Timber availability on non-federal land in western Washington : Implications based on physical characteristics of the timberland base

The timberland area under non-federal ownership in western Washington is characterized by ground slope class, elevation, timber size, age, silvicultural treatment opportunities, and ownership. Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) timberland is generally located on gentler slopes and lower elevations than are all other ownerships, implying a potential advantage in logging and transportation costs. Opportunities to increase growth on NIPF land are mainly through clearcutting and stand conversion. Timber on forest industry lands has a significantly younger age-class distribution than timber on land that is owned by NIPF landowners and the Department of Natural Resources in the state of Washington; this is a reflection of the higher management intensity being implemented by forest industry. Opportunity to increase growth rates on forest industry timberland is mainly by precommercial thinning. And the distribution of NIPF and forest industry harvests has historically been concentrated more in the lower slope classes than the corresponding timberland base. The physical characteristics of the timberland base in western Washington, along with landowner behavior patterns, may affect future non-federal timber supplies by influencing management regimes, access to timberland, and owners' responses to urban pressures. Although NIPF timberland owners may have a cost advantage with respect to the physical characteristics of the timberland base, they may be highly susceptible to a loss in timberland area from regulatory and land-use pressures. As a result, future timber supply prospects may decrease even further than recent projections suggest.