The second paragraph of the article in the Oct. 23 edition of the Columbian, concerning the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, rings true: “The numbers tell the story.” However, many of us would say that the story is a bit different.
First, $1 million in “special forest products” does not “rival” timber sales of $2.5 million to $3 million. Rather, it points out the fact that, even under current suppression of timber sales, timber is the wealth of the forest. In fact, there are more than 80,000 acres of plantations on the Gifford Pinchot that are between 42 and 71 years old. These stands contain well over 10,000 board feet of potential lumber per acre of commercially viable timber that needs to be cut in order to improve forest health and species diversity via thinning (selective) harvest.
That means there are over 800 million board feet of commercial thinning lumber available, with a current “stump” value of $200 million. Sales of 25 million board feet in 2011 represents a rate of harvest that will take more than 30 years to restore these former clear-cuts that were burned over, fertilized, and replanted.
Then, over the next decade, another 100,000 acres of plantations will reach the 40 to 49 year-old age range, providing an additional 1 billion board feet of potential commercial thinning. In the second decade from now, there will be another 100,000 acres reaching commercial thinning stage, with an additional 1 billion board feet.