The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1948-06-17
COOPERATIVE SUSTAINED
YIELD UNITS

YIELD UNITS
| CA statement by the Forest Service)
The Cooperative Sustained Yield
Unit Act of March %, 1914 (58 Stat.
1872; Is use. 583- 583n authorizes
| the Secretary of Agriculture and
the Secretary of The Interior to
establish cooperative sustained
yield units and to enter into COOP
eratlVe agreements with the own
ers of private forest lands within
such units. Federal Sustained Yield
Units also are authorized by the
Act, but this discussion is confined
to Cooperative Units.
With respect to o. and c. revest-
ed lands in Oregon. the Secretary
OF The Interior also is authorized to
establish cooperative sustained
yield units and to enter into cooper
atlVe agreements with landowners
under the Act Of August %. 1887
go Stat 874) The Department of
The Interior has elected to use the
authority of the 1887 Act for meet
ing the problems of cooperative
sustained yield action on o. &, c. /
lands, Forest Service action on CO.
operative sustained yield stems
from the 1914 Act
Why Are They Opposed?
There are two fundamental reas- Z
ons for opposition to cooperative A..
sustained yield units
/. There is a continued strong de /
nand for lumber and all forest pro-
iuctS. Logging and saWmilling are |
1ery profitable. Many new mills |
nave been built without regard to /
ong-term timber supply.
q In many localities. there is an /
excess of installed mill capacity
Some large mills have timber in
sight for only few more years
Many smaller mills, not tied to land
ownership, must shut down or move
o new locations very soon. There
S no hope for community stability
rom either of these sources.
land Ownership
A cooperator must own forest
and and timber intermingled with,
Idjacent to or otherwise logically
elated to national forest lands
within the Unit These public and I
'riVate lands must be capable of
'eing managed under coordinated
Ian.
The landowner need not own or
perate a saWmill or other process !
1g plant Most, but not all, poten-
ial cooperators operate mills or
ther plants.
The landowner must agree to pro-
ect his lands, harvest his timber
nd regulate his cut in accordance
nth sustained yield plan develop
d comparatively by the landowner
nd the Forest Service subject to I
nal decision by the Chief of the
crest Service.
If the landowner sells the forest {
lnds committed to coordinated @
Management, the contract runs t
18th the land The lands must be J
lanaged under sustained yield. 4
Land ownership pattern varies
idely. Each case must be analysed i
nd decided on its own merits. The ]
minimum guides established by the
crest Service are that the private /
nds make up at least a third OF
lie productive capacity Of the for o
It lands within the Unit: operable Il
rivate timber shall be at least Ii
} per cent of the total. g
lOnOpOly l.
Opponents of cooperative units
large monopoly They say It is un- !
ir to commit large quantities OF 1
Iblic timber to one operator at
opraised value for so years on t,
ore. Ia
There are many degrees of mon T
poly. Strictly speaking, a monop- n
list controls the supply Of goods or c.
rvices, pays what he wishes for Is
lem, sells his product at prices II
xed by him. t.
In a cooperative unit, the prl- :,
lte cooperator has an assured sup =
y of timber-subject to losses
ON fire, WindthroW etc but he
Innot control the price he pays "
T public Stumpage That IS fixed W
Government appraisal. lie can Y
1t control selling prices, since ne II
'oduceS only a small fraction OF G.
e total lumber output. The CO. q
agreement provides ~
nited monopoly on supply OF raw II
but with adequate regu-
ton of its use to protect the F
lblic interest. Furthermore, when n
cooperative unit IS established, the
lblic gains important control OF j
of the private lands, K
time, rate and character
timber cutting. The private CO.
)erator assumes financial burdens p
Id responsibilities for forest pro- "
ction and forest management. K
of job opportunity is no z
eater than in many other situa- ,
ons. Continuity of employment IS e
rthered a