Summary of Findings 

 Forest Area 



Benewah County, located in the central part of North Idaho, has a gross 

 area of 504,000 acres and a gross land area of 497,000 acres. Approxi- 

 mately 404,000 acres or 81 percent of the gross land area is classified 

 as forest land; 397,000 acres is classified as commercial forest land. 



COMMERCIAL FOREST LAND 



1933 1944 



Since 1933 there has been a decrease of 4,000acres of commercial forest 

 land. These changes have resulted from land clearing and shifts from 

 noncommercial to commercial forest land through more land becoming eco- 

 nomically exploitable than previously anticipated. 



During the 11-year period there have been significant changes in the 

 composition of the forests. The area occupied by pole stands decreased 

 from 35 to 21 percent; the * deforested area increased from 10 to 19 per- 

 cent; and the area occupied by seedling-sapling stands increased from 

 20 to 26 percent. Although the sawtimber stand area is approximately 

 the same as in 1933, there ha-ve been significant changes in distribution 

 and composition. The remaining stands are much less concentrated in 

 large blocks; western white pine and ponderosa pine constitute only 21 

 percent of the sawtimber stand volume in contrast with 41 percent in 

 1933. There have also been outstanding changes in forest types. The 

 area occupied by the western white pine type decreased 107,000 acres 

 (from 160,000 to 53,000); the ponderosa pine type area decreased 

 71,000 acres (from 106,000 to 35,000); and the larch-Douglas-fir type 

 decreased 3,000 acres (from 62,000 to 59,000). These three types occu- 

 pied only 46 percent of the stocked commercial forest area in 1944 in 

 contrast with 92 percent in 1933. All other types occupied appreciably 

 more area in 1944 than in 1933, particularly Douglas-fir, hardwoods, 

 and hemlock-grand fir types. 



The change in the acreage of forest types is attributable to three prin- 

 cipal factors: (l) the concentration of cutting in the prized species - 

 white pine, ponderosa pine, and cedar; (2) the encroachment of the more 



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