Most management practices affect the esthetics or 

 the beauty of forested areas. Many practices, espe- 

 cially clearcutting and road building, produce effects 

 which are generally considered to be undesirable. 

 However, beauty is subjective — to some persons 

 clearcuts create desirable variety in unbroken forests 

 and provide openings for successional flowering 

 plants which may be of special appeal. Openings also 

 create desirable habitat for many species of wildlife 

 and thus contribute to the pleasures of birdwatchers 

 and hunters. Roads provide access for outdoor 

 recreationists. Associated openings are frequently 

 sought for parking space and campsites. 



For many people, the most important effect of 

 timber management activities is on wood supplies. 

 About 5 percent of all employment, much of it in 

 rural areas where other employment opportunities 

 are limited, originates in timber-based economic 

 activity. In one form or another — as housing, furni- 

 ture, containers, writing paper, newspapers and 

 books, and hundreds of other items — products made 

 from trees affect the quality of Hfe for everyone, 

 including those persons who may never have an 

 opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of a forest or 

 participate in the various forms of forest-based out- 

 door recreation. 



From the above discussion, it is clear that timber 

 management activities have important effects on the 



forest environment, the use of forest land for various 

 purposes, and the quality of life. Also, it is clear that 

 the protection of the environment and the use of 

 forest land for purposes such as grazing, outdoor 

 recreation, and wildlife and fish habitat, will have 

 important effects on timber management activities 

 and timber production. Such use may limit harvest- 

 ing and many treatment practices to relatively small 

 areas and require cleanup of thinning and logging 

 slash. Protection of streams for fish and water values 

 may require that cutting be restricted along streams. 

 Leaving uncut areas for animal escape and cover may 

 be necessary to maintain desired animal populations. 

 Programs for salvage of dead and dying trees may 

 have to be modified in some areas, and patches of 

 timber left to protect food supplies and nesting sites 

 for certain animals and birds. 



In making the projections of timber supplies and 

 demand discussed above, the potential impacts of the 

 protection of the environment and multiple-use have 

 been taken into account insofar as possible. It is too 

 early to discern, in any definitive way, the changes 

 that will take place over the next five decades and 

 overall impacts on such things as timber growth and 

 mortality. About all that can be done at this time, and 

 particularly with regard to private lands, is to recog- 

 nize what is taking place, and to allow for it on a 

 judgmental basis in making projections. 



In one form or another, timber from the Nation's forests affects the 

 quahty of life for everyone. 



Extending Timber Supplies Through 

 Improved Utilization and Research 



In addition to the opportunities for increasing 

 timber supplies through management intensification, 

 there are opportunities for extending supplies through 

 improved utilization. These opportunities include 

 increased use of certain kinds of residues, additions to 

 timber harvest, increasing product yields through 

 more efficient processing techniques, and extending 

 use through more efficient construction and manu- 

 facturing practices. 



There have been significant advances in technology 

 for logging, wood processing, and the use of wood 

 products in recent decades. The demand and supply 

 projections in this chapter are predicated upon con- 

 tinued improvements in these areas. Nevertheless, the 

 rate of progress could be accelerated — there is a 

 large volume of timber and residues that have usable 

 potential. 



In 1976, for example, about 1 .4 billion cubic feet of 

 residues from growing stock was left unutilized on 

 logging areas. Perhaps two to four times as much 

 volume was left in residual tops and branches, rough 

 and rotten trees, small stems and other unused mate- 



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