FOREST RESOURCES OF THE PONDEROSA PINE REGION 



A Summary of Regional Forest Problems 



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BECAUSE recognition and definition of prob- 

 lems constitute the first essential step in the 

 proper handling of forest lands, major atten- 

 tion is directed to this phase. Effort is made to 

 point out critical situations, both current and 

 prospective, so as to focus attention on the neces- 

 sity of formulating rather promptly a detailed 

 program of action aimed at permanent forest 

 management as a second step. Solutions are 

 touched on only to bring out and emphasize 

 the problems. 



Problems of Supply and Utilization 



The regional inventory showed 11.6 million 

 acres of mature stands and only 3.8 million acres 

 of immature stands. As a partial consequence of 

 this excess of mature stands, current annual growth 

 is but 11 percent of total potential annual growth. 

 Excluding land occupied by virgin forests, current 

 annual board-foot growth is 37 percent of the 

 potential. Current annual depletion from all 

 causes is 6 times current annual net growth. 



The chief natural forest enemies, fire and insects, 

 are responsible for 35 percent of the current drain. 

 Such depletion is uneconomic and practically a 

 total loss whereas depletion from cutting is serv- 

 ing an economic purpose. The control of fire 

 damage and insect epidemics and the utilization 

 of fire- and bug-killed trees would result in the 

 conversion of such losses to economic use. The 

 transformation of inert old-growth stands to grow- 

 ing condition would increase the productivity of 

 the region's forests. The accomplishment of these 

 two objects would increase growth considerably 

 beyond current depletion but this will require 

 many years. 



Ponderosa pine forms 64 percent of the standing 



saw-timber volume, 87 percent of the average 

 annual timber cut, 79 percent of the average an- 

 nual total saw-timber depletion, and 69 percent 

 of the potential growth. It is estimated that, 

 given adequate protection against fire and insects 

 and reasonably intensive forest management, the 

 ponderosa pine forests can maintain permanently 

 a forest industry of approximately the same magni- 

 tude as now exists. This would necessitate, how- 

 ever, rearrangement of forest industries through- 

 out the region. The existing heavy concentration 

 of forest industries in certain localities, a system 

 which in the past has led to tremendous economic 

 losses in other forest empires, is rapidly heading 

 this region toward the same history of rise and 

 decline. 



The most critical situation with respect to future 

 timber supply exists in the heaviest producing cen- 

 ters, the Klamath Plateau and the Deschutes River 

 units in Oregon, which include the industrial towns 

 of Klamath Falls and Bend. These two units, 

 which together contribute approximately three- 

 fifths of the region's lumber production, must antic- 

 ipate reduction of cut to about 28 and 34 percent 

 of their present respective levels within three de- 

 cades if the apparent trend continues. 



In eastern Washington the situation is somewhat 

 better, but not satisfactory. Present cut is about 

 twice that allowable under sustained yield and 

 about three times the current annual growth. The 

 Yakima unit, including the industrial center of 

 Yakima, deserves first attention. 



Even though only about one-third of the ponde- 

 rosa pine is privately owned, it is this strategic one- 

 third that is being seriously overcut. There is 

 doubt that this situation will be corrected volun- 

 tarily. Public acquisition of key tracts or some 

 form of control may be needed. 



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