Timber Resources of the Puget Sound Area, Washington
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Keywords: Forest surveys, stand composition, stand volume, forest ownership, forest statistics, Puget Sound, Wash. PREPARED BY FOREST SURVEY PROJECT Melvin E. Metcalf, Project Leader Donald R. Gedney, Resource Analyst John M. Berger, Compilation Supervisor Charles L. Bolsinger, Field Supervisor Fieldwork James 0. Howard, Tharon E. O'Dell, and Stephen 0. Macica Assistant Field Supervisors Field Personnel: Office Personnel: Dale R. Baer Larry M. Biles Keith Flaugh Forrest Ruppert Patricia M. Fadner Simeon Bornt Ronald G. Jackson Willard Schnurbusch David M. Jacobs Gary Brunk David M. Jacobs James L. Schuler Mary Anne Mei Thomas Catchpole Mickey Lewis Michael Seraphinoff Barbara C. Pearlman Rick E. Comstock Jerome Okonski John L. Smith Florence K. Ruderman David W. Countryman Ronald A. Otrin John L. Teply Marian E. Simons ~cknowledg$ment is made of the coopera- Company, and Weyerhaeuser Timber Com- tion and assistynce of many public agencies pany made aerial photography available for and private timber companies. interpretation. The Division of Timber Management, Re- Many public agencies, including some of gion 6, U. S. Forest Service, supplied resource those mentioned above, and several private data for National Forest lands. timber companies provided maps and helpful The county assessors furnished owner in- information on access to forest lands, as well formation and aerial photo coverage of cer- as general information on land use trends, for- tain areas. est management activities, and current and potential problems related to forest manage- The Washington State Department of Nat- ment in the Puget Sound area. ural Resources made aerial photographs avail- Mr. Robert W. Cowlin, former Director of able for interpretation and provided timber the Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Ex- harvest data. periment Station, provided background infor- The Agricultural Stabilization and Conser- mation on the economic development of the vation Service, Puget Sound Power and Light Puget Sound area. PREFACE This report summarizes the findings of the the north half of the Mount Baker National latest inventory of the forests in Island, King, Forest was done in 1965; the south half was Kitsap, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, done in 1966. The portion of the Snoqualmie and Whatcom Counties, Washington. Field- National Forest in the Puget Sound area was work on lands outside the National Forests inventoried in 1964 and 1965, with the ex- was started in 1966 and completed in 1967. ception of the Cedar River Block which was Data from the 1960 inventory were used for inventoried in 1961. Inventories previous to San Juan County in this report. Fieldwork on the above were completed as follows: First Second Third County inventory inventory inventory Island King Kitsap Pierce San Juan Skagit Snohomish Whatcom This inventory was conducted by the For- (2) to analyze and make available survey in- est Survey, a nationwide project of the Forest formation needed to formulate forest policies Service authorized by the McSweeney- and programs. Resurveys are made periodi- McNary Forest Research Act of 1928 and cally to update basic information. subsequent amendments. The purposes of the Forest Survey are (1) to obtain comprehen- The Forest Survey is conducted in all nine sive information on timber resources, includ- forest regions of the United States by the ing the extent and condition of forest lands, USDA Forest Service Experiment Stations. the amount and kind of timber growing on The Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Ex- these lands, the rate of forest growth and de- periment Station at Portland, Oregon, is re- pletion, the amount of timber cut, and proba- sponsible for the States of Washington, ble future trends in timber requirements, and Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii. The latest inventory of the forest resources w o o d s formerly supported more valuable in the Puget Sound area shows a total of conifers. 3,300,000 acres of commercial forest land and Sixty percent of the commercial forest 74,859 million board feet (International land is capable of growing 120 or more cubic %-inch scale) of sawtimber volume. Since 1953, feet per acre per year. In general, the best about 221,000 acres of commercial forest land tree-growing lands are in the mid-elevations, have been converted to roads, powerlines, res- which are predominantly in State and forest- ervoirs, agriculture, and urban and industrial industry ownership. National Forests and developments, and about 65,000 acres have farmer and miscellaneous private owners hold been set aside in parks and other reserved areas. much of the lower quality forest land. Total sawtimber volume has decreased about 8 Though Douglas-fir is the most extensive percent; softwoods have decreased 11 percent, forest type, there is more western hemlock while hardwoods have increased 71 percent. volume - 24 billion board feet of hemlock About 41 percent of the commercial forest compared with 21 billion Douglas-fir. This is land is in public ownership; 59 percent is pri- because much more of the Douglas-fir type is vate, with forest industries holding 28 percent young growth with less volume per acre. and farmers and miscellaneous private owners, Net annual growth is about 1.4 million 31 percent. About 20 percent of the commer- board feet, somewhat less than current annual cial forest land is in old-growth timber, and timber harvest. Over the years, the timber cut over half of this is in National Forest owner- has shifted from private to public lands and ship. Other public owners have 13 percent of from Douglas-fir to hemlock. Annual mortal- the old growth; forest industries, 28 percent; ity averages 130 board feet per acre and is farmers and miscellaneous private owners, 8 highest on National Forest and forest-industry percent. lands, which include about 80 percent of the Douglas-fir is the most extensive forest old-growth timber. Hemlock accounts for type* but is estimated to cover only half as one-third of the mortality and true firs for much area as it covered in the 1800's before one-fifth. About 15 percent of the mortality settlement of the Puget Sound area. Over is Douglas-fir. 600,000 acres of logged and burned country The low country between the foothills of now stocked with hardwoods, and many agri- the Cascades and Puget Sound is rapidly being cultural areas, roads, reservoirs, and town and urbanized and industrialized. The Washington industrial sites were once Douglas-fir forest. Al- State Department of Natural Resources has most 60 percent of the Douglas-fir type is in classified State-owned lands into resource private ownership. Western hemlock is the zones for the present, for 1980, and for 2000. second most extensive forest type and the Though applicable only to State lands, the major type on National Forest lands. projections were based on expected uses of all Less than 2 percent of the forest land is lands, using past trends as a guide. Within the nonstocked, a contrast with conditions in 1933 Department's Year 2000 Urban Zone in the when about 20 percent was nonstocked. This Puget Sound area are an estimated 1,154,000 improvement reflects the success of fire control acres of commercial forest land, about 35 per- and forestry efforts since the 1930's but is cent of the total in the eight counties, and 11 probably more a testimony to the recupera- percent of the total in western Washington. tive ability of the forest land in the Puget Included are nearly half on the Douglas-fir Sound area. In spite of this improvement in acreage and 43 percent of all young-growth stocking, large areas are occupied by low stands in the Puget Sound area. If these lands quality trees. Hardwood types are pre- are converted to nonforest uses, total poten- dominantly in private ownership and cover a tial production of timber may be reduced by greater area than the total commercial forest 30 percent. land on the National Forests; hundreds of *Definitions of technical terms are found beginning on thousands of acres now stocked with hard- page 6 7. CONTENTS Page SUMMARY ...................................................ii INTRODUCTION ..................................1 BACKGROUND ...................................2 FOREST LAND ................................... 5 Almost 49 Percent of Area, or 3.3 Million Acres, Is Commercial Forest Land .......................5 Commercial Forest Area Is Decreasing ......................5 About 40 Percent of the Commercial Forest Land Is in Public Ownership ..........................7 About 20 Percent of the Commercial Forest Land Is in Old-Growth Timber .........................9 Over 40 Percent of the Commercial Forest Land Is Stocked With Small Young Growth .................... -9 Douglas-fir Is the Most Extensive Forest Type. Covering About 30 Percent of the Commercial Forest Area .............10 About 60 Percent of the Douglas-fir Type Is in Private Ownership ............................10 Western Hemlock Is the Second Most Extensive Forest Type. Covering 27 Percent of Commercial Forest Area ..............11 Upper Slope Types Cover 11 Percent of Commercial Forest Area ....................................11 Hardwood Types Cover 765. 000 Acres or 23 Percent of Commercial Forest Land .................12 About 650. 000 Acres Now Stocked With Hardwoods Have Grown Conifers in the Past ....................... 13 Less Than 2 Percent of the Forest Land Is Nonstocked ...........14 Sixty Percent of the Commercial Forest Land Is Capable of Growing 120 Cubic Feet or More Per Acre ..........14 TIMBER