Utilization: Kind, Volume, and Value of Output 



In spite of significant mortality, the annual harvest of Limber has been 

 considerably below the estimated annual sustainable cut during the past 

 several years. In 1970 the total harvested was approximately 75 percent 

 of what was considered sustainable according to the comparison of net 

 annual growth with harvest of sawtimber on all ownerships (table 8). 

 There are a number of reasons the harvest has been less than annual 

 growth. Some of the timber is found in marginal areas where harvesting 

 costs are prohibitive. Weather, strikes, and fluctuations in the market- 

 place have also played their roles. More stringent environmental con- 

 trols, limited funding for management, and delays to allow time for 

 management planning have reduced and delayed timber harvest and 

 management . 



Eighty-five percent of the timber harvested from the forest land in the 

 Clark Fork study area was used as sawlogs for lumber production while the 

 rest was used for veneer logs, pulpwood, and other uses. Some logging 

 residues, which in the past would have been left in the forest, were also 

 removed. This and other removals are not accounted for in the sawtimber 

 inventory and amounted to about a 10 percent extension of the output from 

 the measurable part of resource (table 9). 



In considering the value of output, wood must be considered first as 

 unprocessed sawlogs, or cordwood, and secondly as finished lumber, ply- 

 wood, etc. Initially there is a stumpage charge, usually based upon the 

 quality of the timber stand, the relative ease of harvesting, and loca- 

 tion of the forest. The approximate raw material value of the wood 

 removed in 1970 was $18.5 million in 1967 dollars. The value added to 

 this raw material as it was processed into lumber and plywood brought the 

 wholesale worth of this material to approximately $200 million in 1972 

 dollars. 



Employment and Income in Primary Processing 



Employment and income in the primary wood products sector are mainstays 

 of the economy of the study area. In 1970 there were 1,305 workers 

 employed in logging camps and as logging contractors. Essentially, they 

 produce rough primary forest or wood products. In addition, there were 

 4,370 employees in the wood processing industries such as sawmills, etc. 

 Earnings for the loggers and logging contractors totaled $5.4 million in 

 1970 and earnings from other primary processing of wood products totaled 

 $44.8 million. 



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