F,c. K. 1(. -^,> W r.i,.e-.n„i.s nuluon acres of com,„eraal iMer, such as ,his, suppor, thejores, nuiustrus. ms a.r,al phCoraph taken orrr ,ke Co.ur 

 ,1 Mn,c ^a„onal Forest ,s t.pical of the v^ester,, ^hite pine forests in northern Idaho. (Photo courtesy I I6,h Photo Section, Hashington XationaJ Gusrri.) 



distribution. Thus, tnim the western white pine type with 

 the highest present wortli the timber stands range down- 

 ward in value to those of' no present commercial-timber 

 importance. 



It seems likely that in the future the northern Idaho 

 forest industry will continue to lean heavily on its western 

 white pine stands (fig. 10). In view of this, it is note- 

 worthy that only 2.4 million acres, or 23 percent of' the 

 total ft)rest area, supports commercial western white pine 

 stamls, as shown in the f'ollowine tabulation: 



(.'oiiininiial forest land; 

 Stocked : 



Western wliitc pine type 



"Cedar" and cedar-jirand Hr tvivs 

 I'ondcrosa pine t\yi- 

 Otiier types . 



'I'otal st«Kkcd 

 Nonstockeil (and status unknown ') 



Total 



' Sl.lKX) acres cut over since tlie date ol survey, ni 

 likely supports tree growtli ol' some sort. 



Million 

 •ures 



lA 



l.,> 

 2.(1 



1.1 »|,., h V,-., 



Northern Idaho's forest problem does not arise from a 

 shortage of sawlog-size timber, but rather from a shortage 

 of saw timber of marketable species. Although saw-timber 

 stands occupy 2.6 million acres of the total bM million acres 

 of commercial forest land (fig. 11), only two-fifths of this 

 area is in western white pine. Similarly, only three-tenths 

 of the 1.8 million acres of pole stands— trees ranging from 

 -> inches to saw-timber size— is in western white pine; and 

 of the 1.5 million acres of seedling and sapling stands, onlv 

 half. 



1 he million acres nonstinrked or deforcstcvl, amounting 

 to nearly 15 jvrcent of the commercial forest land, calls 

 tor serious consideration, quite apart fn>m the extensive 

 acreage of noncommercial forest land dcforestevi. Man\ 

 of the acres recently deforested are restiKking. but on the 

 other hand a large commercial acreage is being burncvl each 

 year. Moreover, a large area will remain dcforestevi for 

 some time ti> come. The 4:2.(XK> acres that came into 

 this status prior to l')25 has had ample time to restiKk 

 but has n.it done so. .Available data do not sh..vv »li,-rh,-r 

 the deforcsteti area is decreasing or increasing; 



11 



