Figure 40—Rising prices for lumber will affect the cost of housing. 
extending supplies through improved 
utilization, (2) increasing harvests from 
the existing timber resource, and (3) 
increasing net annual growth. 
Timber supplies can be extended by: 
—Increasing the useful life of wood 
products by preservative treatments, 
improving designs of new structures, 
and renovating and maintaining 
existing structures rather than replacing 
them. —Improving efficiency in 
harvesting, milling, construction, and 
manufacturing. —Utilizing unused 
wood materials such as logging 
residues; treetops and limbs; rough, 
rotten, and salvable dead trees; trees in 
urban areas, fencerows, and low- 
productivity forest areas; and urban 
wood wastes. —Increased recycling of 
paper and paperboard (fig. 41). 
Harvests from the existing timber 
resource can be increased by: — 
Increasing softwood and hardwood 
timber harvests on forests in the East. 
—Accelerating harvests on national 
forests in Washington, Oregon, 
northern California, northern Idaho, 
and western Montana that have large 
inventories of old-growth softwood 
timber. 
Sustaining increased harvests on the 
national forests in the West and on the 
forest lands in the East beyond a few 
decades will require investments in 
regeneration and more-intensive 
management to increase net annual 
growth, especially for control of fire, 
insects, disease, and weeds. 
Net annual timber growth can be 
increased by: —Regenerating 
nonstocked and poorly stocked 
timberlands, harvesting and 
regenerating mature stands, and 
converting existing stands to more 
desired species (fig. 42). —Applying 
intensive timber management practices 
such as species and spacing regulation, 
fertilization, and use of genetically 
improved trees. —Using management 
and harvesting practices to prevent or 
reduce losses caused by natural 
mortality (suppression), undesirable 
vegetation, wildfire, insects, diseases, 
and poor logging practices. 
Water 
Implications—Most of the effects 
associated with prospective increases 
in demands will fall directly on 
Figure 41—Timber supplies can be extended by increased recycling of paper. 
