Overview of the Current Timber Resource 



The average acre of state and privately owned commercial timberland in 

 Working Circle 3 was estimated to have the potential to produce 5k cubic feet 

 of wood per acre per year. In addition, 40 percent, or itif8,100 acres, of the 

 commercial softwood timberland sampled was rated as excellent or good for 

 timber production. These same acres had 2 A billion board feet of volume or 

 about 55 percent of the total estimated softwood board foot inventory. 

 Sixty-two percent of the softwood net board foot volume was held by the other 

 private ownership group. Forest industries had 23 percent of the softwood 

 volume and state and other public lands had 15 percent. 



The data indicates many of the younger sawtimber stands are not even- 

 aged, low in board foot volume, understocked, and have many sapling and 

 poletimber trees of excessive age. It is suggested that when it becomes 

 economical to do so, many of these stands should be harvested and replaced by 

 new, vigorous stands. 



The average potential growth for state and private commercial timberland 

 in Working Circle 3 was estimated to be 54 cubic feet per acre per year. 

 Based on unpublished inventory data, this working circle has about average 

 potential timber producing capabilities when compared to potential productivity 

 for the other working circles in the state. 



Approximately 40 percent, or 440,100 acres, of the commercial softwood 

 timberland was rated as good or excellent for timber production. These same 

 acres had 2.4 billion board feet of volume or about 55 percent of the total 

 estimated board foot inventory (see Table 64 in Appendix 3). 



In 1978, the estimated softwood volume of timber on other privately 

 owned timberlands totaled 2,743 million net board feet Scribner. Forest 

 industry-owned timberlands held an estimated softwood volume of 997 million 

 net board feet. State and other public lands held a softwood volume of 669 

 million net board feet. 



Sixty-three percent of the commercial timberland area had less than 

 5,000 net board feet per acre, and only 14 percent of the timberland acreage 

 had 10,000 or more board feet per acre (see Table 26). 



Only about six percent of the softwood sawtimber volume consisted of the 

 commercially less desirable species — subalpine fir, limber pine and whitebark 

 pine. Of the remaining more commercially desirable softwood species, 53 

 percent of the board foot volume was found on trees ranging from 9.0 inches 

 to 15.0 inches d.b.h. (see Table 63 in Appendix 3). 



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