Tree Farmers against roadless rule and logging changes
- Thread starter Nut
- Start date
BuzzH
Well-known member
Nut, good find.
I think it makes sense to grow timber in the South where rotation ages are much shorter than places like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, etc. Coastal regions like Oregon, Washington, etc. make sense to grow as much timber as possible, same reason, short rotation ages.
On the very best sites in the interior west, with good moisture years, and the fastest growing trees, you're looking at 60-80 year rotations. A similar tree on the coast or in the south is probably 1/2 that.
Combine that with below cost logging and poor wood quality in roadless areas....it hardly makes any sense to log the last remaining roadless areas.
And thats not mentioning the fact that 90% of the best timber producing NF lands are already under management for timber production.
Theres no good reason to log, road, and ruin the last bit of roadless country on NF lands.
I think it makes sense to grow timber in the South where rotation ages are much shorter than places like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, etc. Coastal regions like Oregon, Washington, etc. make sense to grow as much timber as possible, same reason, short rotation ages.
On the very best sites in the interior west, with good moisture years, and the fastest growing trees, you're looking at 60-80 year rotations. A similar tree on the coast or in the south is probably 1/2 that.
Combine that with below cost logging and poor wood quality in roadless areas....it hardly makes any sense to log the last remaining roadless areas.
And thats not mentioning the fact that 90% of the best timber producing NF lands are already under management for timber production.
Theres no good reason to log, road, and ruin the last bit of roadless country on NF lands.
FYI, I have been told that Auburn Univ. has developed a lob-lolly pine tree cultivar that is harvestable in 8-10yr rotations! I think it's just good for pulp and particle board, but nontheless that's a short rotation for trees.
They have come up with a Cotton wood that they are planting in plantations over in Western Washington and Western Oregon. I have seen them come in with processers and clean out a hundred acre patch in a couple day's, including removing and grinding the stumps. I guess the bottem stick goes for plywood and the rest goes in the chipper for OSB.
Nut
New member
Thanks guys, I learned something from your posts.
chas031
New member
Nut,
Here's a link with some more info http://www.frwg.org/pages/1/index.htm . Also the feds site http://roadless.fs.fed.us/
Chas
Here's a link with some more info http://www.frwg.org/pages/1/index.htm . Also the feds site http://roadless.fs.fed.us/
Chas
