PRODUCTIVITY OF RECENTLY CUT LANDS 



267 



Table 154. — Proportion of cutting classed as clear 

 cuttimi, by forest type and ouniership group, 

 Pacific Northwest, 1954 





Ownership class 



Forest type group 



Small 

 pri- 

 vate ' 



Me- 

 dium 



and 

 large 



pri- 

 vate 2 



Na- 

 tional 

 forest 3 



Other 

 pub- 

 lic ^ 



Douglas-fir 



Hemlock-Sitka spruce.. 

 Ponderosa pine . 

 Other.. 



Per- 

 cent 

 87 

 89 

 96 

 84 



Per- 

 cent 

 79 

 99 

 23 

 100 



Per- 

 cent 

 58 

 93 



17 



Per- 

 cent 

 85 

 98 

 10 

 28 



' Based on 53,691 acres of recent cutting examined. 

 ^ Based on 64,568 acres of recent cutting examined. 

 3 Based on 60,861 acres of recent cutting examined. 



* Based on 59,974 acres of recent cutting examined. 



* Less than 0.5 percent. 



Proportion of Clear Cutting 

 BY Age Classes 



Regeneration through ck^ar cutting is an ac- 

 cepted silvicultural practice well adapted to many 

 mature and old-growth forests that are still coni- 

 mon in the West. Unfortunately, clear cutting 

 is also being practiced on very young second- 

 growth stands. Table 155 summarizes by owner- 



ship classes the ages at which clear cutting is 

 being done in the three major type groups of the 

 Pacific Northwest. These data show that for 

 each forest type group higher proportions of the 

 young age classes are being clear cut on small 

 private ownerships than on other ownership 

 classes. The proportion of clear cutting in yotmg 

 age classes is lower on the medium and large pri- 

 vate ownerships than on small ownerships. How- 

 ever, the proportion of clear cutting in young age 

 classes is greater on these larger private lands 

 than on the public lands. 



The highest proportions of clear cutting in 

 young age classes take place in the Dotiglas-fir 

 type group, although substantial proportions also 

 occur in hemlock-Sitka spruce. 



Interpretations of the importance of clear cut- 

 ting in these young stands have been discussed on 

 pages 230-232. 



SUMMARY 



The major results of the survey of recently cut 

 lands are as follows: 



1. Nationally, 56 percent of the recently cut 

 lands in private ownership and 80 percent of 

 those in public ownership were found to be 

 in the upper productivity class. For all 

 ownerships combined, 65 percent of recently 

 cut lands were in the upper productivity 

 class. About three-fourths of all commercial 

 forest land is in private ownership. 



2. Recently cut lands on public ownerships and 

 on the ownerships of forest industries are at 



Table 155. — Proportion of clear cuttiruj by age class and ownership class for three major forest type groups, 



Pacific Northwest, 1954 







Dougi 



as-fir ' 





Ponderosa pine ^ 



H 



emlock-Sitka spruce ^ 







Medium 









Medium 





Medium 







.Age class (years) 



Small 



and 



Na- 





Small 



and 



Small 



and 



Na- 







private 



large 



tional 



Other 



private 



large 



private 



large 



tional 



Other 





owner- 



private 



forest 



public 



owner- 



private 



owner- 



private 



forest 



public 





ships 



owner- 







ships 



owner- 



ships 



owner- 











ships 









ships 





ships 









Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



20-40 



4 











{') 







V) 



1 



(') 











40-60 



23 



6 



n 



3 



0) 







12 



5 



0) 



3 



60-80 



23^ 



8 



{') 



4 



3 







15 



5 



2 



7 



80-100.. . 



18 



10 



4 



12 



5 



1 



38 



17 



4 



11 



100-120 



4 

 8 



5 

 13 



3 

 10 



4 

 17 



3 

 23 



1 

 13 



10 



9 



10 



18 



2 

 22 



5 



120-160 



18 



160-200. 



14 



10 



17 



28 



19 



20 



9 



23 



26 



20 



200-1- . 



6 



48 



66 



32 



47 



65 



6 



22 



44 



36 







Total . 



100 



100 



100 



100 



100 



100 



100 



100 



100 



100 







" Based on 28,791 points on 83,767 acres of recent 

 cutting examined. 



2 Based on 14,978 points on 120,469 acres of recent 

 cutting examined. In the ponderosa pine type group on 

 public lands the amount of clear cutting encountered in 



the sample was too small to provide reliable figures by age 

 classes for these lands. 



' Based on 6,255 points on 24,226 acres of recent cutting 

 examined. 



* Less than 0.5 percent. 



