xV. 1 "*, * % - Division of Agricultural Sciences UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 748 Table of Contents Everyone Is Affected 5 Humboldt's Forest Industries 8 Present Timber Supplies 15 Future Timber Supplies 21 Good Forest Management 27 Statistical Material 36 The Author: Henry J. Vaux is Professor of Forestry, Forester in the Experiment Station, and Associate on the Giannini Found- ation, Berkeley. FEBRUARY 1955 Less than a year after settlers came to Humboldt County in 1850, the first sawmill began to whittle at the fringes of the County's vast tim- ber storehouse. Today, Humboldt County is dependent on timber re- sources to a greater extent than at any time in the past. Directly or in- directly, 70 per cent of the economic activity of the County originates in the timber industries. This growth has brought both challenges and problems which are fundamental for the economic fu- ture of the County. It is important for every citizen in the County — whether he is directly connected with the timber industry or not — to understand the trends, weigh facts correctly, and help to stay on the road of prosperity. In 1952 range land owners in the County saw the urgent need for more information on the handling of their fir timber. The range men presented their need to the County Board of Supervisors who accepted the challenge of the timber situa- tion. First the Board sent its Farm Advisor to study and report on for- est developments in other areas. Fol- lowing his recommendations, the Board then established a County Forestry Committee to investigate the timber problem in detail. It or- ganized the first County Forestry Department in the West to assist the Forestry Committee in its investiga- tions and to help forest landowners to make better use of their lands. It requested the School of Forestry to gather facts and outline trends per- tinent to the problems, and it as- sisted the School to make the study. Information from every available source has been collected and ana- lyzed as a basis for understanding the present forest situation. A full report of this study has been sub- mitted to the Humboldt County Forestry Committee. This bulletin presents a more popular abstract of the full report. The facts presented and conclusions that can be drawn from them are of vital importance to Humboldt County, the entire State of California, and to the lum- ber industry of the Pacific Coast. The Pro Mem Humboldt County has grown up around its lumber industry. During the past 100 years its sawmills have cut 24 billion board feet of lumber. It was around this industrial core that the econ- omy of the County developed. Today, more than 200 manufactur- ing plants are using the remaining old-growth timber at a rate of about l l A billion board feet per year. And Humboldt County is on the crest of a wave of industrial expansion, having tripled its annual lumber production during the past eight years. But only 18 billion feet of timber remains on the tax rolls. Loggers have had to reach out to increasingly remote tracts for current cutting. Timber has become scarcer and much more costly. And part of the cutover land appears to support little new timber growth. The Questions Are these symptoms the warnings of a future economic problem for Humboldt County? How long can the forests in the County continue to meet its enormously increased needs for timber? As the old-growth reserves dwindle, can the current level of timber production (and the employment and payroll which accompany it) be maintained? Could Humboldt experience the same eco- nomic disaster that in the past overtook many other prosperous timber areas when their virgin timber was used up? If so, what can be done to prevent it? Where will Humboldt County get the tax revenues to maintain its schools and roads and other county services as the taxable timber continues to decline in volume? ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE DOLLARS OF CIVILIAN INCOME IS FROM WOOD INDUSTRIES ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE PERSONS EMPLOYED IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY WORKS IN SOME PHASE OF LUMBER INDUSTRY This Bulletin presents the facts behind the problem, spots the trends, and points out the opportunities and the dangers in the economic picture of Humboldt County. The findings 1 . Entire county depends more and more on timber. 2. Markets are available to keep county prosperous. 3. At present rate of growing and cutting timber, old stands will be down two thirds by 1975. 4. Within 10 years many small mills may have to close down. 5. Growth promoting measures should be taken immediately. 6. Better forest management is needed now. 7. Good management often depends not only on forest owners but on all the residents of the county; they need to see to it that incentives for good management are provided and obstacles eliminated. TIMBER III HUMBOLDT COUHU Henry J. Vaux m HUMBOLDT COUNTY Almost everyone is affected by the timber situation • • • Forest Industry provides jobs for 8,700 One out of every three occupied per- sons in Humboldt County works directly in some phase of lumber or other wood- using industry. In 1950, the year of the last census, one out of every three dol- lars of civilian income came from the timber industries. Timber industries provided jobs for 8,726 people — almost twice as many jobs as the wholesale and retail trades; two and a half times as many jobs as busi- ness, personal, and professional services; and over four times as many jobs as agriculture. Timber conversion — a basic industry for 14,000 more jobholders But the people of Humboldt County depend on timber to an even greater de- gree. For lumber and wood products is the County's major basic industry. Re- tail stores, service industries, much con- struction activity, and financial institu- tions only develop to the extent that there is a basic industry to be served. In 1950 almost 14,000 people worked in the County's service industries. Of course, timber harvesting and con- version is not the only basic industry in * Submitted for publication November 1954. Humboldt County, but it is by far the largest, and is becoming increasingly im- portant. In 1950 it accounted for 71 per cent of all people employed in all the basic industries. Agriculture and food processing was second with 21 per cent, tourist recreation third, and the re- mainder was made up by fisheries, min- ing, and manufacturing. The County was not always so de- pendent on the timber industry. Only 20 years previously, in 1930, the forest product industries provided not 71, but only 50 per cent of all jobs in the basic industries. In these 20 years, employ- ment in sawmilling and other wood manufacturing activities increased from about 4,800 persons to over 8,700. In the same period the number of workers in agriculture and food processing declined from about 3,600 to 2,500; and a similar downward trend was shown in other manufactures. In fact, apart from the timber industry only tourist recreation seemed to have been on the increase. That means that the County as a whole has come to depend so heavily on timber industries and resources that even relatively minor declines in the ac- tivity of these industries are now felt in some degree by every class of business in the County. A major curtailment would bring the direct threat of economic hard- [5] FOREST INDUSTRIES □ OTHERS Forest industries provide over 70 per cent of the employment in Humboldt County— it gives jobs to 8,700 people directly, and provides the basis for 14,000 additional jobs in the service industries. ship and possible disaster to most of the County's citizens. Timber pays for much of Humboldt's roads, schools, and other facilities In 1952, Humboldt County received almost $13 million to pay for its roads, schools, and the other facilities and serv- ices which local government provides. Forty-eight per cent of this money came from federal and state grants, and other sources outside the County. The re- mainder ($6,727,000) was financed by revenues from within the County, the biggest single source (70 per cent) being the property taxes and bond issues whose security depends on the tax base. 1930 1940 1950 Humboldt's economy has become more and more dependent on forest industries— from 50 per cent in 1930 to more than 70 per cent in 1950. [6] The present and future extent of County governmental services therefore depends largely on the sources from which general property taxes are col- lected — that is, on the tax base. Forests and forest industries comprise the largest single component of this taxable wealth on which county government depends. In 1952, timber, timberland, and plants and equipment of the forest in- dustries were assessed for purposes of taxation at almost $28 million — 35 per cent of the total assessed valuation of the County. Timber is everybody's business More than 8,700 jobs, a basic industry for 14,000 additional jobs, a major source of revenue for county services — that's what the timber industry means to Humboldt County. Its rapid expan- sion during the last decade has been felt by everyone in the County; and what will happen in the future equally will affect virtually everyone. The present forest situation and its trend during the coming years are there- fore not merely matters of interest to timber owners, timber operators, and timber workers. They are vital to all who own or work in the general business and service industries, to the home owner or farmer whose taxes and property values are at stake, and to all who receive the numerous services of a county govern- ment which is heavily dependent on revenue derived from timber assets. But timber is everyone's business in Humboldt County in more than one way. It is everyone's business because every- one profits by it, directly or indirectly. It also is everyone's business because each must do his part to keep the timber industry a sound backbone of the Coun- ty's economy. Many things that have to be done to capitalize fully on the timber resources cannot be done by the timber owners and operators alone. To use the timber resources fully and to realize their potential economic benefits, will require efforts by all citizens: efforts to under- stand the forest situation; to recognize the potential benefits from improving it and the costs of failing to do so; and to put into effect certain practical measures of general County policy which seem likely to be essential for continued timber prosperity. INTER- GOVERNMENT SERVICE 5% TRUST FUNDS 15.9% PROPERTY TAXES, ASSESSMENTS AND BONDS 70.3% LICENSES, ETC. 8.8% The biggest internal source of revenue for County government is the property tax base, a third of which is timber, forest land, and wood-using plants. [7] HUMBOLDT'S FOREST IHVUSTRIBS are lumber and plywood, with pulp a potential third. Barring a depression, the County's forest products will have a ready market. The preceding pages have shown that a strong and stable economy in Hum- boldt County depends on strong and stable forest industries. These, in turn, are in the long run governed by the County's timber resources — their nature, extent, and management. To use the tim- ber resources fully and efficiently, the forest industries will have to take ad- vantage of the economic opportunities offered by these timber resources, and solve problems characteristic of an ex- panding forest economy. As indicated in the illustration below, forests in Humboldt County provide raw materials for seven industries and for a 1 ,400 MM ALSO: SHINGLES AND SPLIT PRODUCTS Forests provide raw materials for seven in- dustries, with lumber dominating, and plywod the second one in importance. number of other types of commodities. As can be seen in the chart, only two in- dustries, the manufacture of lumber and plywood, are of major importance at the present time. LUMBER — THE MAJOR FOREST INDUSTRY Lumber manufacture, the oldest and largest of the forest industries, began on Humboldt Bay in 1851. Two years later the McLean Mill was built in Eureka on a site which has been continuously oc- cupied by a sawmill ever since. As shown in the chart on page 9 lumber produc- tion rose steadily up to 1920, although there were many ups and downs accom- panying this expansion. During the fol- lowing quarter century, ending in 1945, industrial expansion virtually ceased. The depression of the thirties was sand- wiched between peaks of relatively high production during the twenties and World War II. Fundamental changes began to take place in 1946. Nationwide demand for lumber, pent up by more than a decade of depression and war, drove United States demand to the highest levels in 40 years. At the same time easily available old-growth timber in the Pacific North- west was being rapidly depleted and wood supplies elsewhere were limited. This meant that lumbermen had to look for undeveloped timber areas in order to meet the swelling demand. Many of them came to Humboldt County, attracted by its untapped stands of Douglas-fir. The result was spectacular. By 1953 lum- ber production in the County was 4% times as great as it had been in 1940 and [8] the number of sawmills had multiplied eightfold. This tremendous growth was based on two fundamental changes in the char- acter of the lumber industry. 1. Douglas-fir lumber joins red- wood as a major Humboldt indus- try. In spectacular manner, Douglas-fir production rose from a mere 11 per cent of the County's total before 1940 to more than 60 per cent of the total after 1948. The long-established redwood industry was suddenly joined by a younger but bigger fir industry producing a different type of lumber product with different markets, different manufacturing prob- lems and techniques, and a different pat- tern of industry organization. (Douglas- fir producers are commonly called "the fir industry" although Douglas-fir stands contain little true fir timber.) 2. Medium and small-sized mills become important. Redwood lumber production has always been conducted primarily by large sawmills owned in conjunction with large supplies of stand- ing timber. For example, in 1942 when only 30 active sawmills existed in Hum- boldt County, six of these were large mills each cutting more than 25 million board feet of lumber per year. Together these six mills produced 85 per cent of the lumber sawed in the County. Al- though the postwar growth brought many new mills to Humboldt, by 1951 there were still only 31 whose product was principally redwood. The large saw- mills still accounted for almost 70 per cent of the redwood lumber. But the new fir industry grew up on a different pattern. From a handful of small operations (and one large one) in 1942, the fir industry grew primarily be- cause medium and small-sized plants were constructed. Less than a third of the fir lumber is now produced in big saw- mills. In 1951 some 120 small plants, averaging about 2% million board feet per year apiece, sawed slightly more Douglas-fir than their big competitors. MILLION BD.FT. 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 - «m ESTIMATED TREI REDWOOD ESTIMATED TREI sID 1 _ sID 1 > r fta r\ i\ ffi\ nj (\\ ; \ jk w T ^ 'V >r u -s. o* 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 Lumber production grew steadily for ninety years— then skyrocketed after World War II. [9] Fir mills depend heavily on timber bought from other owners The average fir mill is not only smaller in size than the average redwood mill ; it also often controls a much smaller supply of standing timber. The average red- wood mill owns about five times as much old-growth timberland as does the aver- age fir mill. This means that the fir oper- ators, much more than redwood opera- tors, are dependent on the purchase of logs or stumpage from other landowners. Thus, many of them are not in a position to assure themselves a permanent supply of raw materials by management of their own lands. Annual Output in Millions of Boord Feet Sawmills and plywood plants are located on main highways and railroads because they must have easy access both to markets and to timber stands. All sawmills depend on good transportation In order to reach the lumber markets outside Humboldt County on which they depend, most sawmills are located on the railroad or a main highway. (See map on this page.) The bigger mills all have rail- way service so they can load lumber products directly onto railroad cars for long-distance shipment. A considerable number of the newer, and smaller, mills have located off the railroad and rely on trucks for transportation of their lum- ber. All in all, approximately 70 per cent of Humboldt's lumber production is shipped to market via rail; one fourth goes by truck; and the remainder by ship from Humboldt Bay, an increasingly important outlet. Concentration of the sawmills around good transportation to lumber markets makes these routes important for efficient operation of the industry. Highways are essential not only to reach markets but also to supply the mills with logs. Most of the manufacturing plants are in the more accessible loca- tions, while the principal reserves of old- growth timber are in outlying sections of the County. If a sawmill owns large areas of forest land, as some redwood operators do, the operator himself may do much of the road development neces- sary to supply his mills with logs. But most mills depend on timber that belongs to others and must rely heavily on State and County roads for log transportation. As a result, both the quality of the exist- ing road system and the direction and extent of future public road development are vital to the maintenance of log sup- plies. Markets for redwood lumber: specialized but nationwide Because redwood is available in large knot-free sizes, is very durable, and pleasing in appearance, its principal mar- [10] kets are in specialized uses. About 25 per cent of it goes into various types of manufacture including tanks and cooling towers, caskets, furniture, and millwork. In construction, too, redwood serves spe- cial purposes such as for sills, siding, and interior work. Because of these spe- cial properties and uses, promoted widely by the redwood industry, redwood lum- ber is sold throughout the United States. One fourth of all redwood lumber ship- ments in 1953 went to the Central and Plains States and an additional 20 per cent went to southern, eastern, and ex- port markets. Humboldt County's principal competi- tion in these redwood markets comes from the nine other California counties which make up the Redwood Region. Only three of these — Mendocino, Del Norte, and Sonoma — contribute sub- stantially to redwood lumber supply. Taken together, the nine other counties usually produce only about 15 to 20 per cent more redwood than Humboldt County alone. Thus, Humboldt's red- wood mills are the biggest single source of supply for a long-established, high- quality product with nationwide market acceptance. Markets for Douglas-fir: for construction in California In contrast to redwood, three fourths of the Douglas-fir lumber produced in Humboldt County is consumed in Cali- fornia. Because of its strength and re- lated properties, Douglas-fir is used largely in the construction industry for structural members, flooring, and fram- ing purposes. Humboldt fir mills are in direct competition with long-established fir producers in Washington and Oregon, but they have a geographic advantage over these older mills on the large Cali- fornia construction market. Unlike the softwoods, markets for Humboldt's hardwoods await solution of certain manufacturing problems. PLYWOOD — A YOUNG BUT IMPORTANT INDUSTRY Plywood production did not begin in Humboldt County until 1947, but growth of the industry has been rapid. There are now four plywood plants with an estimated annual capacity of over 240 million square feet of plywood (on a %- inch basis). In addition, five veneer plants have an estimated capacity of about 360 million surface feet of green veneer per year. Although redwood is used to a limited extent and some Sitka spruce goes into container veneers, the plywood and ve- neer industry utilizes mostly Douglas-fir. The fir can be manufactured into ply- wood more easily than redwood, and the market for fir plywood is much broader, as redwood is confined to special-purpose products. £0 Plywood Mills £Q Green Veneer Mills Contoiner Veneer ond Cooperoge Mills Four plywood and five veneer plants demon- strate the rapid growth of the plywood industry which was nonexistent in the County prior to 1947. [11] Knots and similar defects can be in- cluded in plywood cores, but face ve- neers must be of clear material obtained from high-grade logs. As a result, peeler logs must be carefully selected. Nor- mally only a fraction of the timber in a forest will meet the quality standards re- quired for plywood manufacture. This is why the typical plywood plant has to draw its raw material supply from a considerably larger forest area than does the sawmill, using only the best logs in each stand. For this reason and also because the industry is new and owns only a small proportion of the forest land, most plywood plants depend heav- ily on purchases of peeler logs from other landowners. Competition between plywood plants and sawmills is heavy for high-grade Douglas-fir logs. The ply- wood industry has an advantage because plywood sells higher, per unit of logs used, than lumber. In effect, plywood plants absorb a bigger share of high- quality raw material, leaving an increas- ing proportion of lower grade logs for the sawmills. The plywood industry is still under- going rapid development both in its pro- duction methods and in its market out- lets. It can use more and more lower grades of raw material because manu- facturing methods are improving and the markets for utility grades are ex- panding. PULP — AN UNDEVELOPED INDUSTRIAL POTENTIAL Humboldt County has never produced any wood pulp. A small amount of tim- ber (6 million board feet per year) has recently been shipped to pulp mills else- where in California and, as will be de- scribed later, so has. an increasing vol- ume of wood residues from sawmills and plywood plants. But the production of pulpwood is of minor importance as an industry in Humboldt County. It seems improbable that pulp mills now oper- ating in the State will turn to Humboldt County as a source of raw materials in log form. The contribution which the pulp industry is likely to make to future development of the County will thus de- pend on the prospects for establishing a pulp industry within the area. The pos- sibilities for this sort of development are discussed in more detail on page 13 of this bulletin. OTHER WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES Other types of forest industry in Hum- boldt County include the manufacture of shingles and shakes, split products, poles and piling, and miscellaneous items such as greenery, tanbark, fuelwood, and Christmas trees. The shingle and shake industry is old and was established on the early use of redwood for this purpose. The County usually accounts for about half of all shingle and shake production in the State. About twenty shingle- and shake- making plants now operate in a normal year. The average plant employs but a few men. Raw material requirements for all plants are less than 10 to 15 million board feet per year. The general trend of production has been downward since the early 1920's. The redwood split-products busi- ness is unique to the Redwood Region. It produces posts, stakes, crossties, fence rails and similar small products obtained simply by splitting and trimming straight-grained redwood logs into the sizes required. The work is largely done with hand tools by small independent operators. Output varies considerably from year to year, particularly in re- sponse to demand for grapestakes and vineyard crossarms which account for more than 50 per cent of the split prod- ucts. In 1946, a year of fairly brisk ac- tivity, the total volume of wood used for split products was about equal to that sawed by one medium-sized sawmill. Poles and piling are produced in small amounts each year. The volume of material so used accounts for less than [12] 1 per cent of all wood used in the area, but the industry is significant: it pro- vides a potential market for smaller sizes of timber, not well suited for sawmilling, such as might be produced in the thin- ning of young growth forests. These minor industries use only a small amount of timber and provide em- ployment for only a few when compared to the lumber industry. Some of these industries may expand in the future, but their relative position is unlikely to change very much. They are important to the County, however, because they increase the variety in market outlets for forest products and because some of them use particular sorts of timber raw materials not suited for processing into lumber or plywood. OUTLOOK FOR FUTURE WOOD PRODUCTS DEMAND IS GOOD The future outlook for Humboldt's forest industries depends in part on what happens to demand for their products. As Humboldt's markets are dominated by nationwide influences, prospective trends in the United States demands for lumber, plywood, and pulp will do much to determine the future of the County's timber industries. These three commodi- ties accounted for 91 per cent of all tim- ber products (other than fuelwood) con- sumed in the United States in 1950. Lumber outlook: stable Lumber accounts for 60 per cent of the wood used in the United States. Con- sumption reached its all-time peak level in 1906 and since then has fluctuated, sometimes widely. The general trend of consumption has geen slightly down- ward, but since World War II the market has shown tremendous strength despite steep increases in lumber prices. Today, lumber is about twice as costly, relative to other commodities, as it was in 1906. Yet consumption is only about 10 per cent lower. Lumber demand over a period of years is mainly influenced by three factors: Rate of increase in population Level of national income and Extent to which competing materials are substituted for lumber. Recent careful studies of these factors indicate that if the United States econ- omy maintains reasonable general pros- perity, requirements for lumber during the next 20 years are likely to be as good or better than during the past five years. If this appraisal is correct, markets for Humboldt County's lumber should be generally good during the same period. Its market position should be strength- ened for two main reasons: competing timber supply areas (such as the Pacific Northwest and the South) are more likely to feel the pinch of dwindling raw material supplies, and the County is close to the most rapidly expanding market area in the United States. Plywood and pulp outlook: more expansion Consumption of plywood and pulp has grown rapidly during recent decades. Use of paper and paper board (the chief mar- ket for pulp) jumped from 2.2 million tons per year in 1899 to 28.9 million tons in 1950. Plywood consumption in 1950 was twice that of 1940. Trend studies indicate that demands for plywood and pulp will probably remain on the in- crease as long as the nation's economic prosperity continues its present rapid expansion. The growing demand for these prod- ucts has meant rapid expansion of pulp and plywood production facilities in the forested sections of the nation. In the case of plywood, Humboldt County has shared in this expansion, but pulp de- velopments have been concentrated else- where. However, timber depletion in other sections of the country gives Hum- boldt County an increasing advantage. It suggests that Humboldt is in a strong [13] position to compete with other areas for its share in an enlarged pulp and ply- wood market. Pulp development would, of course, depend on perpetuating the ample water supply now potentially avail- able. Timber supply — the key to prosperous forest industries The broad trends of nationwide de- mand and supply suggest that, between now and 1975, the outlook for the prod- ucts of Humboldt's forest industries is good. It is true that lumber markets have always been temperamental, often pass- ing from highly prosperous to depressed conditions (or vice versa) within a few months. It would be unrealistic to as- sume that such changes can be avoided in the future. But the fundamental fac- tors which will influence demands for the County's wood products indicate that these ups and downs will take place around a stable or modestly expanding long-term market. This market is based on fundamental needs of the entire Amer- ican economy. If stability of the Hum- boldt timber supply can be assured and if production costs can be kept at levels which are competitive with other areas, the prospects for prosperous forest in- dustries are good. TYPE OF INDUSTRY AFFECTS EMPLOYMENT Type of forest industries and the way they are organized have an important bearing on general economic conditions because of their effects on employment. Where timber resources are limited, greater employment and general eco- nomic activity can be supported by for- est industries which require a small in- put of raw material per man employed than by those which require a large input. The amount of raw material re- quired per unit of employment, of course, varies and depends on many complex factors. It also changes from time to time as manufacturing technology im- proves. But regardless of these varia- tions, employment per M board feet of timber cut can be increased by manu- facturing a more diversified or more re- fined product, and by expanding indus- tries like plywood and pulp and paper which use more labor per unit of wood. For example, it requires about twice as much labor to manufacture one thou- sand board feet of timber into either ply- wood or paper as it does to convert a similar volume into dressed lumber. Further local remanufacture of lumber into caskets, millwork, or furniture may increase the amount of labor used per thousand feet of wood required by two- or three-fold. As a result, the Humboldt economy could be strengthened by fostering the growth of more intensive and diversified forest industries. This kind of growth would broaden the economy, whereas mere expansion of logging and rough lumber manufacture would further jeop- ardize its resource base. [14] PRBSiHT TIMBER S0PPU6S are large but unless steps are taken soon, many mills which do not own timber will have trouble obtaining enough logs to last their operations for another 10 years. Suggested steps: More access roads Professional advice on sales agreements Better use of woods and mill leftovers. To supply Humboldt's forest indus- tries during the immediate future the County, in 1953, had some 47% billion board feet in mature commercial timber stands. About IIV2 billion board feet was redwood, the remainder mostly Douglas-fir. In addition, the County also contains about 13 billion board feet in immature stands. These estimates repre- sent the total volume in trees 12 inches in diameter or larger on commercial forest lands, regardless of how much of it will be economically available as a source of log supply. Whether this ma- ture timber inventory will actually sup- ply enough logs for the mills will de- pend on such factors as how accessible stands are, who owns them, how much the land owners know about marketing methods, and how much is "wasted." ACCESS TO STANDS The principal stands of old-growth timber are located in northern and east- ern Humboldt County. In many of these areas logging to established mills will require longer truck hauls and the con- structon of many miles of new roads. This will raise the cost of logs procured from many of the remaining mature stands. Public roads built by the County, State, and Federal governments provide major links in the chain of roads lead- ing from the standing timber to the mill. Important blocks of mature timber must await construction of additional 11.5 BILLION BOARD FEET MATURE REDWOOD 36 BILLION BOARD FEET MATURE OTHER SPECIES 13 BILLION BOARD FEET IMMATURE TIMBER Humboldt County had an estimated 6OV2 billion board feet of standing timber in 1953 [15] roads before they can be used as sources of log supply. A better-developed public road system can also improve the pattern of logging. It would allow loggers to re- serve the more accessible operating areas for the rainy season and permit prompt operation of overmature stands before they lose much high-quality volume by further decay of the timber. Thus, the programs of road construction which County and State adopt during the next few years will have an important influ- ence on how much timber is available to the mills and how efficiently the exisiting mature timber inventory can be han- dled. OWNERSHIP A second feature of the timber inven- tory whch influences the effective future log supply is ownership. The present ownership pattern is shown in the illustrations on this and the following page. Three fourths of the old-growth timber in the County is privately owned. Most of the remainder is in the National Forest. (Old-growth redwood in State Parks is not considered as part of the commercial timber supply in this report.) The public commercial forest is almost all outside of the redwood zone. Federal ownership is heaviest in the northeastern sections where much of the existing mature timber is concentrated. Timber on Federal lands is sold by the government to the highest bidder. Gov- Three fourths of the forest land is privately owned. ernment agencies supervise timber cut- ting by the purchaser to insure proper protection of the forest area. Cutting cannot exceed the sustained yield capac- ity of the Federal holdings. The admin- istering agencies estimate the potential Humboldt County log supply from the Federal holdings at about 82 million board feet per year. But only a small fraction of this amount is being used now. Considerable road construction will be needed if use of Federal timber is to be expanded to this level. Private forest ownership in Hum- boldt County is tremendously diverse. It ranges from the large wood-using indus- trial corporations with thousands of acres of forest land to individuals holding only a few acres. The nature and di- versity of these private holdings is shown in more detail on the next page. The pattern of private ownership in the redwood zone is distinctly different from that in the rest of the Country. Tim- ber operators control 55 per cent of the old-growth redwood area. Much of the remaining redwood land is in the hands of holding companies and is thus com- mitted by contract or ownership connec- tions to established mills. Thus less than a fifth of the old-growth redwood land is owned independently of conversion plants. In contrast, over 40 per cent of the old growth area in the fir zone is owned by ranchers, farmers, and miscellaneous small owners not connected with the timber industry. In addition, only 27 per cent of the fir ownership is in holdings of more than 5,000 acres. In redwood the comparable figure is 67 per cent. All this means that many sawmills, not owning much forest acreage of their own, have to rely primarily on ranch and farm ownership (and on public forests) for their future log supply. This points to one of the central prob- lems of the forest situation in Humboldt County — the marketing of timber is often in the hands of farmers and other [16] small owners who are not well ac- quainted with timber markets. KNOWLEDGE OF MARKETING METHODS To get a clearer idea of timber mar- keting problems, the County Forestry De- partment conducted a survey of sample timberland owners whose land had been reported cut during 1952. Thirty eight per cent of the area was accounted for by large timber operators cutting on their own lands. Of the remainder, al- most half was timberland owned in con- junction with a stock ranch. Most of the other cutover area belonged to persons who owned it for miscellaneous purposes such as residence, recreation, hunting, or speculative investment. Two-thirds of the nonindustrial owners said that they sold their timber to get cash or to con- vert the forest land to grazing use. A survey of representative timber sale contracts revealed that many landowners sold timber without clearly recognizing the legal or physical effects of the sale on their property. Only 40 per cent of the sellers had legal advice, and few had pro- fessional forestry counsel. Most timber sale contracts merely stipulated price, the area to be logged, and the general method of cutting (usually either clearcutting in preparation for conversion to grass, or cutting to a minimum diameter in ac- cordance with State Forest Practice Rules). Important questions not covered in most private timber sale contracts in- clude these: Is buyer or seller to pay taxes on tim- ber between time of purchase and time of cutting? Is buyer or seller responsible for slash disposal? After removal of timber, when is the land to be released to the owner? Who owns the residual trees in areas of partial cutting? 13% FIR ZONE REDWOOD ZONE Forest industries own 87 per cent of mature redwood, 56 per cent of mature Douglas-fir. Ranch ownership is of greater importance in the fir zone where it accounts for 38 per cent of the mature stand. Six per cent is in miscellaneous ownerships. [17] What is the final date allowed for re- moval of the purchased timber? What are the landowner's rights with respect to existing roads and fences which are used or disturbed in the course of logging? What arrangements were made to give seller right-of-way in future sales of his remaining timber? A number of landowners have been troubled because they could not devise effective measures for securing the kind of logging practices that they would like to have used on their land. Some owners have refused to sell except to a buyer whom they knew. Others feel that, as long as they cannot control cutting prac- tices effectively, permanent management of their land for timber production is not feasible. This situation makes existing methods of timber marketing one of the key prob- lems in timberland management on medium- and small-sized forest hold- ings. Price-wise, landowners have done fairly well in many cases, but not so in most other aspects of their timber sale transactions. As a result, they often find the timber-sale business unattractive. And this is a third factor (next to loca- tion and ownership) which hampers orderly use of existing timber inventories and raises a serious obstacle to good management of the land. The landowner needs guidance and advice on legal and timber management procedures, and more effective supervision of timber sale agreements is essential. UTILIZATION OF TIMBER The timber inventory figures in this re- port show the potential volume of lumber in the standing trees. The extent to which these potential volumes are utilized is a fourth and important factor influencing the real supply of timber. We know, for example, that actual wood volume con- tained in finished lumber is far below the wood volume contained in the stand- ing tree from which that lumber was cut. Where markets are well developed and diversified, a high proportion of the total wood contents of the standing tree may be utilized. Where they are not, substantial volumes of wood may remain unused in the form of residues left in the woods and slabs, edgings and saw- dust resulting from manufacture. During recent years lumbering opera- tions in the Redwood-Douglas-fir Region have resulted in the use of 280 cubic feet of standing timber inventory for every 100 cubic feet of wood contained in rough lumber output, according to studies of the California Forest and Range Experiment Station. At first glance it would appear that there should be con- siderable room for "stretching" the ex- isting inventory into a bigger actual supply of raw material through improv- ing this ratio of utilization. But actually, the situation is not this simple. True, part of the material is wasted because operators are careless or loggers and millers do not apply the best techniques. Better training of workers and closer supervision of woods and mill operations could reduce real wastes of this sort. But even with the best knowledge and techniques, a large volume of small, low- grade material is obtained in any timber operation. This is a necessary by-product of shaping trees — often defective ones — into pieces of usable dimensions and qualities. Much of this material is not "waste" — it is wood for which no eco- nomical use exists under present market conditions. Logging residues. The volume of the total residual material is very sub- stantial — approaching 175 million cubic feet of wood in Humboldt County in 1953. About two fifths of the total is log- ging residues left in the woods. Most of this is pieces which are too small for use in existing log markets in the County, but which would be suited for manufacture of pulp if a pulpwood market could be [18] developed. Studies of sample logged-over areas indicate that sawlog and veneer material could be salvaged in certain areas, but the bulk of the logging residues in Humboldt probably won't be usable until an active market for pulpwood is established in the County. Milling residues were estimated by the Forest Service at over 100 million cubic feet in 1952. At that time 4 per cent of these left-overs were used for pulping, 31 per cent for fuel and minor uses, and the remaining 65 per cent were unutilized. Since then, utilization for pulp has expanded steadily. In 1954 twelve Humboldt County plants were equipped to convert coarse sawmill or plywood plant residues into pulp chips. A small number of additional chip in- stallations were being considered. It seems probable that these planned pro- grams will use most of the suitable ma- terial at the larger plants. If there is to be further expansion, it will be necessary to install new equipment to increase the volume of bark-free residue, or to use residues from the small plants. It is well to emphasize that, apart from fuel uses, most established processes for wood conversion cannot use fine ma- terial such as sawdust. About 37 per cent of existing mill residue is in this class. LOG SUPPLY — A PROBLEM OF THE NEAR FUTURE The facts on the questions just dis- cussed — inventory, access, ownership, marketing, and utilization — add up to a fairly clear picture of the timber supply situation likely to exist in Humboldt County during the next several years. Operating companies owning enough timber to maintain their own log supplies for at least the next 10 years ac- count for about 40 per cent of the present level of timber products output. These firms apparently control about two thirds of the mature redwood and one fourth of the mature fir. They appear to be fairly well fixed for log supplies during the next decade but a few of them will further strengthen their position by pur- chasing more logs, timber, and timber- land. The mills responsible for the remain- ing 60 per cent of present production are dependent for their logs on timber owned either by small owners and ranch- ers or by the Federal government. The 1953 cut on Federal land was about 25 million board feet. This supply could in the future be expanded to perhaps three or four times this level if the necessary access roads are constructed. But even if fuller use of Federal timber is thus achieved, about 800 million board feet of the industry's annual wood needs will fall primarily on nonoperating pri- vate ownerships which own a total of al- most 15 billion feet of mature timber. Much of this volume is not yet tapped by roads and a significant proportion is in high-cost or low-quality stands. These facts suggest strongly that (if present trends continue) mills without large tim- ber supplies of their own are going to have log supply problems within the next 10 years. These problems will be serious enough to force curtailment of many op- erations. For a few years such problems could be minimized by building more access roads. But where much timber is in the hands of small nonoperating owners, as is the case of Humboldt County, more roads could result in an increase of new, short-term mills rather than in improv- ing log supplies for those already in op- eration. Although relatively large volumes of wood remain unused in logging and in sawmilling,most of these residues are un- likely to be usable in existing industries. Some improvement in utilization prac- tices can of course be made and should be encouraged. But most of these resi- dues can only be utilized if further mar- kets for pulpwood in Humboldt County are developed. Establishment of a local mill to use low-grade wood appears prac- [19] ticable and highly desirable if Humboldt wants to achieve the fullest possible use of available wood supplies. In visualizing what the present timber supply situation may mean for the future, it is useful to contrast existing inven- tories with present rates of cutting. What would be the outlook if industrial output in the County were to continue for the next 20 years at about the 1951 level? The volume of standing timber used by Humboldt County's industries in 1951 is shown in the illustration below. Of this 1% billion board feet of timber used, 32 per cent was redwood, the re- mainder very largely Douglas-fir. The 1953 total timber inventory was about 38 times as big as the volume cut for commercial use. But actually the sup- ply situation was not so favorable as this figure might suggest. Of the total of 16% billion board feet of redwood timber in- ventory, only 11% billion was in mature stands. Thus, in terms of ability to main- tain current cutting levels with types of timber such as are presently used in red- wood lumbering, the existing redwood inventory probably represents less than 20 times the 1951 cut. In fir, the present supply of mature timber is relatively greater — about 28 times the cut, after allowing for cutting restrictions on Fed- eral holdings. But even this more favor- able ratio means that Humboldt County cannot afford to take a complacent view of its timber supply situation. Rather, it means that the most difficult part of the transition from old-growth timber liq- uidation to permanent timber manage- ment is not too far away. The County still has time to do many things which will ease that transition period — things that will be of real help in mitigating raw material shortages which would in- evitably result if present trends con- tinued. With prudence, these problems can be anticipated: the County has still time to avoid the sort of crisis which has wrecked the economies of many other timber-dependent areas. TIMBER INVENTORY IN 1948 TIMBER CUT IN 1951 HARDWOODS- 2% a-OTHER / CONIFERS 2% DOUGLAS FIR -66% REDWOOD 32% 65 BILLION BD.FT. 1.57 BILLION BD.FT. Total timber cut in 1951 was more than 2Vi per cent of total inventory. For each major species the proportion was about the same. But hardwoods and minor conifers were little used. [20] FOTURB TIMBER SUPPUiS require growth-promoting measures to be taken immediately. A stable future for the County's industry will depend on Shifting from an old-growth towards a a second-growth industry Shifting from a large-log towards a small- log industry Aiming at a timber budget a third below the present by 1975 Doubling the annual net growth to 500 board feet per acre Adopting more intensive forest manage- ment and protection. TIMBER GROWTH POTENTIAL IS HIGH Humboldt County contains some of the most productive timber-growing land in the United States. An acre of well-stocked young timber on the better sites will produce more than 1,000 board feet of new growth each year with little more help than good protection from fire. Under particularly favorable condi- tions of site and stocking, this rate of growth may be doubled in Humboldt County. As shown in the illustration below, three fourths of the commercial forest area in the County is classed as "high" site quality. This means land which, if fully stocked with young trees, would produce at least 600 board feet per acre a year. Over 90 per cent of the redwood zone land falls in this "high" site class. Much of this will, of course, grow timber faster than the minimum level of 600 board feet per acre a year. Ample rainfall and good timber soils make Humboldt's potential timber growth very high. If its potentialities are realized, there will be enough timber to provide annual growth equal to today's Three fourths of the forest land is high quality site. [21] level of cutting. But Humboldt is still a long way from realizing these possi- bilities. PRESENT TIMBER GROWTH IS LOW At present, net timber growth in the County is estimated at about 440 million board feet per year, or a little over 250 board feet per acre annually. Almost four times as much (960 board feet per acre) would be needed to balance the 1951 level of cutting. The principal reasons why the rate of growth is falling so far short of poten- tialities are: Old stands. Maximum growth rates are obtained only in relatively young stands of timber which are dense enough to occupy the ground fully. Much of Humboldt's forest area supports old stands or is only partly stocked with trees. In 1948, almost half of the forested area (860,000 acres) was still in mature and over- mature stands where annual net growth is probably less than 150 board feet per acre. Rates of growth on this large area can only be in- creased as the old stands are har- vested and converted to thrifty young growth and reproduction. Inadequate stocking. There are some 700,000 acres of young, rapidly growing trees in the County, but here growth falls short because of inade- quate stocking. Half of this young- growth area is less than 50 per cent stocked with commercial conifers. Be- cause there are not enough young trees to make full use of the land, an- nual growth on such areas is ordi- narily only 300 to 400 board feet per acre, compared with about 800 board feet actually obtained in the denser young-growth stands. Brush. Finally, there are more than 180,000 acres classed as "non- stocked." Less than 5 per cent of this is occupied by commercial conifers. Some of the area represents recent cutovers where young trees have not had time yet to become established. But most of the "nonstocked" land is occupied by brush, hardwood timber, or other vegetation which, unless it is treated, will prevent establishment of commercial timber stands for many years to come. These are the main reasons why the land available for timber growing in Humboldt County is being used to only a fraction of its potential. But growth can be increased as ever-larger areas of forest are placed under management. The important question is whether growth can be increased on a sufficient scale so the young stands will be able to support the County's timber economy by the time the old-growth reserves are gone. It is clear from what has just been said that, under present standards, Hum- boldt's principal economic foundation is sinking. MEASURES NEEDED TO PROMOTE GROWTH It requires 50 years or more for newly established saplings to reach the tree size that would permit their sale as saw- logs. So, if the timber supply situation during the next two or three decades is to be eased significantly, it must be done by methods which will increase the net growth of timber stands which are al- ready on the ground. The people of Hum- boldt County will do well to encourage all methods of forest practice which will build up merchantable timber supplies that can be cut in the decades immedi- ately following 1975. In old-growth redwood: selective cutting In old-growth redwood, selective cut- ting maintains current production and at the same time increases growth of merchantable timber. Removing only the bigger, overmature trees and leaving a fairly heavy reserve stand of mer- [22] Selective cutting in a mature redwood stand should leave the land well stocked with younger, rapidly growing trees (left). Ten years after such a cutting (below), reserved trees have accelerated their growth and redwood stump sprouts have increased tim- ber stocking. (Left photo by E. Fritz). charitable but thrifty trees, will yield several advantages: The oldest trees — which generally produce the smallest net growth of any age class because of natural mortality — are removed and used, thus reducing the risk of losses. The remaining younger trees will respond to the removal of their larger competitors by increasing their own rate of growth. This new growth will be laid down on trees already of merchantable size, so that the increased growth will be in a form which can be harvested when- ever the timber supply begins to pinch. Selective cutting in redwood stands is already an established practice in Hum- boldt County. Some operators have had almost 20 years of experience with it. Because it is important for the stabiliza- tion of the timber supply, every effort should be made to encourage more selec- tive cutting and the leaving of heavier reserve stands on additional redwood areas. But mere removal of part of the old-growth stand will not serve to in- crease growth and stretch out the old- growth supply. A partial cut which merely leaves for the future defective trees, or trees of poor form or low growth potential, may leave the forest in a worse condition than if no selection had been practiced. Selective cutting as a means for improving forest growth must carefully consider the forest condi- tions resulting from the cutting, and the effect of these conditions on the growth of the reserved timber. In the fir zone: cutting small areas Different practices are needed in fir timber. There, the old-growth tends to be much more "even-aged'; individual trees mature at a much earlier age; de- cay sets in earlier and is much more rapid; trees reserved from logging are much more susceptible to wind throw and other types of damage. That's why the selective cutting, so well adapted to the redwoods, may be undesirable in fir. If growth is to be built up fast enough to affect merchantable timber supplies by 1975, harvesting of the old timber must be conducted not by individual trees but according to the particular stand being cut. Stands must be classified so as to iden- tify the particular areas occupied by old, decadent timber. Such timber contrib- utes little or nothing to growth and is often deteriorating in both volume and quality. Every effort should be made to harvest and use as much of this overma- ture timber as possible, and as quickly as market conditions will permit. This may often mean leaving intermingled mature but thrifty stands for later use. In typical areas of fir old-growth this type of cutting will usually result in the clearcutting of small patches of timber. Within areas as small as 40 acres, ad- jacent but less decadent stands are left for harvest at a later date. The clearcut patches may be reseeded either by uncut stands, if they are close by, or by well- selected seed trees that are left for the purpose. In Humboldt County, past sales of fir timber usually have resulted in the har- vesting of virtually all merchantable trees from an entire 160 acre tract, or other legal subdivision, regardless of the fact that portions of the area included a high percentage of reasonably thrifty timber that could have been reserved for a later cut. Through more careful selection of logging areas and methods, in line with the principles just outlined, current growth of merchantable timber could be increased with minimum curtailment of present levels of cutting. POTENTIAL TIMBER SUPPLY IN 20 YEARS Obviously the timber supply situation in 1975 will depend on: Extent and kind of timber cutting, and type of forest management practices dur- ing the next several years. [24] No one. of course, can foresee exactly what either of these developments is likely to be. But we can estimate what the timber inventory situation might look like in 1975 if the level of cutting during the next 20 years remains the same as it was in 1951 and if growth rates re- spond, as they have in the past, to the conversion of old-growth to cutover status. Projecting timber inventories into the future on this basis leads to the results shown in the illustration below. The chart, of course, is not an attempt to indicate what will happen. It merely shows the effect on inventories if present cutting and growth rates were to be con- tinued. First, the total inventory of standing timber would be reduced to 60 per cent of the 1948 level. More important, the volume in old- growth stands would be only a third that of 1948. Virtually all of this old-growth reserve would probably be in the hands of either the few owners who now have large old-growth holdings or in Federal ownership. Young-growth stands would amount to 20 billion board feet, 65 per cent higher than in 1948. The merchantable volume 1948 1953 j^,^Ll 1963 1973 IMMATURE MATURE T 1 10 20 TIMBER VOLUME IN BILLIONS OF BOARD FEET I 50 I 60 I 70 If present growth and drain rates continue, mature timber by 1973 would be reduced severely, immature timber almost doubled— but total stand still almost cut in half. [25] of this immature timber would by then actually exceed the volume of old-growth remaining in the County, and the transi- tion from a forest economy based on liquidation of old-growth to one based on the management of young-growth would perforce be well advanced. How big an annual output of timber could be provided by a 1975 timber supply like that shown in the chart? On a liquidation basis the mature timber in 1975 might suffice for 10 years more of operation. But by 1975 sufficient Federal and private forest land will be on a per- manently managed basis so that it is vir- tually meaningless to assume liquidation of the stand. A better basis for evaluation might be to assume that during the next 20 years management of land will gradually im- prove with the result that annual growth rises to about 500 board feet per acre. If land-management policies then aimed to maintain permanent production by an approximate balance between drain and growth, an annual cut of about 870 million board feet of timber would re- sult. With the closer utilization of raw material which seems likely, this would permit production of commodities at close to two thirds of the 1951 level, and only slightly below the production actu- ally achieved as recently as 1949. In summary, this analysis suggests that there is a real possibility of transi- tion during the next twenty years from today's old-growth forest industry to an industry based increasingly on second- growth, and operating on a raw material budget more than one third below the current one, but still sufficiently big to provide a very substantial economic base for the Humboldt County economy . But to say that this is a realistic pos- sibility does not mean that it will be easy to achieve. The problem is one of time. Over a longer period of years net growth will undoubtedly increase to the 500 board foot per acre level. But to achieve it in two decades, without sub- stantially curtailing wood use in the meantime is likely to require a kind and intensity of forest management which has not yet been widely adopted in the County. Moreover, the timber supply in 1975 will certainly not support the "large log" industry which exists today. As has al- ready been noted, over half the merchant- able timber volume will be in young- growth stands. Methods of logging, meth- ods of manufacture, types of product, and even major markets will have to be very different from what they are today if the 1975 supply is to be used efficiently and in competition with other timber producing regions of the United States. If this transition toward a "small-log" industry is to be made effectively, it must at least be begun soon. Indeed, if it is not, there is real question whether the 1975 supply situation can be brought up to the level suggested in the present chapter. [26] GOOD FOREST MANAGEMENT requires recognition of certain problems which often do not seem to be relevant to management practices. Yet, they can be obstacles or incentives to good management, depending on how they are handled. They include: Ownership Aspects Marketing Aspects Land Management Taxation Fire Protection. To enable the County's forest re- sources to support dependent industries adequately after 1975, better forest man- agement is needed now. It takes several decades for good man- agement to show results in terms of marketable wood supply. If steps to im- prove management are deferred another 10 years, a major slump in economic ac- tivity is in prospect as soon as timber needs can no longer be met from avail- able old-growth timber supplies in the county. Better management means better silvi- cultural practices on the ground. Whether such practices can be adopted widely will depend on a variety of fac- tors, such as ownership, land uses, mar- keting practices, taxation, and fire pro- tection. We will take up these problems one by one and see when they can be- come an obstacle to good management, and under what conditions they can in- duce good management. OWNERSHIP ASPECTS For what purpose is the property owned? Is it large enough to justify a full-time forester? One obstacle to better forest manage- ment is the fact that 55 per cent of the private commercial forest in the County is owned by people who use their land primarily not for timber growing, but for farming and livestock production. This is particularly true in the Douglas- fir zone. Obviously, these people will have fewer economic incentives to timber growing than those whose principal pur- pose in ownership is the timber. Another obstacle to better manage- ment is the fact that 62 per cent of the private forest in the County is owned by people who hold less than 10,000 acres. These holding are too small to justify the owner in employing a full-time technical forester. Since technical forestry super- vision is needed for good management, ownership of small holdings presents a problem. From time to time some small owner- ships are consolidated into bigger ones through purchase. Further consolidation would help to eliminate these obstacles to good management. But the consolida- tion process is slow, and recent levels of timber prices have not been encouraging to this sort of thing. Moreover, two fifths of the forest is owned as part of medium- and small-sized ranch and farm units whose owners will prefer to keep their holdings intact. [27] MARKETING ASPECTS Good prices, stable markets and well- drawn timber-sale contracts stimulate good management. Prices With so much of the forest land owned by small or nonindustrial owners, over half the timber destined for manufacture in Humboldt County passes through the timber market. Conditions in the market have a strong and direct influence on the kind of land management practiced by the owners who sell standing timber. Marketing processes in Humboldt County vary tremendously. Although there are many potential buyers in the County, the number interested in any particular tract at a given time is usually very small. No two tracts of timber are directly comparable in value because they differ in location, quality of trees, and ease of logging. As a result, a man's familiarity with timber industries and timber values and the strength of his bar- gaining position greatly affect timber prices. One stand may differ vastly in quality from another. The amount of defect in the timber, the proportion of peeler or other high-grade stock, nature of the ground to be logged, distance from the mill, and length of logging road that must be built, all differ from one tract to the next. As a result stumpage prices vary widely from sale to sale. Thus, in a sample of 27 Douglas-fir sales made in 1952 the highest reported price was 10 times as great as the lowest. As shown in the chart below, tim- ber prices have risen rapidly since the end of World War II in response to the tremendous expansion in production of lumber and consequent demand for logs. Redwood stumpage, except for periods of depression, has been marketable for many decades. But prior to 1940 Doug- las-fir stands were of little interest to timber buyers. As a result fir prices were nominal and little of this kind of timber AVERAGE 1 ? PRICE. DOLLARS PER M BD.FT. 10 i i i t \ \ / \ / / / / / / \ \ \ \ \ \ \ * / y \ • REDWOOD -DOUGLAS- FIR ( w i i f \ i T^ 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 Reported prices of standing timber have been rising steadily. [28] 1953 1954 changed hands. The postwar boom in Douglas-fir prices thus found many land- owners eager to sell timber which for many years had had no apparent value. The experience of the last decade has now clearly established the value of fir timber. Even with the apparent levelling off in industrial expansion, stumpage prices may well become stabilized near present levels. Partly because of location with respect to established mills and partly in reflec- tion of timber quality differences, aver- age stumpage prices vary greatly within the County, particularly in the fir areas. Such variations are shown graphically for fir timber on the map below. The value of timber, as shown by cur- rent prices, is one major factor influenc- ing forest management. So long as fir prices were nominal, there was no eco- nomic incentive to good timber manage- Differences in the location of timber may in- fluence its price strongly. Labels show average price of Douglas-fir stumpage in various dis- tricts. ment on fir land. Indeed, the case was quite the opposite with taxes and other carrying charges pressing owners to get rid of the apparently worthless fir in favor of some more productive form of land use. Establishment of a substantial value on fir timber has thus provided the first and most essential incentive to better land management. But other as- pects of the timber marketing situation have not been so favorable. Contracts and terms of sale Most owners who sell timber in Hum- boldt County do so on the basis of a written contract. About a third of these contracts provide for a lump sum pay- ment to the owner based on an estimate of the volume of the standing timber. Such estimates have often tended to be extremely conservative, with the result that owners have not received payment for all the timber actually harvested. A more common arrangement is for pay- ment based on the volume of logs re- moved as measured at the buyer's mill. Where log measurement ("scaling") is properly supervised, the owner will re- ceive payment in proportion to the volume of timber actually removed from his property. But unless such terms of payment are reinforced by other con- tract specifications they may encourage wasteful utilization in the woods. The buyer pays only for those logs which are removed and hence he may leave much marginal or low quality material on the ground. As we have shown on pages 17 and 18, landowners often sell timber without a clear recognition of either the legal or physical effects of the sale on their prop- erty. To make the timber sale business more attractive to many owners of forest land and to remove a major obstacle to good management, legal and technical advice on timber sale matters need to be used more widely by forest land- owners. [29] LAND MANAGEMENT On farm and ranch woods: pas- ture or timber? How should the trees be harvested? A particularly vexing problem on the important farm and ranch ownerships is whether to convert Douglas-fir land to pasture use or to keep it in timber. During the last five years permits to clearcut 44,750 acres of fir land were issued by the State Division of Forestry. This represents 7 per cent of all privately owned timberland in the fir zone. Where is clearcutting and conversion to grazing use desirable? On certain soil types proper treatment of the land after logging has produced good stands of grass. But often conversion has failed because the soil, the existing cover, or conversion methods were unsuitable. Land owners are also beginning to wonder whether timber (with its in- creasing value) may not be a more profitable use even where conversion to grass is possible. For example, the net returns from grazing on converted pas- tures on some representative properties in the County show annual net returns of $1 to $1.50 per acre over a period of years. Similar land, well stocked with timber, has a yearly net growth of about 500 board feet per acre, worth $3 or more at current timber values. To com- plicate the comparison, tax assessments may differ depending on the type of land use, and cash receipts may often be deferred longer in the case of land held in timber. Decisions reached by owners as to the best use of their land also have great importance for the County economy as a whole. Preliminary comparisons show that use of land for timber growing would result in twice the amount of em- ployment within the County as would be obtained from pasture use. To solve the problem of proper land use, several things are needed. First, soil characteristics must be identified by a careful survey of soil conditions. Then, the landowners must be assisted in inter- preting the technical soil surveys in terms of their own ranch management problems. Also, owners need better guides to help them compare the eco- nomic results of timber versus grazing use under specific physical conditions and types of ranch organization. A series of detailed case studies of particular ranch properties would help provide such guidance. Steps have already been taken to start such studies. Timber-cutting practices on small own- erships usually fall far short of what is needed to keep the forest productive. For example, on representative small prop- erties in the Douglas-fir zone which were cut in 1952, only 20 per cent of the tim- ber-producing capacity is presently being used by established growing stock. Even if some additional natural reseeding takes place, the stocking won't be more than doubled. So, under present man- agement practices, the land may not grow timber at more than 40 per cent of its full capacity. This is not sufficient either for good profits to the owner or for proper maintenance of the County's tim- ber supply. Thus, more effective management practices need to be applied to these lands at the time of harvest. To secure them, the owner will need competent technical forestry advice on how best to handle his timber sale. To get it, profes- sional foresters must be consulted much more often. The service forestry pro- gram of the State and the work of the County Forestry Deportment can both contribute greatly to better management of farm and ranch timberland by help- ing owners to secure the technical advice which they need. On industrial timberlands: Favor- able taxation? Fire protection? Com- munity understanding? Industrial owners of forest land fall roughly into three groups on the basis of their apparent capacity to manage [30] their holdings for future timber supplies. The first group includes owners whose properties are large enough to supply their manufacturing operation with their own timber. For the most part, this means a minimum holding of 20,000 acres of land. These owners usually em- ploy at least one full-time technical for- estry advisor. They have plans for per- manent land management with pro- visions for regeneration. Logging is carefully supervised. In the redwood area (where most owners of this class are located) selective cutting methods have been widely adopted. Frequently, experience with this practice has en- couraged the owner to leave an increased percentage of the stand as a reserve. This sort of management tends to "stretch out the old-growth" and to build up the timber supply for the period a few decades hence. A second class of industrial owners includes those operating companies whose land holdings, though sizable, are not sufficient to assure them of all the log supply they require. Continued op- eration of such companies will depend on their ability to purchase stumpage from public lands or on the private tim- ber market. These owners therefore try to maintain their own timber as a reserve and meet a substantial portion of current log needs from these other sources. So far as their own lands are concerned, their policies and practices of manage- ment are much like those of the first group. Finally, there are numerous industrial owners whose holdings consist of smaller tracts, often scattered, held for current cutting. Without an assured long-term log supply, such owners are interested mostly in current logging efficiency and they have little or no incentive to man- age cutover land. Logging operations on such ownerships vary rather widely in their effects. But too often the pressure to get logs at low cost may lead to un- necessary and unwise destruction of the future productive potential of the land. This short-term viewpoint is reflected both on lands owned by such operators and on much of the cutting done on the land of nonindustrial owners. For the most part such operators do not employ technically trained people to supervise land management aspects of their ac- tivities. The State Forest Practice Rules then provide the only approach to limit- ing logging practices to those consistent with permanent forest productivity. More than three fourths of the indus- trial timberland is in the first two of these groups. Usually, the owners already have technical forestry advice and as- sistance. Their ability to practice good forest management depends primarily on whether or not the general economic environment is favorable for forestry in Humboldt County. The most important things which the County can do to improve this environ- ment include: Insuring equitable timber taxation; promoting better fire protec- tion; developing more general under- standing in the community of the impor- tance of industrial forest management to the Humboldt economy. TAXATION OF TIMBER In the County tax base: Destruc- tive tax burdens must be prevented. A situation is developing in the County in which the tax burdens in some areas may become destructive for the planning of better forest management. As we have stated on page 7 forest and forest industries provide one of the ma- jor financial sources for County govern- ment. However, some important changes have taken place in the timber taxation situation during the last two decades. The illustration on page 32 shows that the total assessed timber acreage in the County increased by 64 per cent be- tween 1931 and 1952. Yet the total volume of assessed timber decreased by 37 per cent. Here is the reason why: In 1931 practically all of the assessed tim- [31] berland was old-growth redwood. Fir timber, having no market value, was not assessable. As fir values rose, such tim- ber was placed on the tax rolls. The as- sessed timber acreage thus grew rapidly after 1946. At the same time, liquidation of old-growth timber — both redwood and fir — was removing assessed stands from the tax rolls in increasing volume every year. The newly assessed timber was of lower intrinsic quality and value than that taken from the rolls by liquidation. This accounted for the reduction in the total assessed value. In the future, assessed timber volumes will continue to decrease as old-growth timber is liquidated. Indeed, this is likely to have much more noticeable effects in the future than in the past because it will no longer be offset by substantial in- creases in the assessed area of fir timber. The tax situation suggests that con- 28.7 BILLION BOARD FEET 1931 ASSESSED ASSESSED AVERAGE ASSESSED TIMBER TIMBER ASSESSMENT VALUE AREA VOLUME PER M BD.FT. OF TIMBER 1952 18.1 BILLION BOARD FEET ASSESSED ASSESSED AVERAGE ASSESSED TIMBER TIMBER ASSESSMENT VALUE AREA VOLUME PER M BD.FT. OF TIMBER Assessed valuation of all timber is declining, despite the increase in value per M board feet and assessed timber area. This reflects the great decline in assessable timber volume per acre. [32] tinued normal liquidation of timber will result in further shift of the tax burden away from timber. Twenty-three per cent of all assessed valuation was on timber in 1952, compared with 36 per cent in 1931. Further decline in this proportion is to be expected. On a County-wide basis the effects of this shift on other forms of property should be moderate. But the situation may be serious for in- dividual taxing districts where timber now constitutes an abnormally high pro- portion of the tax base and where cutting is proceeding at a rapid rate. A district- by-district study of the role of timber in the tax base would be very desirable, in order to determine where the potentially critical areas are while there is still time to prevent destructive tax burdens from developing. As a factor in timber manage- ment: Taxes can force owners to aban- don good management practices. Taxes on timber are vital in the fi- nancial structure of Humboldt County government; but they also often de- termine whether or not forest manage- ment is practical for private owners. Al- though the impact of taxation on for- estry is complex, two representative cases will illustrate the problem. First case: a sawmill cutting 50 mil- lion feet of redwood per year. It is on a permanently producing basis because it owns 45,000 acres of old-growth timber. General property taxes on land and standing timber are $50,000 per year. This tax amounts to $1 per M board feet of current annual cut. At present, with timber worth $10 or more per thousand, the owner can afford to pay the exisiting levels of taxes in order to insure a per- manent supply of logs for his mill, thus protecting the capital invested in the plant. But if the level of taxes on the standing timber increases very much, the owner may soon feel that the timber tax burden is costing more than the bene- fits of permanent operation justify. If this occurs, the owner will take steps to reduce the tax burden by speeding up the cut. This will reduce the tax per M board feet of annual cut (that is, the tax per dollar of annual income), and will also lower his total amount of taxes by removing taxable timber from the as- sessment roll more rapidly. In other words, when taxes get too high the owner seeks relief by liquidating his timber, perforce abandoning his plans for per- manent management. This case indicates the dangers of heavy taxes on standing timber to a permanent timber industry. There is no evidence that taxes in Humboldt County have reached the point yet where they are likely to force liquidation of indus- trial holdings. But unless public officials exercise great care in keeping the tax burden under control, continued cutting of the old-growth will tend to force up taxes on the timber that is left. This is a problem of great potential seriousness. Second case: a rancher owning 3,000 acres of fir old-growth as part of a larger landholding. Before 1945 such holdings were taxed only on the value of the land because fir timber in most Humboldt County locations then had no value. The rancher paid taxes averaging $0.13 per acre a year, or a total of $390 annually on his timberland. But, with recent in- creases in fir values, the timber is now assessed. This results in more than a five- fold increase in the rancher's timber tax : he now pays $2,280 per year on the same timber. He is under strong financial pres- sure to sell his timber as soon as possible in order to reduce the tax burden. Un- like the case of the industrial owner, there is no offsetting incentive to hold the timber as a protection to a manu- facturing investment. Moreover, unless a timber sale is made, the owner receives no income from his forest land from which to pay the tax. Under such cir- cumstances rapid liquidation of the tim- ber is almost inevitable. This case illus- trates an immediate tax problem in the County. A survey of nonindustrial own- [33] erships in Humboldt shows that this tax impact has been one of the most vital factors influencing this class of forest owners to liquidate their timber hold- ings. There are no easy remedies for this problem. Keeping property tax burdens low will help. Possible ways must be studied to offset this existing pressure to liquidate all taxed timber as soon as pos- sible. On independent ownerships the tax obstacle provides probably the greatest single deterrent to managing the land in a way which will promote stability of the County's timber supply. The tax problems just outlined illus- trate the interdependence which exists between timber and nontimber segments of the Humboldt economy. If present LEGEND ^ Mon-coused Fires £ lightning Fires About 100 fires— most of them caused by man— burn on private forest land each year. Each symbol indicates one fire in a representa- tive year during the period 1949-1953 timber tax policies are continued, they will almost certainly result in prema- ture liquidation of much timber in non- industrial ownerships. This will react unfavorably on the economic stability of the whole County. On the other hand, any policy designed to eliminate the un- favorable effect of taxation on timber management is going to result in redis- tributing the burden of County financ- ing. To ease the pressure for immediate timber liquidation, nontimber property owners might have to bear more of the tax load in the years ahead. But unless they accept this additional burden now, liquidation of old-growth will auto- matically shift taxes in the same direc- tion within a few years anyway. Timber taxation is clearly a difficult problem, and better solutions are im- perative if wise forest management is to flourish in Humboldt County. These can only be developed as a result of careful and detailed study of the prob- lem by everyone concerned. Such a study has now been started by the County. FIRE PROTECTION Increasingly successful protection stimulates permanent management prac- tices. Protection of privately owned forest land in Humboldt County is the respon- sibility of the State, administered through the Division of Forestry with local headquarters at Fortuna. The ac- companying map indicates the approxi- mate location of uncontrolled fires dur- ing the period 1949-1953. (Fires within the National Forest boundaries are the responsibility of the Federal government and are not included in this discussion.) The average number of fires in the decade 1933-1942 was 60.1 per year; in 1943-1952 it was 111.7. This increase of 86 per cent reflects the increasing in- tensity of use of the forest area. Data on the causes of fire ( chart, page 35 ) show the greater relative importance of brush and debris burning and lumber- [34] ' , ' . ' . ' , ' , ' . ' . ' , ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . » . ' . i . I 1 1 . . . 17.1% 20.4% 19.4% cOtfTP SMOKING BRUSH & DEBRIS BURNING 43.1 % LIGHTNING, CAMP FIRES, INCENDIARY, RAILROADS, AND OTHER CAUSES LUMBERING Brush and debris burning, lumbering, and smoking cause more than half the fires. ing as causes of fire during the later decade. This is so because the forest area is being used more intensively, and also because smoker and incendiary fires were reduced to a remarkable extent. In the face of this great increase in use of timber areas and in the occur- rence of fire as a result of it, the actual area burned has declined. Between 1933- 1942 and 1943-1952 the average total area burned declined from 9,661 acres per year to 8,893 acres per year. This in- dicates that the general level of forest protection has improved over the past two decades. Despite heavier use and a greater number of fires, the average an- nual area burned has declined about 8 per cent, and the size of the average fire is only one half of what it was 20 years ago. But much work still needs to be done to bring down fire losses to a wholly satisfactory level. More than 31 per cent of the recent area burned was due to in- cendiarism and more than 37 per cent resulted from fires incident to lumbering operations. Intensified efforts have to be made to reduce these causes of fire. The fire protection program on private lands is an established responsibility of the State government and, as the figures above suggest, it has been carried out with gradually increasing effectiveness over the years. The fact that timber utilization in Humboldt County now covers an area of far greater extent than it did only ten years ago, and that natural fire conditions are much more hazardous in the fir area than in the older areas of operation has greatly intensified the fire protection problem. In this situation the most important role for the County is support of further intensification of State fire control activities within the County. COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING Here lies the fcey to better forest man- agement. Improved forest management is badly needed now. It can only be brought about by recognizing each of the num- [35] erous specific obstacles and removing them one by one. Good management of forest land is like good farming — it re- sults from careful day-to-day attention to many relatively small and very local- ized problems. Public policies and laws can help create an environment condu- cive to good forestry, but they are no substitute for constructive forest prac- tices designed by competent forest man- agers to meet each particular forest con- dition and each of the varied needs of the hundreds of individuals who own timberland in Humboldt County. To get this kind of practices there must be well- informed, effective, and intensive super- vision of each forest area by the owner or his representative. The outlook for forest management in the County is favored by the great po- tential productivity and rapid growth of its timber soils, by a well established forest industry, and by a pattern of land ownership which has many points of strength. Despite the great recent expan- sion of logging, the County still con- tains a backlog of mature timber which will give it a few years of grace before the worst consequences of timber de- pletion become inevitable. If the people of Humboldt begin to act now to solve the more important problems which have been discussed in this circular, the future outlook for forest management, and for the entire County dependent on it, can be good. APPENDIX Statistics of the Humboldt County Forest Economy I. General economic statistics "°' Persons gainfully employed, by occupation, 1950 1 Per cent of gainfully employed, by industry groups, 1930, 1940, and 1950 2 Civilian income, 1940 to 1951 3 Proportion of civilian income, by type of payment, 1947 and 1950 4 Insured payrolls, by industry group, July-September, 1949 5 II. County finances Receipts of County government, by source, 1951 to 1952 6 Assessed valuation, 1928 to 1952 7 Assessed valuation for selected classes of property, 1952 8 Comparison of timber assessments, 1931 and 1952 9 Land assessed, by class of land, 1952 10 III. Forest industries Forest products industries, 1952 11 Number of active sawmills and lumber production, 1940 to 1952 12 Lumber production by species groups 13 Number of sawmills and production, by mill size, 1951 14 Leading lumber producers, 1953 15 Consumption of lumber in selected manufacturing uses, 1948 16 Geographic distribution of redwood and Douglas-fir lumber shipments, 1953 ; 17 Redwood lumber production, by counties, 1951 18 IV. Existing forest inventory Estimated timber volume on commercial forest land, 1948 19 Estimated timber volume, by species groups, 1948 20 [36] Table No. Area of old-growth timber stands, by geographic location, 1948 21 Extent of access to principal timbered drainages, 1953 22 Ownership and age-class of commercial forest land, 1948 23 Federal forest land ownership, 1948 24 Private forest land ownership, by type of owner, 1948 25 V. Forest growth and drain Estimate of logs used and timber cut for commodity production, 1951 .... 26 Age-class of timber on commercial forest land, 1948 27 Site quality of commercial forest land, 1948 28 Density of timber stand on young-growth areas, 1948 29 Average annual growth per acre on commercial forest land, 1939 to 1948 30 VI. Private land ownership and management Private commercial forest land, by purpose of land use, 1949 31 Per cent of forest land in private ownerships of various sizes, 1949 32 Private commercial forest land in selected classes of ownership, 1949. . . .33 Number of fires and area burned on private commercial forest land, 1933 to 1952 34 Proportion of forest fires from various causes, 1933 to 1952 35 Proportion of area burned, by cause of fire, 1933 to 1952 36 VII. Other statistics Volume and class of logging residuals on 49 sample plots, 1953 37 Volume distribution of logging residuals, by class of material and log diameter 38 Estimated volume of milling residuals, by type of material and end use, 1952 39 Average reported stumpage prices, selected periods 40 Range of reported prices paid for stumpage, 1946 to 1953 41 Geographic variation in index of prices paid for Douglas-fir stumpage, 1946 to 1953 42 [37] Table 1. Persons gainfully employed in Humboldt County, by occupation, 1950 Occupation Number of persons employed Per cent of all employed BASIC INDUSTRIES: Agriculture 2,051 28 426 8,726 482 202 389 8 * 2 33 2 1 1 Mining Forestry and fisheries Manufacturing : Lumber, wood products and furniture Food processing Printing and publishing All other manufactures Total, basic industries 12,304 47 SERVICE INDUSTRIES: Wholesale, retail trade 4,726 3,660 1,784 1,693 512 765 642 18 14 7 6 2 3 2 52 Business, personal, professional Construction Transportation, utilities Finance, insurance, real estate Public administration Other services Total, service industries 13,782 INDUSTRY NOT REPORTED 345 1 Total, all occupations 26,431 100 * Less than H of 1 per cent. Source: U. S. Bureau of Census, Census of Population 1950. [38] Table 2. Per cent of gainfully employed in Humboldt County, by industry groups, 1 930, 1 940, and 1 950 Industry group Per cent of all employed 1950 10 * 2 33 2 1940 1930 BASIC INDUSTRIES: Agriculture and food processing Mining 16 1 1 29 2 19 1 12 15 5 Forestry and fisheries Lumber and wood products All other manufactures Total, basic industries 47 36 6 7 3 49 52 SERVICE INDUSTRIES: Trade, business, personal, professional Transportation and utilities 35 6 6 3 30 9 5 2 Construction Public administration Total, service industries 52 50 46 INDUSTRY NOT REPORTED 1 1 2 Total number in all occupations 26,431 16,428 19,449 * Less than Y 2 of 1 per cent. Source: U. S. Bureau of Census, Census of Population 1950, 1940, 1930. Table 3. Estimated civilian income in Humboldt County, 1940-1951 Income Tear (thousand dollars) 1940 $27,814 1941 37,230 1942 45,336 1943 59,434 1944 65,484 1945 61,734 1946 66,641 1947 87,924 1948 101,892 1949 98,196 1950 117,126 1951* 139,566 * Preliminary. Source: California State Chamber of Commerce, Research Department Economic Survey Series. [39] Table 4. Proportion of civilian income in Humboldt County derived from various types of payment, 1 947 and 1 950 Type of payment Per cent of total civilian income 1947 1950 Wages and salaries Proprietors' income and rents . . . Dividends and interest payments Other payments Total 60.4 27.7 4.8 7.1 100.0 66.6 21.5 4.4 7.5 100.0 Source: Based on California State Chamber of Commerce data on civilian incomes in California published in its "Economic Survey Series." Table 5. Insured payrolls in Humboldt County by industry group, July-September, 1949 Industry group Payroll (nearest $1,000) Per cent of total payroll Agriculture, forestry, and fishing $ 154 12 963 $ 412 6,994 4 313 1.1 negl. 7.0 3.0 50.9 negl. 2.3 56.2 7.7 19.2 8.8 Mining Construction Manufacturing : Food and kindred products Lumber and wood products Furniture, fixtures Other manufacturing Total manufacturing 7,723 1,056 2,623 1,209 Public utilities Wholesale, retail trade Service, financial and other Total $ 13,740 100.0 [40] Table 6. Receipts of County government, by source, 1 95 1 —1 952 Source Receipts (nearest $1,000) Per cent of total Taxes and assessments : Real estate and secured personal property $ 3,799 219 55 5,210 987 27 590 1,071 653 340 29.3 1.7 0.4 31.4 40.3 7.6 0.2 48.1 4.6 8.3 5.0 2.6 Unsecured personal property Other Subventions and grants : State Federal Other Licenses, fines, permits, fees, and other Trust funds Bonds Intergovernmental service Total $ 12,951 100.0 Table 7. Assessed valuation in Humboldt County by years, 1928—1952 Year Total valuation Year Total valuation 1928 1929 1930 1931 $58,401,371 57,870,175 58,137,940 56,930,544 54,948,801 48,287,443 47,734,298 51,280,079 50,272,051 49,603,762 49,846,837 49,699,952 1940 1941 $46,969,513 45,579,660 44,971,435 46,875,505 46,331,975 47,325,185 48,104,635 53,042,585 57,205,133 62,816,715 65,569,990 70,536,525 80,439,620 1942 1943 1944 1932 1933 1934 1945 1946 1935 1947 1948 1936 1949 1950 1951 1952 1937 1938 1939 Source: Humboldt County, Annual Financial Report (1928-1952). [41] Table 8. Assessed valuation in Humboldt County, 1952, for selected classes of property Class of property 1952 assessed valuation Per cent of total Timberland Redwood Other Timber $ 3,367,108 $ 1,730,410 1,636,698 18,390,880 10,534,195 7,856,685 575,445 4,106,380 1,024,900 458,700 52,515,207 4.2 2.2 2.0 22.8 13.0 9.8 0.7 5.1 1.3 0.6 65.3 Redwood Other Logging equipment Sawmills Plywood plants Other wood-using plants All other assessed property Total assessed value $80,439,620 100.0 Source: Humboldt County Assessor's Office. Table 9. Comparison of timber assessments in Humboldt County 1931 and 1952 1931* 1952 1 Total private acreage 1,734,330 441,669 25.5 $56,930,544 $20,524,514 36.1 28.7 $0,715 $46.47 65.0 1,754,000| 727,444 41.5 $80,439,620 $18,390,880 22.9 18.1 $1,015 $25.28 24.9 Timber acreage assessed Timber acreage as per cent of total Total assessed value of county Assessed value of timber Timber assessment as per cent of total Assessed timber volume (billion bd. ft.) . Average assessment per M bd. ft Average timber assessment per acre Average assessed volume/acre (M bd. ft.) Sources: * Schoneld, W. R. Report on timber taxation in the State of California. Submitted to California Tax Re- search Bureau, November 1, 1932. t From Assessor's records, except for total acreage. X Estimated total area in private ownership. [42] Table 10. Area of land assessed in Humboldt County, by class of land, 1952 Class of land Area in acres Per cent of total WITHIN TIMBER AREAS: Timberland Timbered, redwood 214,446 512,997 167,160 135,182 92,479 6,500 13.3 31.7 10.3 8.4 5.7 0.4 Timbered, other than redwood Logged, redwood Logged, other than redwood Second growth, redwood Second growth, other than redwood Total timberland 1,128,764 464,030 24,065 69.8 28.7 1.5 Grazing land Agricultural land Total land within timber areas 1,616,859 100.0 OUTSIDE TIMBER AREAS: Agricultural, pasture, urban, and suburban land 137,000 County total (in private ownership) 1,754,000 Table 1 1. Forest products industries in Humboldt County, 1952 Industry Volume of output Lumber 1,350,000 M bd. ft., lumber tally 210,000 M sq. ft., $4" equivalent (1951) 3,995 M bd. ft. 7,565,000 pieces (1946. More recent estimate not available) 135,000 squares (1951) 8,399 pieces 6,000 M bd. ft., log scale (approximate) ) \ No accurate estimates available. j Veneer and plywood Cooperage Split products Shingles and sawed shakes Poles and piling Pulpwood* Fuelwood Bark Greenery Christmas trees * Does not include mill residues used for pulp. [43] Table 12. Number of active saw- mills and lumber production in Humboldt County, 1940 to 1952 Year Active sawmills Lumber production No. MM bd. ft. 1940 22 25 305 366 1941 1942 30 408 1943 37 40 433 436 1944 1945 49 419 1946 99 271 1947 108 597 1948 159 816 1949 162 168 174 825 975 1,223 1950 1951 1952 180 1,350 Source: Division of Economics, California Forest and Range Experiment Station, U. S. Forest Ser- vice. Table 13. Average production of lumber by species groups, Humboldt County, 1936-1 940 and 1948-1952 Average annual production Redwood All other species All species MM bd. ft. Per cent MM bd. ft. Per cent MM bd. ft. 1936-1940 258.7 400.0 88.8 38.5 32.5 637.8 11.2 61.5 291.2 1948-1952 1,037.8 Source: Division of Economics, California Forest and Range Experiment Station, U. S. Forest Service. [44] Table 14. Number of active sawmills and lumber production by species and mill size, Humboldt Count/, 1 95 1 Size of mill* No. of active sawmills Lumber production (MM bd. ft.) Redwood Douglas fir Other species Total Large 13 22 139 174 271.2 55.3 67.6 252.0 279.5 278.5 8.6 6.0 4.7 19.3 531.8 340.8 350.8 1,223.4 Medium Small Total 394.1 810.0 * Large — 1951 production 25.0 million bd. ft. or more. Medium — 1951 production 10.0-24.9 million bd. ft. Small — 1951 production less than 10.0 million bd. ft. Source: Division of Economics, California Forest and Range Experiment Station, U. S. Forest Service. Table 1 5. Leading lumber producers in Humboldt County, 1 953 Name of company Production (Million bd. ft.) First mill 1953 1952 1951 1950 built in The Pacific Lumber Co.* 106.1 91.3 50.0 56.4 55.7 51.8 43.0 33.1 32.2 31.6 30.0 30.0 28.3 24.0 21.3 145.4 93.4 65.8 46.9 t n.r. 41.8 36.7 n.r. 20.0 27.0 n.r. 26.1 25.0 24.1 152.1 97.5 57.1 42.0 i n.r. n.r. 36.8 n.r. 19.0 33.6 n.r. 33.0 21.0 47.7 132.7 105.0 51.0 n.r. t n.r. n.r. n.r. n.r. n.r. 38.2 33.6 16.0 42.9 1888 Hammond Lumber Co. f 1893 Dolly Varden Lumber Co.f 1946 Mcintosh Lumber Co 1949 Eureka Redwood Lumber Co 1863 California Barrel Co 1910 Fortuna Sawmills Inc. f 1949 Sound Lumber Co 1946 Brix Lumber Co 1949 Areata Redwood Lumber Co.f 1939 Northern Redwood Lumber Co 1885 Western Studs Co 1950 Holmes Eureka Lumber Co 1903 Sugar Pine Lumber Co 1947 G. L. Speier Co.§ 1941 * Two mills in 1953; 3 mills for earlier years. t Two mills. | Mill operated by and reported as The Pacific Lumber Co. § Four mills, 1950-51; 2 mills 1952-1953. n.r. = Not reported. Source: Based on data published in The Timberman or obtained by Humboldt Co. Forestry Dept. [45] Table 16. Consumption in the U. S. of Redwood and Douglas-fir lumber in selected manufacturing uses, 1948 End use Per cent of total consumption Redwood Douglas fir Car construction and repair negl. 13.9 3.3 negl. 11.9 36.4 28.6 5.9 100.0 12.4 0.4 11.2 11.1 3.8 30.2 0.4 30.5 Caskets and burial boxes Containers Flooring Furniture Millwork Tanks Other manufactures Total manufacturing uses 100.0 Based on U. S. Forest Service, Wood used in manufacture, 1948, Forest Resource Report No. 2, Table 16, Washington, 1951. Table 1 7. Geographic distribution of Redwood and Douglas-fir lumber shipments, 1953 Destination area Redwood* Douglas firt (Per ce shipm nt of all ents) California Other western Rocky Mountain Central and Plains ... South East Offshore and export . . Total 49 3 1 2 / 25 11 8 2 100.0 74 18 8 100.0 of Sources: * California Redwood Assoc. Distribution eastern shipments, 1953, State -6. t Humboldt County Dept. of Forestry sample of 22% of Douglas fir mills. Table 18. Redwood lumber production by counties, 1951 County Redwood production Million bd. ft. Per cent of total Humboldt 394.1 321.5 82.3 42.1 18.0 46.0 37.4 9.6 4.9 2.1 Mendocino Del Norte Sonoma-Marin Other counties Total 858.0 100.0 Source: May, R. H. Lumber production in Cali- fornia and Nevada — 1951. California Forest and Range Experiment Station Forest Surrey Release No. 17, 1952. [46] Table 19. Estimated timber volume on commercial forest land in Humboldt County — 1948 (Volumes in billion bd. ft., International Va" rule) Timber type zone Ownership Total Public 0.7 14.7 15.4 Private Redwood zone 27.2 22.7 27.9 Douglas-fir zone 37.4 Total 49.9 65.3 Table 20. Estimated timber vol- ume in Humboldt County, by species group, 1 948 (Volumes in billion bd. ft., International Va" rule) Species group Volume Redwood Douglas-fir Other conifer 16^ 43 4 65 Hardwoods All species Table 21. Area of old-growth timber stands, by geographic location, 1948 (area in thousand acres) Geographical unit Old- growth timber Per cent of all old growth Orick Klamath Hoopa Areata 140 143 152 27 56 91 58 48 52 93 860 16 17 17 3 6 11 7 6 6 11 100 Fortuna Board Camp Blocksburg Dyerville Garberville Mattole Total Table 22. Extent of access to principal timbered drainages in Humboldt County, 1953 Drainage Redwood Creek Klamath River Trinity River Mad River (Lower) Mad River (Upper) Van Duzen River Eel River and South Fork Eel River above South Fork Junction . Mattole River Extent of access by type of road State and county c A A B C A A C B Federal B B C C Private A C B A B A A B C Extent of access — entire drainage B B A B C A A C B Extent of access: A = good; B = fair; C = negligible. Table 23. Commercial forest land by type of ownership and by age-class of timber, 1 948 Age class To Type of ownership Old growth Young growth cal M acres Per cent M acres Per cent M acres Per cent Public : Federal 274 4 408 174 32 * 48 20 161 7 319 393 18 1 36 45 435 11 727 567 25 State and local Private : Timber operators or investors Other private 1 42 32 Total 860 100 880 100 1740 100 * Less than l i of 1 per cent. Source: Table 7, Forest Survey Release No. 16 Table 24. Area of commercial forest land in Federal ownership, by type of ownership, 1948 Type of ownership Area of land (thousand acres) Per cent of Federal total National forest Indian land 292 99 44 435 67 23 Other Federal 10 Total 100 Source: Table 7, Forest Survey Release No. 16. [48] Table 25. Private old-growth forest by type of ownership, redwood and fir zones, 1948 (based on area owned) Type of ownership Timber operator Timber holder Range livestock farmer Other farmers Recreational owner Other Total (per cent) Total (thousand acres) Per cent of private old growth Redwood zone Fir zone All areas 55 21 37 32 35 33 6 33 21 4 5 4 1 2 2 2 4 3 100 264 100 318 100 582 Table 26. Estimate of wood used in production of commodities and resultant timber inventory used in Humboldt County, 1 95 1 Product Lumber Veneer and plywood . Allother* Total Commodity production 1123 MM bd. ft. 210 MM sq. ft. M" basis Logs used MM bd. ft. log scale 1,195 95 40 1,330 Timber inventory used MM bd. ft. Int. }4" log rule 1,400 120 50 1,570 * Includes cooperage, shingles, split products, etc. Table 27. Commercial forest land by age class of timber, 1 948 Age of timber stand Thousand acres Per cent of total Old growth 860 260 323 114 183 49 Young growth-old growth Large young growth. Small young growth . . Nonstocked 15 19 7 10 Total 1,740 100 Source: Table 9, Forest Survey Release No. 16. Table 28. Site quality of commercial forest land, Redwood— Douglas-fir subregion and Humboldt County Site quality* Redwood- Douglas-fir subregion, per cent 65 28 7 100 Humboldt County Thousand acres Per cent High 1,320 355 65 1,740 76 20 4 Medium Low Total 100 * "High" includes Site Classes I, II, and III; "Medium" = Site Class IV; "Low" = Site Class V. Source: Forest Survey Releases No. 16 and 19. Table 29. Density of timber stand on stocked young growth areas in Humboldt County, 1948 Dense and semi-dense Open 202 29 Very open Total Area in thousand acres 357 51 138 20 697 Per cent of total 100 Source: Table 11, Forest Survey Release No. 16. Table 30. Average annual growth per acre on commercial forest land in the Redwood— Douglas-fir subregion, 1939—1948 Old growth Young growth-old growth Large young growth Small young growth Unstocked Average, all ages Source: Table 17, Forest Survey Release 19. Growth per acre Board feet, log scale, International > 4 - inch rule) Gross Net 356 130 348 244 694 670 149 122 20 14 375 251 [50] Table 31. Private commercial forest land, by purpose of land use, 1948 Per cent of commercial forest land Purpose of land use Redwood areas 73.4 20.2 3.6 1.8 1.0 100.0 Non-redwood areas County total Timber 17.4 55.3 23.0 4.0 0.3 45.1 Farming or grazing 37.8 Timber and farming or grazing combined Recreation or residential 13.4 3.0 Other 0.7 All uses 100.0 100.0 Source : Division of Economics, California Forest and Range Experiment Station, U. S. Forest Service. Table 32. Per cent of forest land in private ownerships of various size, 1948 Size of total land ownership (acres) Per cent of all commercial forest land Redwood areas Non-redwood areas County total Small : 0-699 17 20 63 100 37 44 19 100 28 34 38 Medium : 700-9,999 Large : 10,000 and over All sizes 100 Source : Based on Table 6, Forest Survey Release No. 16. r si i Table 33. Area and proportion of private commercial forest land in selected classes of ownership, 1949 Character of ownership Commercial forest area (M acres) 318 59 18 81 14 40 47 79 313 22 Per cent of area reported REDWOOD AREAS: Timber as major land use Large ownerships 32 6 2 8 1 4 5 8 32 2 Medium and small ownerships Farming as major land use Large ownerships Medium and small ownerships Other major land uses NON-REDWOOD AREAS: Timber as major land use Large ownerships Medium and small ownerships Farming as major land use Large ownerships Medium and small ownerships Other major land uses TOTAL FOR AREA REPORTED 991 303 100 LAND USE NOT REPORTED Total 1,294 Table 34. Number of fires and area burned on private commercial forests in Humboldt County, by years, 1933 to 1952, in zone of State responsibility Year No. of fires 61 73 86 80 28 56 76 43 47 51 Acres burned Year 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 No. of fires 54 73 156 126 122 67 174 127 95 123 Acres burned 1933 1934 1935 1936 544 8,869 19,095 50,655 329 7,458 6,470 974 564 1,649 1,114 802 43,007 1,863 1937. 2,360 1938 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 702 1939 5,212 1940. . 13,786 1941 8,582 1942.. 11,500 Source: Reports of California Division of Forestry. [52] Table 35. Proportion of forest fires from various causes on private land in Humboldt County, by five-year periods, 1 933—1 952 Cause of fire Lightning Brush and debris burning Campfires Incendiary Lumbering Railroads Smokers Miscellaneous Per cent of all forest fires 1933-1937 3.0 10.3 4.6 51.8 5.2 0.6 21.1 3.4 1938-1942 0.4 10.4 3.1 31.3 7.4 0.4 40.4 6.6 1943-1947 3.7 21.7 3.4 11.5 16.2 3.5 27.1 12.9 1948-1952 2.4 20.4 2.8 12.8 19.4 6.3 17.1 18.8 Source: Reports of California Division of Forestry. Table 36. Proportion of area burned, by cause of fire, on private land in Humboldt County by five-year periods, 1933-1952 Cause of fire Lightning Brush and debris burning Campfires Incendiary Lumbering Railroads Smokers Miscellaneous Per cent of total burned area 1933-1937 negl. 1.0 0.8 81.1 16.3 negl. 0.7 0.1 1938-1942 4.3 1.8 0.2 51.2 10.4 negl. 30.6 1.5 1943-1947 3.3 8.9 1.1 17.8 6.0 0.7 56.7 5.5 1948-1952 0.3 12.8 0.4 31.5 37.6 1.9 5.6 9.9 Source: Reports of California Division of Forestry. Table 37. Volume and class of logging residuals found on 49 Douglas- fir zone sample plots, Humboldt County, 1953 Class of material Coniferous wood : Sawlogs Pulpwood Hardwood : all classes Total Average volume per acre (cu. ft.) 400 1,790 410 2,600 Per cent of total 15.4 68.9 15.7 100.0 [53] Table 38. Volume distribution of logging residuals by class of material and log diameter Minimum log diameter (inches) Sawlogs Pulpwood Proportion of total residual volume (per cent) Cumulative proportion (per cent) Proportion of total residual volume (per cent) Cumulative proportion (per cent) 28 or larger 21 10 8 4 5 12 12 12 10 6 negl. 100 21 31 39 43 48 60 72 84 94 100 100 100 28 5 5 4 5 5 7 8 7 8 8 6 4 100 28 33 38 42 47 52 59 67 74 82 90 96 100 100 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 Total Table 39. Estimated volume of milling residuals in Humboldt County, by type of material, and end use, 1952 End use Type of material (per cent) Coarse Fine Total For fiber 4 14 1 44 15 1 21 4 29 2 65 For fuel For other uses Unutilized Total: per cent. . Volume (MM cu. ft.) 63 68.6 37 40.0 100 108.6 Source: Forest Utilization Service, California Forest and Range Experiment Station. Table 40. Average reported stumpage prices in Humboldt County, selected periods Period Average reported price per M Redwood Douglas fir 1929-1933* 1939-1943* 1949-1953 $2.80 2.00 10.00 $1.30 1.40 7.00 Note: Computed averages have been rounded to the nearest 10 cents. * For the entire Redwood region. Sources: 1929-1933 and 1939-1943 based on data appearing in Steer, Henry B. , "Stumpage and Log Prices." U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Statistical Bulletins Nos. 32-82. 1949-1953 based on sample survey of 100 stumpage sales. [54.] Table 41 . Range of reported prices paid for stumpage in Humboldt County, 1 946-1 953 Year Redwood Douglas fir Average Range Average $1.95/M no data 4.23 5.60 3.91 7.43 7.67 8.03 Range 1946 no data no data $ 7.02 /M 11.25 7.71 10.00 11.61 9.50 no data no data $ 4.88-$8.25/M 10.00-12.50 4.40-10.00 no data 10.00-12.15 9.00-10.00 $1.00-$3.50/M no data 1947 1948 2.00- 6.00 1949 4.00- 7.11 1950 2.00- 7.11 1951 4.25-15.00 1952 1.50-15.00 1953 2.50-11.26 Source: Based on reports of landowners and timber purchasers covering 120 transactions. Table 42. Geographic variation in index of prices paid for Doug- las-fir stumpage in Humboldt County, 1946 to 1953 Geographic area Price index Blocksburg 61 91 115 115 126 134 Mattole Garberville Klamath Hoopa Board Camp County average 100 6to-2,'55(8749)JF [55] There's plenty of eppertunity for young men in forestry Good salaries Comparable to other professional work requiring the same training. Plenty of jobs For three years there have been more offers than takers among U. C. School of Forestry graduates. Outdoor life X. *r- 4* ■ FOR INFORMATION about your career in forestry: Write to Dean Frederick S. Baker Room 243, Forestry Building University of California Berkeley 4, California