GOT 'WOODS?

by Dan Goerlich

Virginia Cooperative Extension

     
Does the Commonwealth of Virginia have more hardwood volume today than she had 60 years ago?  If you answered “yes” to this question, you are correct!  Data published by the USDA Forest Service show that Virginia’s hardwood growing stock inventory increased from 7.97 billion cubic feet in 1940 to 19.84 billion cubic feet in 1992.  That’s an increase of 148.9%! 

Forestry professionals frequently speak with folks who feel that all of Virginia’s hardwood forests are being converted to pine plantations.  Indeed, some hardwood stands are converted to pine.  On the other hand, some pine stands are converted to hardwood.  Overall, the 1992 data show that the oak-hickory forest type covers 9.4 of the 15.4 million timberland acres in Virginia.  Loblolly pine plantations cover two percent of these 15.4 million acres.  Hardwood volume growth exceeded harvest by a ratio of 1.53 to 1 in 1992.  Hardwood volume growth exceeded harvest by a ratio of 1.37 to 1 in 1998. 

Virginia has undergone many changes since 1992, including increased conversion of hardwood and pine forests to developed uses.  This year the Virginia Department of Forestry plans to release preliminary results of a comprehensive forest resource assessment that will shed additional light on the current status of Virginia’s forest resource, including updated figures on the rates of hardwood growth and removal.   

Choosing whether to manage for pine or hardwood is a decision that all forest landowners must make.  Landowners interested in obtaining income on short rotations or whom own land with degraded soils often decide to manage for pine.  Landowners interested in firewood, growing veneer logs, or viewing fall colors may choose to manage for hardwood.  Many landowners manage for both pine and hardwood, recognizing that some soils are ideal for growing pine, while others are tailor-made for growing quality hardwoods.  Foresters call this “matching the species to the site.”

Landowners interested in growing quality hardwoods should avoid a practice known as high-grading.  A high-grade occurs when the best trees are removed, leaving the rest “to grow.”  Landowners saddled with hardwood stands that have been high-graded several times over successive generations often have no choice but to clearcut their forest and start over from scratch.  Culling cows provides a good analogy.  A farmer that periodically removes the best cows from his herd--relying on the weakest to provide his future herd--would experience decreasing revenue, hard times, and bankruptcy.  Rather, the quality of a cattle herd is maintained by periodically removing the weakest individuals.  Similarly, landowners interested in growing high-quality hardwood stands should retain trees of desirable species that have good growth rate and form.  Remove the worst first, and save the best for last.

Landowners often avoid hardwood management due to the long rotation length.  Eighty to 100 years is often cited as the time frame required to grow mature hardwoods in Virginia.  Through a variety of scientifically and technically sound forest management practices, however, landowners can significantly reduce the time it takes to grow larger, higher-quality hardwoods.