By Jim Cathcart Oregon's timber harvest in 1997 stayed near record low levels for the fourth straight year, according to the 1997 timber harvest report released today by State Forester James E. Brown. A total of 4.1 billion board feet of timber was harvested from all public and private forests in the state in 1997, just above the record low level of 3.9 billion board feet in 1996. Since 1988, when the total harvest was 8.6 billion board feet, levels have steadily declined. In contrast, the USDA Forest Service, who manages federal National Forests, provided 13 percent of the timber harvest volume from their 37 percent share of the timberland available for harvest in Oregon. Federal lands are being managed for a different set of objectives - the protection and development of old growth forests and the conservation of threatened and endangered species.
Timber is a secondary output.
A total of 176 million board feet was harvested from state owned forestlands, its highest level since 1989. The amount represents 4 percent of the total harvest volume from the state's 4.8 percent share of the total amount of timberland available for harvest. The 1997 timber harvest report is one in a package of annual reports released by the department. Over 46 million seedlings were planted during reforestation. Softwoods made up nearly 93 percent of the harvest volume, with Douglas-fir the predominant species.