CONCLUSIONS 



A considerable wood volume--over 180 million £t3--in mature lodgepole pine 

 stands on the Bitterroot National Forest is not being fully utilized, but is available 

 for harvest. Two-thirds of this wood is suited for fairly high value, solid wood prod- 

 ucts and another 20 percent is suited for fiber. 



The key factors in utilizing this wood are the annual volumes available under the 

 forest harvesting schedule, accessibility and reading, and market conditions and wood 

 prices . 



Under current guidelines for protecting watershed, about 1.2 million ft^ per year 

 could potentially be harvested on standard and special land. This volume could be 

 produced by clearcutting about 323 acres per year. 



Another 0.8 million ft^ of salvageable dead material could potentially be harvested 

 from standard and special lands. This partial cutting (on about 500 acres per year) 

 would capture values in dead trees that might be lost by the time a final regeneration 

 cut is made. About 0.3 million ft^ more of dead material could be salvaged from un- 

 regulated areas that already have road access. 



Most of the potential lodgepole will require roading to provide accessibility and 

 harvest. Because of the low values in much of the overmature stands, it is not likely 

 that these stands can support full road development costs. 



There may be some opportunity for the lodgepole pine resource to provide part-time, 

 labor-intensive employment for local residents. Thus, opportunity could be enhanced if 

 a convenient and dependable market outlet for logs is available. Several alternative 

 types of market outlet, such as concentration yards, appear to be economically feasible 

 if the potential annual harvest from overmature lodgepole stands can be made available. 



lirU.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1977 777 095-46 



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