Forest Resources oj the Pacific Northwest 



43 



Region. From the standpoint of the consuming pubUc, 

 this is of no consequence; its interest is in the main- 

 tenance of the annual stipply of forest products, regard- 

 less of source. From the standpoint of the local pro- 

 ducing communities, this migration is harmful; these 

 communities are often left with no supporting industries, 

 unless some substitute industry such as that based on 

 wood pulp can be found. 



The Douglas fir lumber industry at its present rates 

 of depletion has but a relatively short life left in the 

 State of Washington. If the regional production is to 

 be maintained, it will be necessary after a few more 

 years to move the industry in large measure into 

 Oregon, and then overcut that State. Later on, when 

 Oregon's timber is exhausted, the growth in Washing- 

 ton during the period of suspended operations will 

 permit a remigration back into this State. This 

 pendulumlike s\dng back and forth between States — 

 and, of course, within States as well — wall supply the 

 consumer as adequately as is possible, but will mean 

 a minimum of communitj- stability. 



On the other hand, if sustained-yield units were 

 immediately developed in Oregon, wherever physically 

 possible, there would be a minimtnn of overcutting of 

 the Oregon resource, and a maximum of local stability 

 in that State, but the Region's production would have 

 to be sharply curtailed, in spite of a stimulation of 

 overcutting in Washington. Later on, when the 

 temporarily depleted areas had recuperated, there 

 would be an opportunity for expansion. The max- 

 imum stabilization of local communities woidd have 

 been accomplished at the expense of a fluctuation in 

 the regional production. 



Distribution or Benefits and Burdens 

 of Sustained-Yield Management 



Finally, the heavy burdens of jiutting private forests 

 under sustained-yield management are, under existing 

 conditions, largely concentrated on the private owner; 

 while the immediate benefits, particularly during the 

 transition period, seem to accrue for the most part to 

 the public. The owner is, of course, a part of this 

 public, and thereby shares in the general welfare. 

 But Ills sharp therein, whatever it may be, is usually 

 insufficient to induce him to undertake all of the burdens 

 necessary to bring about a system of management 

 of which the public is a chief beneficiary. Public 

 agencies may contend that private ownership of a 

 great natural resource entails definite respon.sibilities 

 to the public for its proper management. Private 

 owners may accept this principle, but many of them 

 seem to feel that when the public collects taxes on a 

 basis which urges prompt liquidation, it has relinquished 

 its claim upon them. 



The Risks in Prolonged Timber Holding 



Despite good fire protection, it has been seen that 

 there are occasional conflagrations which sweep vast 

 areas with liighly destructive effects. Epidemic attacks 

 of insects and disease may cause heavy losses. The 

 longer the timber is held, the greater is the chance for 

 loss. The normal business procediu-e would be to 

 insure against these losses, but timber insurance is not 

 yet available in this Region. 



Equally disturbing are the uncertainties in the 

 economic future of the regional forest industries. The 

 declining trend of national lumber consumption leaves 

 a doubt as to whether future demand may not have 

 been overestimated. The possibility that eastern 

 forest areas may come back into production and, 

 through their proximity to hea\-y concentrations of 

 population, win back some part of their former pro- 

 portion of the Nation's hnnber business cannot be 

 ignored . 



These possibilities all impel an early liquidation of 

 mature timber. The additional fact that the present 

 competitive situation of the Region's lumber industry 

 is based on the large proportion of select grades of 

 lumber wliich comes from centuries-old timber, and 

 that second growth stands cannot maintain this 

 advantage, is a discouraging element in calculations 

 involving sustained-yield management. 



The seriousness of this future decline in quality can 

 be somewhat reduced by the application of the system 

 of selective logging wherever it is practicable. In this 

 system, only a portion of the stand is removed at the 

 first cutting, and many fairly large trees are left as a 

 part of the growing stock. ^Micn the land is recut after 

 a lapse of years there ^^^ll obviously be a greater range 

 of tree sizes available, and a greater diversity of lumber 

 grades obtainable than would be the case if an even- 

 aged second-growth stand, grown after an original clean 

 cut, were being harvested. 



Tliis system of cutting also permits the liquidation of 

 a major portion of the value in a timber stanil in a 

 shorter period of time, leaving for growth the trees which 

 have little or no present value. Unfortunately, this 

 system has serious draw-backs under many conditions 

 which are interfering with its widespread adoption. It 

 is being experimented with by many operators. 



A Program to Remove or Minimize 

 Obstacles to Sustained Yield 



The immediately preceding pages deal witli the 

 hazards and difficulties involved in the ai)])licati()n of 

 sustained yield to private forests; these difficulties must 

 be clearly recognized before intelligent plans may be 

 made for their removal. In ])art II of this report are 

 made specific recommendations for the removal of 



