likewise, in recent years, these same com- panies have recognized the devastation that has been wrought upon the forest land above the coal, and already they are making an an- nual investment towards protecting their lands against fire.This is not mere philanthropy or sentiment; it is good business.Neither mine materials nor lumber can be made from a tree destroyed by fire or by disease for which the fire prepared the way.Protection is obviously the first step.Unfortunately this is not enough.Through past neglect the forest lands have been depleted not only of their valuable products, but also of part of their power to produce future crops of equal worth.This capacity must be restored if the land is to contribute its full share to the natural wealth of the state.THE DATA Before practical measures for bringing the forest land back into full production can be determined, it is necessary to ascertain the present condition of the land.Consequently a reconnaissance of private land has been made in parts of five counties in southern West Virginia.The basic data are measurements and observations on 206 fifth-acre representative sample plots and on 990 sample