SECTION 1. CONDITIONS AND PROBLEMS 



By Donald Bruce ' 



The Area Covered by This Report 



The forests of the Cohinibia River Retrion, or the 

 Pacific Northwest, contain about half of the standmg 

 timber remaining in the United States. They are of 

 great importance to tlie Nation as a source of sujjply of 

 hnnber and otlier forest products. They are of even 

 greater importance to the four States vvhicli appro.xi- 

 mately constitute tliis Region, as a vast natural re- 

 source on which their economic prosperity depends. 



The boundaries of the four States, Montana, Idaho, 

 Oregon, and Wasliiiigton, do not, of course, corres])ond 

 with the divides wliich bound the Columbia Drainage 

 Basin. The headwaters of the Columbia River system 

 extend for short distances into the States lying immedi- 

 ately to the south, and there is a major extension north 

 into British Columbia. Convcrscl3^, a considerable 

 portion of the four States is drained by other rivers; the 

 most important examples are that part of Montana east 

 of the Continental Divide, and the coastal regions of 

 Washington anil Oregon. 



Most of the available statistics bearing on the forest 

 problems of this Region have been compiled by States, 

 and it is practically impossible to break them down by 

 watersheds. For this reason, and because any adequate 

 solution of the problems connected with these forests 

 will unquestioiial)ly require State legislation, the data 

 presented in this report ^\ill apph' to a Region consisting 

 of the group of four States. 



\Miile these four States have much in common, the 

 forest situation is far from uniform. The Douglas fir 

 region, which lies west of the Cascades in Oregon and 

 Washington, is com])letely different in climate, aTid, 

 consequently, in chai-acter of timber, from the puic 

 regions to the east. Even within the pine region there 

 are striking dilferences between States and between 

 eastern and western Montana. To present the facts 

 clearly, it has, therefore, been necessary to recognize 

 just as completely as the available statistics permit, the 

 following subdivisions: 



Pine region. — Eastern Montana; western Montana; 

 Idaho; eastern Oregon; eastern Washington. 



Fir m;M</i. Western Oregon; western Washington. 



' Many ofliccr;^ of llie Forc-':t Service in Repion.^; I, IV, ami VI, and ofllu' BDineh nt 

 Resnireii of that Serviee have aided greatly in the preparation of this report. U, W, 

 Putnam, of Region VI, assigned to the stuiiy l)y the Forest Service, h:is made impor- 

 tant and direct contribution. Representatives of trade a.ssocintions and State otTicials 

 have t)cen equally helpful. To all of these, and to many members of the stall of the 

 Pacific Northwest R(>gional Planning Comniis^ion, who also assisted, sincere th:mks 

 are ollcrcil. 



The Importance of the Columbia Basin 

 States to the Nation 



Figure 1 shows in graphic form the relation of the four 

 Columbia Basin States to the Nation as a whole in area, 

 in population, and in timber resources. It will be seen 

 that the four States constitute 13 percent of tlie area 

 of the United States, yet support but 3 percent of its 

 population. They contain only a little more than 

 their share of the Nation's forest land, or 15 percent, but 

 on this land stands 55 percent of the Nation's remaining 

 timber. From this timber reserve is produced annually 

 about 47 percent of the softwood lumber ctmsumed by 

 the 48 States, but the 4 States themselves, on account 

 of their scanty population, consume only IG percent of 

 the Nation's total. 



RELATION OF COLUMBIA BASIN STATES 

 TO UNITED STATES 



AREA 



13 PER CENT 



o 



FOREST AREA 



15 PER CENT 



POPULATION 



3 PER CENT 



TIMBER VOLUME 



55 PER CENT 



SOFTWOOD SOFTWOOD 



LUMBER PRODUCTION LUMBER CONSUMPTION 



47 PER CENT 16 PER CENT 



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FliMKK 1 



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