Based on the fact that for 50+ years timber land area has been fairly stable and growing stock volume has increased substantially, one might expect that the volume of timber growth would surpass timber harvest. Indeed, this is precisely what has happened, growth exceeds harvest. For example, in 1996 growth exceeded harvest by 49 percent; in 2006 (the most recent year data are available) growth was 72 percent greater than harvest! That harvests of timber are far below growth rates translates to increasing average age of trees in U.S. forests. The number of older, larger trees has been steadily increasing in all regions of the country in recent decades.