Nort Coast Timber Resource Statistics

North Coast Timber Resource Statistics

Timber Resource Statistics for the North Coast Resource Area of California, 1994

Abstract

Waddell, Karen L.; Bassett, Patricia M. 1996. Timber resource statistics for the North Coast Resource Area of California. Resour. Bull. PNW-RB-214. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 50 p.

This report is a summary of timber resource statistics for the North Coast Resource Area of California, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties. Data were collected by the Pacific Northwest Research Station as part of a State-wide multiresource inventory. The inventory sampled private and public lands except reserved areas and National Forests. The National Forest System provided data from regional inventories of North Coast National Forests. Area information for parks and other reserves was obtained directly from the organizations managing these areas. Statistical tables summarize all ownerships and provide estimates of land area, timber volume, growth, mortality, and harvest. Estimates of periodic change of volume and area on timberland are presented for all ownerships outside National Forests.

Keywords: Forest surveys, forest inventory, statistics (forest), timber resources, resources (forest), periodic change, trends, North Coast, Del Norte County, Humboldt County, Mendocino County, Sonoma County, California.

Summary

The North Coast Resource Area of California includes about 6 million acres of land in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties. Over 75 percent of this land is forest land, with an estimated 3.4 million acres in timberland. Forest industry and other private owners each hold about 40 percent of the timberland, for a total of 80 percent that is privately owned. Redwood, Douglas-fir, and tanoak forest types predominate in the North Coast Resource Area. Softwood and hardwood forest types occupy about the same amount of land area, but softwood growing stock volume is 2.5 times greater than hardwood volume. Most of the 13.7 billion cubic feet of volume in the North Coast Resource Area is in softwood forest types growing in stands of sawtimber-sized trees. The majority of volume outside National Forests is found in even-aged stands between 30 and 70 years old, compared to National Forests where most stands exceed 150 years. Estimates of change between 1984 and 1994 are available for land outside National Forests. Data from both points in time were compiled by using current methods and procedures, thereby providing a common basis to evaluate periodic change (this is more accurate than using previously published data for 1984 as a comparison for change). An analysis of change indicates that timberland area has decreased by almost 111,000 acres. Part of this loss is due to conversion from forest to nonforest; specifically, 21,000 acres went to urban areas, a net of 17,000 acres went to rights-of-way, and a net of 9,000 acres went to agriculture use. The remaining timberland loss is due to the reclassification of 64,000 acres to a reserved status. During this period, timberland area (outside National Forests) occupied by softwood forest types was reduced by an estimated 106,000 acres, primarily in the redwood type. This type change was the result of harvesting and mortality of softwoods on plots previously classified as a softwood forest type. Standing volume within softwood types decreased by about 400 million cubic feet, and volume in hardwood types increased by an estimated 900 million cubic feet (about 25 percent). The standing growing-stock volume of softwood trees remained steady on land outside National Forests, but hardwood volume increased by about 500 million cubic feet (about 16 percent), for the period.

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