Projected Trends in Timber Supplies 



The outlook for timber supplies depends on the area of tinnberland, current level of 

 inventories, stumpage prices, growth and removals, institutional constraints on timber 

 harvest rates, and investments in forest management (Haynes et al., 1994). 



The area of timberland has been declining consistently for the South and Pacific 

 Coast regions. Because recent increases in the North and Rocky Mountain regions 

 are believed to be temporary, we assume that timberland area will decline in all 

 regions over the coming decades. By 2040, the net loss in area is expected to be less 

 than 5 percent of today's area for the country as a whole. 



The current growth-removal balances for timber show that the hardwood forests and 

 some eastern softwood forests can support additional harvests. However, these 

 balances will change. Future harvests, particularly in the decades beyond 2000, could 

 vary over a wide range. Nonetheless, assuming that timberland owners continue to 

 respond as they have in the past to price and inventory changes and manage their 

 stands as projected, timber harvests from private lands will be increased substantially 

 in most regions. Total projected softwood roundwood harvests rise from 11.4 billion 

 cubic feet in 1991 to 14.6 billion cubic feet in 2040, an increase of 28 percent (table 

 2). Projected hardwood harvests rise from 6.8 billion cubic feet in 1991 to 10.7 billion 

 in 2040. The largest increases will be in the South. 



Table 2 — Roundwood supplies from U.S. timber resources, by softwoods and hiardwoods, specified years, 

 1952-91 , with projections to 2040 



Year 



1952 

 1962 

 1970 

 1976 

 1986 

 1991 



Total Softwoods 

 Billion cubic feet, roundwood equivalent 



9.5 6.9 



9.6 7.1 

 11.5 8.7 

 12.5 9.5 

 18.0 11.7 

 18.2 11.4 



Hardwoods 



2.6 

 2.5 

 2.8 

 3.0 

 6.3 

 6.8 



2000 

 2010 

 2020 

 2030 

 2040 



19.5 

 20.8 

 22.4 

 23.8 

 25.3 



11.1 

 11.4 

 12.5 

 13.6 

 14.6 



8.4 



9.3 



9.9 



10.2 



10.7 



35 



