OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASING TIMBER SUPPLIES 



99 



precommercial thinning, commercial thinning, pre- 

 logging, and final harvest. It may also be necessary 

 to enter the forests on other occasions for fire 

 control or salvage of blowdown or insect-killed 

 timber. 



The type of soils and terrain and the type of 

 equipment used are major considerations in de- 

 termining the amount and consequences of such 

 activities. Studies on National Forests in the 

 Douglas-fir region, for example, showed that costs 

 of road construction with adequate drainage, 

 seeding of cuts and fills, and other desirable 

 practices would require at least a 26 percent in- 

 crease in road costs over construction formerly 

 consideerd normal. 3 In some areas of difficult 

 terrain, road construction also may be unaccept- 

 able in view of the need to protect scenic resources, 

 prevent soil movement, or protect water values. 

 Under such conditions timber harvesting may be 

 feasible only with systems involving skylines, 

 balloons, or helicopters. 



In view of the growing importance of environ- 

 mental factors, various modifications of forestry 

 practices will be essential, particularly on public 

 lands, to insure that intensification of timber 

 management does not seriously impair the en- 

 vironment or damage nontimber uses. These may 

 include treatment of relatively small areas, for 

 example, and clean up of thinning and logging 

 slash. Protection of stream channels for wildlife 

 and water values will 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 avoided in some areas, and patches of other 

 timber left to protect food supplies and nesting 

 sites for certain animals and birds. Such practices 

 may have appreciable effects on allowable cuts, 

 particularly on public lands. 



In evaluating opportunities in this chapter for 

 intensification of timber management on public 

 lands, estimates were made of the extra costs to 

 protect environmental values. It is of course pos- 

 sible that still further emphasis on environmental 

 factors may limit yields of timber more than as- 

 sumed in this and the preceding chapter. 



AN EXAMPLE OF POTENTIALS FOR INCREAS- 

 ING SUPPLIES OF SOFTWOOD SAWTIMBER 

 IN THE UNITED STATES 



In 1972 the Forest Service prepared a set of 

 estimates of some possible nationwide increases 



3 USDA Forest Service. Douglas-fir supply study — 

 alternative programs for increasing timber supplies from 

 National Forest lands. 52 p. 1969. 



in supplies of softwood sawtimber that might 

 be realized through certain management intensi- 

 fication, using as a criterion economic returns on 

 additional investments. This initial analysis neces- 

 sarily involved numerous judgment estimates 

 by field personnel as well as information from 

 timber management plans, yield studies, and 

 related available sources. Continuing studies to 

 improve the data base and analytical procedures 

 could result in considerable adjustment of the 

 resulting estimates which are presented below. 



The analysis of management alternatives in 

 this initial study included only National Forests 

 and farm and miscellaneous private holdings. 

 No national estimates are available at this time 

 for other public lands, which comprise 9 percent 

 of all commercial timberlands, nor for forest 

 industry lands which make up 13 percent of the 

 total commercial timberland. 



Forest industry owners already implement 

 forestry programs for softwood production at 

 relatively high levels compared with other owners. 

 In 1971, for example, over half of all forest plant- 

 ing was on industrial land, although planting 

 has covered only a small portion of the total 

 areas harvested in recent years. It was assumed 

 in Chapter II that industrial forest owners will 

 continue planting and other timber management 

 practices as in recent years. But there are un- 

 doubtedly additional opportunities for manage- 

 ment intensification on industrial holdings, as 

 well as on public lands, that are not included in 

 this initial analysis. It is likely that many of these 

 opportunities on industrial lands, and on other 

 public lands, will be acted upon, particularly 

 with the expectation of higher timber prices in 

 the future. 



Management practices considered in this study 

 included reforestation, stand release, precom- 

 mercial thinning, and commercial thinning and 

 salvage. 



Other measures such as fertilization and ac- 

 celerated use of improved genetic planting stock, 

 and increased utilization, were not specifically 

 considered in this study. These also will presum- 

 ably be feasible in some areas, and could of course 

 supplement output beyond amounts estimated 

 below. 



The analytical process used to estimate potential 

 increases in timber harvests from intensified 

 management involved (a) a classification of areas 

 in terms of physical conditions and related manage- 

 ment options, (b) estimation of costs of intensified 

 timber growing practices, including costs of 

 environmental protection, on each class of forest 

 land, (c) estimation of amounts, timing, and 

 values of increased timber harvests over and 

 above outputs with 1970 levels of management 



507-045 O - 73 - 8 



