Forest resources of east Texas, 1992

Highlights from the Sixth Inventory of East TexasImportant findings of the sixth forest survey of east Texas are presented here.Comparisons, unless otherwise noted, are based on estimates dated January 1, 1986, and January 1, 1992.• Timberland area increased by 202,700 acres to 11.8 million acres.A total of 485,100 nonforest acres reverted to timberland and 282,500 acres of timberland were diverted to nonforest land uses.• The loblolly-shortleaf pine forest-type group remained the predominant type in east Texas.In 1992, 4.1 million acres were in this type.Oak-hickory was the second most dominant forest-type group, even after losing 242,900 acres since the 1986 inventory.• The predominant stand-size class was sawtimber with 5.3 million acres (45 percent).The sapling-seedling size class was second, occupying 3.9 million acres (33 percent) of timberland area.• Softwood live-tree volume did not change appreciably (a decline of less than 1 percent).The volume for 1992 was 8,008.6 million cubic feet.• Hardwood live-tree volume increased slightly (by 2 percent).The volume for 1992 was 6,220.4 million cubic feet.• Softwood live-tree net growth increased by 36 percent to 566.5 million cubic feet per year.Removals increased by 19 percent, leaving a negative net change between growth and removals of 6.9 million cubic feet per year (only slightly more than 1 percent of net growth).• Hardwood live-tree net growth increased only slightly, from 188.3 to 192.8 million cubic feet per year.Removals increased by 10 percent to 173.3 million cubic feet per year.Net change in the inventory was a positive 19.6 million cubic feet per year.• Plantation area increased to 2.5 million acres-a 597,500acre increase since 1986.• Nineteen percent of east Texas softwood volume was in plantations-1,506.9 million cubic feet.This was a 504.9million-cubic-feet increase.• Approximately 3.3 million acres, or 28 percent of all timberland, underwent some form of commercial harvest.• Approximately 1.1 million acres of east Texas timberland underwent some form of intermediate stand treatment (thinning or stand improvement).Forest Experiment Station merged with the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville, NC, to become the Southern Research Station, which is headquartered in Asheville, NC.The following States are now under the administration of the Southern Research Station: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.East Texas is divided into the Southeast and Northeast survey units (fig.1).Another 26-county region, called the east Texas Post Oak Region, was surveyed in 1939 (Davis 1940), 1965 (Sternitzke 1967), and 1986 (McWilliams and Lord 1988).The 1939 survey was cursory, but the 1965 survey was more detailed.Only the Northeast and Southeast survey units are covered in this bulletin.Limited rainfall west of these survey units results in growth rates and a species mix considered noncommercial or of limited commercial value, especially in relation to sustainable forestry values.However, increasing interest in a more holistic view of forest ecosystems will necessitate detailed surveys of central and western Texas.Earlier surveys of the eastern counties were conducted by the Southern Forest Experiment Station in 1935 (Cruikshank 1938, Cruikshank and Eldredge 1939), in 1953 to 1955 (U.