Wood Supply in the United States Past, Present and Future, 1998 Pulping Conference Proceedings

To remain competitive with the burgeoning wood manufacturing companies in Latin America, Africa, Asia and northern Europe (Russia), more wood will have to be produced on less land in the US. Plantation management has been an integral part of forestry in the South and Pacific Northwest since about 1950, but that management has largely been extensive. Using the South as the example, the average growth rate of pine plantations is about 7 m 3 /ha/yr at a rotation age of 25 to 35 years. That value is contrasted to more than 20 m 3 /ha/yr from intensively managed plantations. Such growth rates are comparable to the highest pine producing regions of the world, such as New Zealand and Chile with their exotic plantations of radiata pine, and to Brazil, Argentina and South Africa with their exotic plantations of loblolly and slash pines.

Similar accomplishments can be attained with intensively managed plantations of hardwoods, as has been exhibited in the Pacific Northwest with hybrid poplar plantations. However, the expense of achieving high productivity with hardwoods is a greater challenge than with pines because of the sensitivity of hardwoods to site. Except for localized situations, the hardwood resource for processing in the US will come from natural stands, and from intensively managed plantations in the warm temperate and tropical zones of the world.