ABSTRACT
In discussing the extent of conversions of commercial forest land (CFL) in the United States, this chapter describes regional changes that occurred between 1962 and 1977 in the CFL base in the forty-eight contiguous states. In 1962-1977, commercial forest land under federal management decreased by 8.3 million acres in the forty-eight contiguous states. These lands have either been legislatively withdrawn from timber harvesting or have been reclassified as unsuitable for commercial wood production. The mid-Atlantic coastal region showed a decline of 0.7 million acres of CFL, primarily as a result of a decline in miscellaneous private CFL ownership. Forest Service analysts have concluded that clearing for crops and reservation of public lands for uses incompatible with timber production were largely responsible for past reductions in the CFL. The central and northern Hooky Mountain region experienced a loss of 6.6 million acres of CFL between 1962 and 1977 due to a 6.4-million-acre loss in federal CFL.
