National measures of forest productivity for timber

Abstract

This report presents national measures of forest productivity for timber. These measures reveal trends in the relationship between quantity of timber produced by forests and the quantity of forest resources employed in timber production. Timber production is measured by net annual growth of timber and annual timber removals. Measures of timber productivity include annual growth per acre and indexes of growth/inventory and removals/inventory. Information is presented separately for softwood and hardwood timber. National timber data are obtained from national compilations of Forest Service timber survey data for the years 1952,1962,1970,1977, and 1987. The data are compiled for the United States as a whole, for four principal land ownership categories (forest industry, other private, National Forests, and other public agencies), and for three principal regions (North, South, and West). The measures of timber productivity reflect the performance of forests as measured by annual timber growth and harvest yields (the principal component of removals) in relation to the timber inventory and timberland area. These productivity measures provide a concise and comprehensive view of the overall timber productivity in the United States for the past 35 years. The measured productivity reflects amount and structure of the inventory and timberland area, trends in forest management, technology improvements, new investments, and various legal requirements influencing timber management, particularly on public lands.

Citation

Ince, Peter J.; Fedkiw, John; Dickerhoof, H. Edward; Kaiser, H. Fred. 1989. National measures of forest productivity for timber. Gen. Tech. Rep. FPL-GTR-61. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory; 1989. 14 pages