Intensive Forest Management in the US South

Abstract

Forest management profitability can be raised by increasing stand productivity, which comprises improving wood yields and quality. The United States of America provides a good example of intensive management techniques applied on large scale to substantially increase forest productivity. Experiences of the U.S. South's forestry sector provide evidence that research−based intensive growth technologies are the key factor in ensuring adequate wood supplies and in effectively promoting sustainable management of the region's forest resource. Management treatments such as applications of fertilizers and herbicides have yielded lard productivity increases to date. Genetic improvement also has yielded large productivity increases along with improving stem straightness, wood properties, and disease resistance. Modern timber growth technologies already make possible doubling or even tripling current pine growth rates, while research progress indicates that current growth technologies can be improved even further