218 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE 



Table 134. — Catastrophic timber destruction in 

 Continental United States since 1900, by location 

 and -period 



Location and 



Timber killed 



Killed timber 

 salvaged 



period 



Approx- 

 imate 

 volume 



Propor- 

 tion 



Approx- 

 imate 

 volume 



Propor- 

 tion 



East: 



1900-25 



1926-52 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 



27, 196 

 7,407 



Percent 



22 



6 



Million 

 bd.-ft. 

 5,963 

 2,005 



Percent 

 22 

 27 



Total 



34, 603 



28 



7,968 



23 



West: 



1900-25 



1926-52 



25,000 

 62, 430 



21 

 51 



2,000 

 6,079 



8 

 10 



Total 



87, 430 



72 



8,079 



9 



Total 



122, 033 



100 



16, 047 



13 



use, its accessibility, and durability, 32 percent of 

 the volume was salvaged. 



Fire and wind often increase the losses from in- 

 sects and disease. The recent Douglas-fir blow- 

 down in Oregon of 10 billion board-feet resulted in 

 an additional 2 billion board-feet of Douglas-fir 

 timber killed by bark beetles. These large areas 

 of insect-killed and blowdown timber greatly in- 

 crease the chance for a holocaust. Many of the 

 more serious fires in Idaho and Montana have 

 been in areas of early "bug-killed" timber. 



Catastrophes bj^ fire, insects, and disease should 

 become largely preventable as we study and learn 

 more about them. With more knowledge, early 

 recognition and prompt control measures may be- 

 come possible. Little can be done to prevent 

 catastrophic wind damage, but prompt utilization 

 of windthrown trees will do much to minimize loss. 



The salvage of catastrophic loss of all kinds is a 

 subject that merits increased attention. Higher 

 timber values, developments in equipment, and 

 expansion of the access road system should serve 

 to speed our rather slow progress in utilizing tim- 

 ber killed in large natural disasters. 



THE OUTLOOK FOR REDUCING 

 TIMBER LOSSES 



In this report it has been shown that a loss of 44 

 billion board-feet of sawtimber will result from the 

 destructive events of 1952. This volume equals 

 93 percent of the net sawtimber growth or 90 per- 

 cent of the cut in 1952. The losses are of such 

 magnitude that the extent to which they can be 

 reduced will have a significant bearing on our 



future timber supply. While there is no fuUy 

 satisfactory basis for establishing longterm trends 

 in growth impact for each type of destructive 

 agency, general trends can be foreseen from study 

 of the data in this report and from knowledge of 

 how fire, disease, insects, and other factors operate. 



The annual acreage bui'ned seems likely to de- 

 crease. Much of the early gain will be made on 

 lands that are now unprotected, and which are 

 poorly stocked and have been burned repeatedly 

 over the years. Nevertheless, the reduction in 

 the impact of fire on our timber supply wUl be 

 substantial. Table 135 shows the reductions that 

 are expected by 1960. The estimated reduction 

 for the Nation is 35 percent of the growth impact 

 on growing stock for the recent average year. A 

 large percentage reduction is expected for the 

 North and West, but the major gain will be in the 

 South where, through improved fire control, tim- 

 ber damage should be reduced by more than 460 

 million cubic feet per year. Much of this gain will 

 come from less basal wounding of hardwoods and 

 reduced destruction of seedlings and saplings. 

 The gains in the West will be primarily through 

 reduction of coniferous sawtimber mortality. 



The longer-term outlook, although less definite, 

 is still encouraging. All signs point to fewer man- 

 caused fires, and more intensive fire control, with 

 corresponding reductions in burned area, all of 

 which add up to less timber loss. Certain coun- 

 teracting factors will operate against indefinite 

 continuation of downward trends in fire losses. 

 As growing stock increases and timber quality 

 improves, the timber values subject to loss by 

 fire will be greater. The tremendously increasing 

 use of forests by the public, greater industrial de- 

 velopment, more extensive logging, and similar 

 changes will add to future forest fire risk and 

 hazard. If anticipated gains are to be realized, 



Table 135. — Estimated growth impact jrom fire on 

 commercial j or est land in 1960, continental United 

 States 









Estimated impact 







Impact 



from fires of 1960 





Impact 

 from 



from 

 fires of 











Section 



1952 



the av- 





Reduc- 





fires 



erage 





tion as 







year 



Volume 



propor- 







1948-52 





tion of 

 average 





Million 



Million 



Million 







cu. ft. 



cu. ft. 



cu. ft. 



Percent 



North 



193 



92 



44 



52 



South 



1,378 



1,477 



1,015 



31 



West 



115 



235 



119 



49 



Total, United 











States 



1, 686 



1,804 



1, 178 



35 



