may yield an average annual cut of 275 million 

 board feet from 1936 to 1965, but if so, the residual 

 forest resource would not be sufficient to maintain 

 output at more than 42 percent of this volume dur- 

 ing the succeeding cycle. 



The relation of cut to supply of ponderosa pine is 

 more rational in the Yakima River and South Blue 

 Mountain units than elsewhere in the region, but 

 even here extensive curtailment is anticipated unless 

 cutting methods are improved. In spite of all that 

 can be done in the latter unit, maintenance of cut 

 in its principal lumber centers, Baker and Burns, 

 will present serious problems. 



As shown in table 32, the sustainable annual pro- 

 duction following 1965 can be increased materially 

 by the adoption now of a light cutting practice of 

 the maturity-selection type. In addition, the eco- 

 nomic advantages of this method of making the 

 initial cut in virgin ponderosa pine stands may be 

 even greater than is apparent in the favorable effect 

 on volume growth, mortality, and sustained-yield 

 capacity (2). As already pointed out, not only may 

 the volume of saw timber available for future har- 

 vest be increased, but also the quality of such vol- 

 ume averages higher under light cutting. 



Conclusions 



For the region as a whole, the ponderosa pine 

 types will be badly overcut during the next few 



decades, owing to the large volume of privately 

 owned timber, the cutting of which is restricted by 

 little else than market demand, unless radical 

 changes in ownership or private operating practice 

 take place. During the cutting cycle following the 

 1936-65 period, a 54 percent reduction in the 

 region's average annual ponderosa pine production 

 will be necessary to avoid serious depletion of the 

 forest resource, necessitating even more drastic cur- 

 tailment later. Approximately one-third of the 

 anticipated deficit in the pine types could be 

 avoided, without reducing the total volume re- 

 moval, by an immediate and wide-scale application 

 of light maturity-selection cutting. 



During the next few decades nonpine types will 

 probably support less than one-third of the cut they 

 could permanently sustain. Owing to their rela- 

 tively low quality and accessibility they cannot be 

 given equal weight with the pine types in balancing 

 the region's timber budget, but a substantial in- 

 crease in their utilization is anticipated. 



Although establishment of sustained-yield man- 

 agement on privately owned lands is highly desir- 

 able, it is equally urgent that current cutting prac- 

 tice on all lands not so handled be rapidly shifted to 

 a light maturity-selection basis. To reduce effec- 

 tively the severity of the inevitable future curtail- 

 ment of cut these measures must be adopted 

 without delay. 



78 



