A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 911 



REGIONAL CONDITIONS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 



PACIFIC COAST FORESTS 



(Washington, Oregon, and California) 

 PRIVATELY OWNED TIMBER ACREAGES 



Large-scale lumber production originated comparatively recently 

 in the Pacific coast region. Cutting and other causes has already, 

 however, removed the larger growing stock, suitable for continuous 

 operation under a group or tree selective system, from one third of 

 the privately owned area. Out of 33,037,000 acres privately owned, 

 6,708,000 acres are rated as nonrestocking and 4,324,000 acres as 

 fairly well restocked with young growth. Farm woodlands include 

 5,099,000 acres; other areas in private ownership total 27,938,000 

 acres. The total regional privately owned stand is estimated at 594 

 billion board feet. 



MANAGEMENT POLICIES 



Until very recently, wherever the heavy stands of the Pacific coast 

 region were operated, clear cutting was considered necessary, for 

 mechanical and other reasons. (It was not considered necessary in 

 the ponderosa pine stands.) Recent changes in logging machinery, 

 including improvement of crawler tractors and development of asso- 

 ciated log-tractor devices, make selective cuttings, either by single 

 trees or by groups, entirely feasible. Selective cuttings are already 

 freely practiced in some forest types, while in others only a beginning 

 has been made. Most forest owners still hold to a policy of liquidat- 

 ing timber holdings. A few, realizing that present methods are 

 undesirable, are considering or initiating changes in operating policy. 

 Present management policies will be considered under three headings. 



PROTECTION FROM FIRE 



For most forest types in the Pacific coast region fire protection is 

 recognized as prerequisite to sustained forest productivity. The 

 standards of protection necessary under various conditions, and other 

 aspects of the forest-fire problem, are discussed in detail in other 

 sections of this report. Here it is sufficient to note that while some 

 fire-protective effort is being made as a result of compulsory State 

 patrol laws on virtually all the better-class timberlands, the burning 

 rate has not been reduced to a low enough level to permit full pro- 

 ductivity. Fire-protective efforts have made great progress and are 

 unquestionably sufficient to permit a large volume of growth to take 

 place, especially in the moist Douglas fir region. 



MEASURES TO PROLONG PRODUCTIVITY 



These include selective cuttings and intensive protection of young 

 growth from logging damage. Nine Pacific coast concerns are prac- 

 ticing such measures on 1,224,050 acres. On considerable additional 

 areas, without special intent on the part of the owners, conditions 

 obtain that, as compared with the prevailing practices, will in some 

 degree prolong the cut or productivity. 



OPERATION ON A SUSTAINED-YIELD BASIS 



Full utilization of productive values of the soil and full returns from 

 investments in log-transportation systems, manufacturing plants, 



