· Area of timberland has increased by 5 million acres during the past 10 years. Since 1952 the area of hardwoods and oak-pine has increased while pine area has decreased.
· In 1952, natural pine stands occupied 72 million acres and planted pines covered 2 million acres, or 1 percent of the timberland area in 12 of the 13 Southern States. By 1999, planted pine stands occupied 48 percent of the area of pine in the region.
· Urbanization surpassed agriculture as the primary cause of loss of forest land in 1984. As of 1987, the South began gaining forest land faster than it was being lost. By 1990, annual gains in forest land amounted to 1.3 million acres, while diversions of forest land to other uses amounted to 841,000 acres.
· Timberland owned by forest industry declined for the first time between 1989 and 1999. Private corporate ownership rose from less than 16 million acres in 1982 to nearly 20 million acres in 1999, partly due to increased holdings byTimber Investment and Management Organizations (TIMOs). TIMOs controlled 4.2 million acres, or 2 percent of the South's timberland area in 1999 (TIMBR-2).
· Between 1953 and 1999, total growing-stock volume rose 72 percent, while average annual growth and mortality went up 60 percent and 130 percent, respectively. Average annual removals of growing-stock have risen 52 percent since 1982.
· As of 1999, nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners controlled 71 percent of the timberland area; they have held at least 70 percent of the total growing-stock volume since 1953.
· Planted stands accounted for only 12 percent of the region's total growing-stock volume in 1999, but contributed 43 percent of the softwood net annual growth and 35 percent of annual softwood removals.
· Average annual removals of softwood growing stock exceeded average annual growth for the first time in 1999. However, softwood growth should rise once trees on 21 million acres of softwood saplings/seedlings stands reach growing-stock size and begin contributing to estimates of net annual growth.
