Timber Harvests Slowing Further

Today, there have been several news stories on Oregon's timber harvest last year.  Here's part of one article and some additional data and thoughts.

Oregon’s timber harvests continued their decline since 2004 with 3.80 billion board feet being harvested in 2007, a 12 percent decrease from 2006.

This is the smallest Oregon timber harvest since the recession-based record low recorded in 2001.

The harvest in 2001 was 3.44 billion board feet.  Last year's harvest also topped the ones in 1998 and 1999.  But before that, one has to go all the way back to 1938 to find a lower harvest (historical records here).  

The reduction in timber harvest volumes came from declining harvests from private forestland owners. An 11 percent, or 344 million board feet, decrease in volume from forest industry land owners was accompanied by a 43 percent decline in harvests on non-industrial private lands, which declined from 422 million board feet in 2006 to 240 million board feet in 2007. Federal harvests remained at historically low levels, accounting for less than 10 percent of the cut.

Timber harvests were down in both western Oregon and eastern Oregon. Harvests in all of western Oregon declined 11 percent from 2006 levels, driven primarily by the 44 percent decrease on non-industrial private lands, from 351 million board feet to 198 million board feet.

Klamath County straddles the Cascades, but its totals are included in--and easily lead--Eastern Oregon.  At 107 million board feet, its harvest is more than a quarter of the total from that side of the state.  However, its harvest only topped six counties in Western Oregon, which confusingly includes Hood River County from the other side of the Cascades.

Lane County continues to lead Oregon’s counties in harvesting, despite decreasing by 15 percent to 504 million board feet in 2007. Douglas County was second with 479 million board feet, while Clatsop and Coos were third and fourth with 338 and 303 million board feet respectively.

Overall, harvests decreased in all western Oregon counties except for Curry, Hood River, Linn, and Yamhill, resulting in the 11 percent decline in that region.

Curry County and Jackson County totaled 95 million and 74 million board feet, respectively.  And once again, Josephine County was next to last here in western Oregon, topping only Multnomah County (Portland).  Last year's harvest of 22.4 million board feet was the lowest here since 1939.  Our peak was in 1952 at 318 million board feet.  And note that none of last year's harvest here was from BLM or USFS land...none. 

Let's not forget with the BLM's former O&C lands...

Section 1181(a) of the 1937 O&C act reads that O&C lands "Shall be managed... for permanent forest production, and the timber thereon shall be sold, cut, and removed in conformity with the principal of sustained yield for the purpose of providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting watersheds, regulating streamflow, and contributing to the economic stability of the local Communities and industries, and providing recreational facilities."

The feds don't have to backfill the reduction in timber fees due to decreased logging of the national forests, but they do owe us for the checkerboard of O&C lands (example map here).  With the success our Congressional delegation isn't having at extending the timber funds, why hasn't the State of Oregon sued the feds yet (previous blog here)?  

Meanwhile, here we sit...logging isn't generating much in the way of timber fees, Congress isn't replacing those timber fees, the majority of our county land isn't generating property taxes, and the fuels load and thus the fire risk continues to grow.  If we don't raise our property taxes this fall to replace the lost timber funds, our Sheriff's Office all-but-disappears.  And if we're burned out, it will be our fault for living near the forest.  

Comments

[Mike]

Excellent. I'm reposting this.

[Ten Bears]

As shall I.