The timber resources of the Inland Empire area, Washington.

Abstract

The latest inventory of the timber resources of the Inland Empire area of Washington indicates there are 24 billion board feet of sawtimber on 3.9 million acres of commercial forest land. Public agencies administer about 56 percent of the area and 70 percent of the sawtimber volume, farmer and miscellaneous private ownerships account for 37 percent of the area but only 22 percent of the sawtimber volume, and industry 8 percent of the total commercial forest area and 8 percent of the volume. Douglas-fir is the most abundant species, accounting for 30 percent of the sawtimber volume. Ponderosa pine accounts for 29 percent of the volume, with larch and true firs also occurring in significant amounts. The forests of the Inland Empire are young, although the 12 percent of old growth is the principal source of timber for the area's forest industries. For the area as a whole, growth exceeds cut, with most of the growth on lands in farmer and miscellaneous private ownership. This imbalance could result in increased timber harvesting, depending on industry's willingness to process smaller timber from these types of owners and the individual owner's management objectives.

Citation

Arbogast, Hal A. 1974. The timber resources of the Inland Empire area, Washington. Res. Bull. PNW-RB-050. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 68 p