Environmental Indicators Initiative DEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS FOR MINNESOTA ——————————————

SUSTAINING MINNESOTA’S FORESTS

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ INDICATOR FACTSHEET ○○○○○ Wood and Fiber Production

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION

HUMAN ACTIVITIES BENEFITS

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

What does this indicator economy. Fuelwood, wood chips, Sawlog and veneer log produc- tell us? and wood shavings also contrib- tion, on the other hand, are often ute to the economic value of measured in millions of board This indicator measures the Minnesota’s timber harvest. feet (MBF). Production of build- annual harvest of trees from ing lumber may be measured Minnesota’s forests. How is wood and fiber either by the cord of raw timber production measured? or by the MBF of finished lum- Forests benefit people in many ber. A standard conversion is 2 ways: they hold soil, filter Timber harvest on public and cords = 1000 board feet. groundwater, and shelter wildlife. private lands is typically mea- But as the source of wood and sured by the cord, a unit equal to Can we use this indicator fiber, forests have tremendous 79 cubic feet of wood. Statewide, now? impact on our society. Lumber pulpwood and fuelwood produc- for building, sawlogs for making tion are measured in thousands of Yes. Minnesota’s timber harvest furniture and cabinetry, and pulp cords of wood cut. (Pulpwood is tracked each year by the USDA for paper and fiberboard support includes the wood processed into Forest Service’s North Central a multibillion-dollar industry chipboard, fiberboard, and Forest Experiment Station and

which helps sustain Minnesota’s oriented-strand board.) the Minnesota DNR Division of ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

FORESTS

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○ What are the limitations

Statewide Timber Harvest of using wood and fiber

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○ production as an indica-  tor?   Measuring wood and fiber pro-  V Q duction does not track the many R OL LO  non-commercial benefits of P Ã V  UG forests. It also leaves out the R &  commercial benefits of non-

 timber forest products, such as

 maple syrup, birch bark for

 handicrafts, and balsam fir for

                   holiday decorations. Also, a ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○ measure of timber harvest must be compared with a measure of Forestry. The data they collect forest growth to estimate the includes: total wood harvest by effects of harvest on the health of species; stumpage value of each the forest ecosystem and the year’s harvest; and wood use by sustainability of forest product product (percent of the total benefits.

harvest that goes into lumber, ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ pulp, oriented-strand board, or Wood Harvest and Uses various other products). Addi- tionally, individual forest prod- ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○  ucts manufacturers maintain  annual production and sales à 3URMHFWHG  figures. V Q R OL LO P  Some of the wood and fiber Và UG R produced in Minnesota is ex- & ported for processing, while some  Minnesota lumber and paper mills buy raw material from out  HU % J HU WV UW HO HO S 6 LQ E XF SR X X 3D 2 WK P G [ OÃ) OÃ) of state. Timber harvested in à G HD X UR Ã( LD LD ÃÉ DU K / Ã3 G QW UF OS R 6 DO RR H H X UE G FL Z LG P 3 IH DU H OS HV P Minnesota and finished products D R 6S X 5 R : GE 3 & DU

produced in Minnesota are not +

equivalent measures. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ FORESTS

Information Sources Hackett, Ronald and Richard MN DNR, 1997. Minnesota’s Dahlman. 1993. Minnesota Forest Resources. Division of Cunningham, R.N., and H.C. timber industry—an assessment Forestry, Minnesota Department Moser. 1938. The forest re- of timber product output and use. of Natural Resources, St. Paul. sources of Minnesota. USDA Resource Bulletin NC-140, Forest Service, North Central USDA Forest Service, North Forest Experiment Station, St. Central Forest Experiment Paul. Station, St. Paul.

Cunningham, R.N., A.G. Horn, Leatherberry, Earl C. et al., 1995. and D. N. Quinney. 1958. An analysis of Minnesota’s fifth Minnesota’s forest resources. Forest Resources Inventory, Forest Resources Report #13, 1990. Resource Bulletin NC-165, USDA Forest Service, Washing- USDA Forest Service, North ton DC. Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul.

For Additional Information: Minnesota Environmental Indicators Initiative

Clarence Turner, Coordinator (612) 297-3357 Laura Preus, Ecologist (612) 296-1548 Faith Balch, Ecologist (612) 297-4707 Keith Wendt, Project Manager (612) 297-7879

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