Forest Resources oj the Pacific Northwest 



39 



unmanagcd forest, and during the inevitable transition 

 period, the policies of the owners are nll-iinjjortant. 



The forest resource of this Region is in niiiny owner- 

 ships, and the policies of these owners are diverse. 

 Figures 15 fo 20 show by States the ownership of all 

 forest land, of the mature timber land, of the second 

 growth timber land, of the unstocked cut-over or 

 burned timber land, of the timber volume, and of the 

 timber volume of the more valuable species. These 

 figures are similar in construction to figures 2 to 4, 

 which have already been presented. 



Recapitulating this information for the entire four 

 States, we have table I. In each and every category, 

 over SO percent of the forest resource is either in the 

 national forests or in private ownership. None of the 

 six other forms of public ownership or control is very 

 important, for the Region as a whole, although in cer- 

 tain localities they may, of course, be dominant. The 

 national forests occupy over half of the area, and almost 

 the same proportion of the mature timber land and of 

 the second growth. About a third of each of these clas- 

 sifications is in private ownership. The better timber, 

 however, is concentrated in private hands so that on a 

 volume basis the two are about equal. In terms of the 

 more valuable species which form the basis of the 

 ])rcsent lumber induslrv, the private ownership is 

 found to hold nearly half, while the national forests 

 have a little over a third, and this third is generally 

 less accessible, much of it being noncommercial under 

 present economic conditions. 



Table I. — Percentage of forest resource in different ownersliips 



Source: U. S. Forei^t Service. 



The national forests are in the main under sustained- 

 yield management, although some areas, relatively 

 small in total quantity involved, are reserved from all 

 cutting for recreational purposes. Silvicultural prac- 

 tices are required by all timber sale contracts, and a 

 comprehensive system of fire protection is in effect. 



The national parks are managed for recreation only 

 and are permanently withdrawn from commercial 

 lumbering. They contain but 1 percent of the Region's 

 timber. 



The revested Oregon and California and Coos Bay 

 Wagon Road land grants are only about 2 percent of 

 the entire forest area, but contain 8 percent of the timber 

 volume of the more valuable species. Being concen- 

 trated in the fir region of western Oregon, they form a 

 very important clement in the forest resource of that 

 subregion. These lands are administered by the 

 Interior Department under specific legislation which 

 contemplates prompt liquidation rather than any form 

 of continued forest management.^ Timber is sold 

 under competitive bids. Forty-acre subdivisions with 

 a light stand of timber are classified as agricultural 

 regardless of terrain, and were open to homestead entry 

 until about 2 years ago when thej^ were withdrawn 

 from entry pending some change in policy. This 

 timber is protected from fire, but no efforts are made to 

 secure a new stand of timber after cutting. 



The Indian reservations have been managed by the 

 Indian Service for the benefit of the Indians. Fire 

 protection and forest regeneration have been capably 

 handled. Sustained yield has been recognized as an 

 objective, but since receipts from timber sales are dis- 

 tributed among tlie Indians, they naturally exert con- 

 stant pressure for immediate revenue. 



The State-owned forest lands are handled under 

 somewhat varying policies in the four States of the 

 Region. 



In Oregon most of the original grant was sold many 

 years ago. The remaining forest land has since been 

 consolidated by exchange with the national forests into 

 a State forest which is principally small second growth 

 as yet not ready for harvesting. Sustained-yield man- 

 agement must, therefore, be in the distant future. 



In Washington most of the original land grant is still 

 in State ownership, but much of it has been consolidated 

 by exchanges with the national forests. A substantial 

 block has been designated by the legislature as a sus- 

 tained-yield forest, but it lies in an as yet undeveloped 

 territory on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula 

 and no definite management plan has yet been per- 

 fected. Outside of this forest there is a tendency to 

 liquidate timber values as rapidly as market conditions 

 permit, on account of the provisions of existing legisla- 

 tion. On the other hand, some 200,000 acres of cut- 

 over land, which had passed into county ownership 

 tlirough tax delinquency, has been taken over by the 

 State for management on a sustamed-yield basis. 



Idaho and Montana have retained most of their 

 original land grants, and have partial^ consolidated 

 them by exchanges with the national forests. Timber 

 is sold therefrom without definite. plans for sustained- 

 yield management and with a tendency to liquidate 

 as rapidly as the stumpage market permits. State 



• Since preparation of this report the Congress and the Interior Department have 

 adopted policies ot sustained-yield management tor these lands. 



