Data covering a 15-year cutting period (see Table 47 and Figure 16) 

 shows that timber harvesting has fluctuated wildly but generally increased on 

 private lands from 1970 until 1980. The recently depressed housing market, 

 caused principally by high interest rates, has decreased harvesting rates. 

 The average amount of timber harvested on private land in Working Circle 3 

 over the 15 years was 88.4 million board feet. Powell County supplied 41 

 percent of the total volume of timber harvested from private lands during the 

 period. 



In 1978, the amount of timber removed from the private land inventory 

 totaled 154.0 million board feet (this figure includes logging residues). The 

 average volume of timber removed from the private land inventory since 1968 

 has been 94.6 million board feet Scribner annually. (This figure also in- 

 cludes logging residues.) The net annual board foot growth for sawtimber on 

 private lands was estimated to be 91.3 million board feet Scribner in 1978. 

 Subtracting net growth from harvested volume shows the standing inventory 

 of timber was reduced by 62.7 million board feet. In other words, harvesting 

 in 1978 occurred at a rate that was 167 percent of sawtimber board foot 

 growth. 



The net board foot growth estimate does not include the board foot 

 growth produced by softwood trees smaller than 9.0 inches d.b.h. or hard- 

 wood trees smaller than 11.0 inches d.b.h. Net growth in softwood trees 5.0 

 to 8.99 inches d.b.h. totaled 23.3 million cubic feet in 1978. Of this net 

 growth, 19.4 million cubic feet occurred in trees in the 6-inch diameter class. 



Some or all of the growth produced by poletimber size trees could be 

 considered nullified for comparison purposes since not all of the timber or its 

 growth is available for harvest. According to the timber availability analysis 

 (see Tables 33 and 34), 16 percent of the timber inventoried is not available 

 for harvest due to nontimber resource uses and constraints. 



The level of harvesting on private lands in 1978 was the highest record- 

 ed since 1968. The 15 year average annual harvest is only slightly higher 

 than the net growth estimated for 1978. However, the period of 1976 through 

 1980 had an average annual harvest of 112.9 million board feet (not including 

 residues) . 



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