Abstract:
The objectives of this study are to reveal the present condition
of the public forest resource of Lane County and to estimate its potential
to support an expanding wood-using industry. The study was
supported by the Bohemia Lumber Company of Lane County as the
initial part of an analysis of the total wood-using industry of the
county. Expansion of this industry has been based largely upon forecasts
of increasing markets for wood products. Prior to this little
attention has been given to the ability of the forest resource to support
and maintain an expanding forest industry.
Lane County is divided into four major drainages based upon
U. S. Forest Service working circle boundaries. These are the
McKenzie, Willamette, Cottage Grove, and Siuslaw. The Forest
Service is the largest single administrator of the forest resource in
the area. Data for this study were obtained by compiling inventory data
presently available through public agencies. As a matter of expediency,
the public forest resources are classified by agency in each
drainage. The agency ownerships are then compiled for the county
as a whole.
There are approximately 1, 486, 655 acres of the public forest
land classified for timber production supporting about 51 billion
board feet. Presently, about 886 million board feet are cut annually
from public forest land. This cut supports almost 50 percent of the
1.9 billion board feet capacity of the wood-using industry within the
county. The remaining 50 percent of the material needed to reach
this potential capacity would have to come from private forest resource
and resources outside of the county. The expansion of the
wood-using industry of Lane County appears favorable based upon the
large contribution from this public forest resource.
