Introduction 



The reduction in inventory resulting from a timber harvesting operation is of 

 vital concern to land managers. Product removal figures are relatively easy to obtain 

 for a particular operation, but such figures do not adequately represent the total re- 

 movals; therefore, the residual stand may be overestimated. The unused volume of timber 

 cut or killed during timber harvesting operations and left in the woods represents an 

 additional reduction in the inventory of volume available for future planning, manage- 

 ment, and harvesting. It is a factor -to be considered in reconciling differences in 

 the estimates of volume of standing timber between successive inventories. Also, 

 timberland managers are interested in estimates of residue material that could be 

 chipped if there were a market, or would have to be dealt with in protecting and 

 iiumaging the forest. 



Logging residues studies are conducted by the Forest Survey research work unit of 

 the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station for the purpose of estimating 

 net inventory loss from timber harvesting operations. Since 1965, logging residues 

 studies have been conducted in seven Rocky Mountain States and in South Dakota west 

 of the 103d meridian. (The 103d meridian is used in South Dakota as a demarcation 

 line between the western forests and the relatively insignificant eastern forests.) 



The purpose of this paper is to show the results of residues studies conducted in 

 South Dakota west of the 103d meridian, Wyoming, Ut^h, and Colorado in 1969. Presented 

 are (a) factors to apply to net product volume to estimate total net removals from 

 inventory (b) net volumes of logging residues from saw log operations as percentages 

 of net product volume; (c) estimates of cubic-foot and board-foot volumes of logging 

 residues for 1969 (fig. 1); (d) estimates of cubic-foot volumes of residues to a 

 4-inch top in pieces 6 feet and longer; and (e) estimates of numbers of growing stock 

 trees removed from inventory during saw log operations per thousand cubic feet (MCF) 

 of net product volume, by diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) classes. 



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