Abstract
The 1990 forest inventory of North-Central Alabama revealed the following:
- Timberland area is 4,346.0 thousand acres, a decrease of 4 percent
- The area of hardwood stands decreased by 5 percent and the area of oak-pine stands increased by 14 percent
- The area of pine stands decreased despite an increase in the area of planted pine stands.
- Live-tree inventory volume totals 4.6 million cubic feet and was unchanged. A 22-percent increase in hardwood inventory volume was offset by an 18-percent decrease in softwood volume.
- Average net growth of live trees decreased by 3 percent. The net growth of hardwoods increased by 41 percent. The net growth of softwoods decreased by 28 percent.
- The removals of live trees increased by 10 percent. Both hardwood and softwood removals increased, by 8 and 11 percent respectively.
- The growth-to-removals relationship worsened since the previous inventory period due to severe overcutting of softwoods. For hardwoods and softwoods combined, removals are now equal to growth.
- The current growth-to-removals ratio for hardwoods is 2.0:1.0, an improvement since the previous period. The growth-to-removals ratio for softwoods is 0.7:1.0, compared to 1.0:1.0 for the previous period.
Citation
McWilliams, William H.; Miller, Patrick E.; Vissage, John S. 1990. Forest statistics for North-Central Alabama counties - 1990. Resour. Bull. SO-157. New Orleans, Louisiana: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 36 p.
