SALEM- Timber harvests on private lands have hit their lowest harvest since the Great Depression while harvests on public lands are on the rise, according to a recent report issued by the Department of Forestry.
The report found that timber harvests in 2009 declined twenty percent from the already depressed 2008 harvest. In 2009, 2.748 billion board feet were harvested, which is the lowest harvest since 2.622 billion board feet were harvested during the Great Depression.
Gary Lettman, Forest Economist for the Department said that the likely reason for this decline is the drop in demand for housing.
“Housing is down and most of Oregon’s timber harvest goes into housing markets,” said Lettman, adding that nonresidential construction and remodeling are also down, which does not help.
While Lettman stated that timber harvesting has increased on public lands, he pointed out that the increase wasn’t very much, going from 117 million board feet harvested in 2007 to 147 million board feet in 2009.
Lettman said that timber from public lands like the Bureau of Land Management is often sold on contract before being harvested. However, holding off on harvesting until the market improves is frequently a better choice for industrial loggers.
The most surprising thing about the current timber situation, Lettman said, was the continued delay in economic recovery, which is affecting home sales and timber harvests.
He cited the National Forecasting Service, saying that the beginning of an economic recovery is expected in 2011, but that income and demographics will likely not be back to normal until 2014.
“Some of the rural areas are really being affected in eastern Oregon,” said Lettman.
“I feel really bad for the families and communities that are affected by this downturn in the more rural areas [that lack] a lot of alternative opportunities.”
