Forest Resources oj the Pacific Northwest 



very short space of time available for it prevented con- 

 current consideration of and agreement with findings of 

 its forestry section by various professional, business, 

 official, and public interests of the Region. In view of 

 the high importance of the resource, its broad economic 

 significance, and the complex problems involved, subse- 

 quent thought has indicated the desirability of a recon- 

 sideration of the problem in order that the former report 

 might be amplified where necessary and that a tlefinite 

 program, with a wider range of support, might be for- 

 mulated. 



Therefore, with the approval of the National Re- 

 sources Committee, the Regional Planning Commission 

 and its Forest Advisor}' Committee have had the subject 

 under consideration since early in 1936. In this con- 

 sideration, major objectives have been reorganization of 

 factual material bearing upon the problem, together 

 with further study of the extent of economic dependency 

 upon the resource and of steps which must be taken to 

 make sustained-yield forest management practicable. 

 A further major objective was to ascertain prevailing 

 opinion among interested groups within the region and 

 to present for early action a program approved by the 

 various forest interests and the public. 



The report includes three major parts. In reverse 

 order, they are: 



Staff Report — Pacific Northwest Forest Resources. 

 Forest Advisory Committee Report — A Pacific 



Northwest Forest Program. 

 Covermg Report of the Pacific Northwest Regional 

 Planning Commission. 

 The staff report is based largely on a review of several 

 forest reports and studies, including the (Copeland) 

 report on a national plan for forestry,^ the report of the 

 Forest Service and the National Resources Board, ^ and 

 the Columbia Basm reports, previously mentioned. It 

 is intended to set out the basic factual data, arranged 

 specifically for the purposes of tliis general presentation. 

 It is the work of the special consultants employed by 

 the National Resources Committee, assisted l)y a 

 forester assigned by the Forest Service and by members 

 of the Regional Planning Commission staff as aug- 

 mented by a Works Progress Administration project. 



The regional offices and experiment stations of the 

 Forest Service have cooperated in furnishing data and 

 in consulting with the advisory committee. 



The Forest Advisory Committee itself is composed 

 of a small group of professional men, expert in forest 

 mattei-s and thoroughly familiar with forest conditions 

 and needs in the Pacific Northwest. The membership 



• A Xalional I'Innfor American Forcslrn, Doc. No. 12, T.Til Cong., 1st scss. 



* FoTtH Land Resources, Requirements, l*roblems, and Policy, Part V7//otthe Sup- 

 plemcntiiry Rcjiort of the Lanil Planning Committee to the National Rescnrccs 

 Iloard, Noveiulwr 1934. 



is directly representative of the forest activities of the 

 region's four State planning boards and inciflentally 

 has comprised representatives of Federal and State, 

 public, private, and educational interests in the forest 

 field. 



The Committee has endeavored, throughout its 

 several months of work, to develop a well-balanced 

 program. To this end it has corresponded and con- 

 sulted with representatives of all major Federal, State, 

 private, and public interests concerned with the forest 

 resource in the Region. It has made everj* practicable 

 efl'ort to keep organizations and many individuals 

 informed of proposals, and to secure and meet the 

 suggestions and points of view of every important 

 interest dealing directly or mdirectly \nth forest 

 problems. 



It has held three open meetings on the subject. At 

 one of these, about 75 representatives — of lumber, 

 logging, conservation, and protective associations; of 

 Federal services (Lncludmg Forest Service, Indian 

 Service, Park Service, Soil Conservation Service, 

 Biological Survey, Bureau of Entomology, Bureau of 

 Fisheries, Resettlement Administration, Corps of Kn- 

 gmeers); of State forestry departments; of forestry 

 schools; and of the pulp and paper industrj^, railroads, 

 banks, range management, agriculture, water resources, 

 recreation, and wildlife — constituted, in efl'ect, an aug- 

 mented committee for the consideration of a tentative 

 program. 



The program has been formulated also with due re- 

 gard for the reconunendations of the several State 

 planning boards in the Region and those of the National 

 Forestrj' Conference of 1933 and 1934. 



Efl'ort has been made to avoid controversial matters, 

 concentrating, for the present, upon the many points 

 upon which there is substantial agreement. In view 

 of this metliod of procedure, it may be expected that 

 the program of action proposed by the Committee 

 will have full cooperation from the many interests 

 involved. If exceptions should develop, it is believed 

 they will be of relatively small importance and can, 

 in most cases, be reasonably well reconciled. 



Eft'ort has been made to deal primarily with the more 

 essential phases of the forest problem relating more 

 essentially to commercial timber. The program deals 

 quite thoroughly with matters pertaining to the use 

 of the forest as a source of wood supply, but, neces- 

 sarily, gives less detailed attention to such matters 

 as recreation, grazmg, and water conservation. Such 

 phases, while very important within the forest areas, 

 also extend far beyond and reepiire, in their treatment, 

 cooperation with still other interests and agencies. 



In view of the number of critical problems existing at 

 the present time, and the need for prompt steps toward 



