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Status and History of Growing-Stock Removals

Average annual removals of growing stock are defined as the average annual sound-wood volume of growing-stock trees removed from the inventory by harvesting, cultural operations (such as timber stand improvement), land clearing, or changes in land use during the period between surveys. The latest RPA report has average annual removals data for three successive surveys of all 13 Southern States.

The data indicate that removals of both softwoods and hardwoods have increased with each survey period (fig. 16.25), and softwoods consistently have been removed in greater amounts than hardwoods. In all periods, softwoods have comprised at least 63 percent of total growing-stock removals (table 16.22). From 1982 to 1999, the average annual removals of softwood growing stock increased 36 percent, while hardwood removals rose 55.9 percent. Total growing-stock removals increased 42.5 percent.

The ratio of average annual removals to total growing-stock volume for hardwoods and softwoods reveals the same pattern (fig. 16.26). However, with each subsequent survey a larger portion of growing-stock volume is removed each year. In 1982, annual softwood removals represented 4.4 percent of the total softwood volume. By 1999, this had increased to 5.7 percent. The rate for hardwoods increased from 1.8 percent to 2.2 percent during the same time. This means that, over time, the removal and utilization of softwoods and hardwoods in relation to their current volumes has increased.

Removals by ownership

Removals of growing stock from public land have always been highly contentious because opinions differ on the role that public land should play in providing timber products and the amount of harvesting that is sustainable. All ownerships experienced an increase in removals between 1982 and 1999 (fig. 16.27). The removals on other public land went from 218 million cubic feet per year to 294 million cubic feet per year. Average annual removals on NIPF land increased 44 percent (table 16.23). Average annual removals on national forests grew 1 percent between 1982 and 1999 and peaked in 1989. Most of this increase occurred in the national forests in east Texas. Many of these removals are probably associated with salvage of dead trees after southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm.) outbreaks in the early 1980s. In 1999, private land accounted for 67.5 percent of all growing-stock removals.

Forest type and removal trends

Just as oak-hickory dominates all other forest types in terms of growing-stock volume and growth, it also leads in average annual removals (fig. 16.28). Oak-hickory’s average annual removal rate of 3,195 million cubic feet per year in 1999 represents 34 percent of all growing-stock removals (table 16.24). In 1989, this forest type accounted for 33 percent of the removals. Oak-hickory and oak-pine combined have accounted for about half of all growing-stock removals.

Pine plantations accounted for approximately 19 and 16 percent of total growing-stock removals in both 1989 and 1999, respectively. These estimates are impressive considering that pine plantations accounted for only 6 percent of the total growing-stock volume in 1989 and 10 percent of that volume in 1999. Average annual removals in natural pine stands represent between 16 and 18 percent of total removals. Among forest types, only longleaf-slash pine stands experienced a decline in average annual removals between 1989 and 1999 for both natural and planted stands. Removals from planted longleaf-slash pine stands dropped from 403 million cubic feet per year to 376 million cubic feet per year. Natural longleaf-slash pine stands experienced a 4.8 percent drop in removals. Average annual removals from other forest types increased between 1989 and 1999:

Forest type	Change in removals %
White-red-jack pine	+144.4
Maple-beech-birch	+150.0
Oak-hickory	+ 31.2
Planted loblolly-shortleaf	+ 13.0
Oak-gum-cypress	+ 29.9

The large percentage changes in removal volumes for the white-red-jack pine and maple-beech-birch forest types can be attributed to the small area involved. Volumes and areas of these forest types are so small that any change in volume can produce a dramatic percentage change. The inclusion or removal of one plot in these forest types may produce large estimates of changes when expressed as a percentage.

Latest removal trends for Alabama and South Carolina

Average annual removals of Alabama’s softwood growing stock averaged 890 million cubic feet, an increase of 24 percent since the previous survey period. Sixty-seven percent of these softwood removals were from NIPF land, 30 percent from forest industry land, and 3 percent from public lands. Softwood removals exceeded softwood growth by 0.7 percent. Planted stands accounted for 30 percent of the State’s softwood growing-stock removals. Annual removals of Alabama’s hardwood growing stock averaged 407 million cubic feet, an increase of 10 percent since the previous survey period. Eighty percent of hardwood removals were from NIPF land, 18 percent from forest industry land, and 2 percent from public land. Hardwood growth exceeded removals by 32 percent across the State.

Annual removals of South Carolina’s softwood growing stock decreased 4 percent to 471 million cubic feet per year. Sixty-three percent, or 295 million cubic feet, of the softwood removals came from NIPF land. Softwood removals were down 9 percent on NIPF timberland. Forest industry timberland was the only ownership to show an increase in annual softwood removals, rising from 131 million cubic feet to 149 million cubic feet per year. Forest industry timberland accounted for 32 percent of total softwood removals. Removals of South Carolina’s hardwood growing stock decreased 12 percent to 208 million cubic feet per year and was down on all ownerships except NIPF land. NIPF owners provided 83 percent, 173 million cubic feet, of the hardwoods removals volume, an increase of 1 percent. Hardwood removals from forest industry timberland dropped 24 percent to 33.5 million cubic feet per year.