Overview of Supply, Availability, and Regulatory Factors Affecting Red Alder

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Future of Hardwoods in Oregon (and the Pacific
Northwest)
Glenn Ahrens Oregon State University Extension
Forestry Clatsop and Tillamook County
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Future of the Hardwood Industry Hardwood
Resource

• Available timber inventory
• Harvesting volume trends
• Long-term sustainable supply?
• Incidental hardwoods in the forest
• Managed hardwood forests

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Source USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis, BC
Ministry of Forests
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Source USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis, BC
Ministry of Forests 1995-2000
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• Abundant hardwoods are a legacy of past
  practices.
• Modern forest practices generally reduce the
  hardwood component in the PNW.

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Source USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis
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Source USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis
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• Availability of alder timber is reduced by policy
  and regulation
• Public timber policy federal and state
• Riparian management areas
• Unstable slopes
• Wildlife habitat

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Uncertain balance - determines the future of the
Hardwood Resource

• Negative factors
• Continued management favoring conifers
• Reduction in forest land base due to policy,
  regulation, and non-forest land use

• Positive factors
• Continued regeneration of incidental hardwoods.
• Increasing management for alder.

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Increasing Hardwood Management in the Future

• Depends on
• high market values log prices
• successful management techniques
• competitive timber yields and economic returns.

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Source Oregon Department of Forestry quarterly
log price reports 1977-2004
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Source Oregon Department of Forestry quarterly
log price reports 1977-2004
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For a brighter futureImprove the capability of
landowners to profitably produce and sell
hardwoods.

• Improve market options - veneer logs, sawlogs,
  pulp logs.
• Demonstrate yield and economic returns from
  managed alder.
• Continue research and education on how to manage
  for higher value hardwood stands .
• Increase availability of seedlings.