by Susan L. Levan-Green
and Jean Livingston
Forest Products Journal Sept. 2001
The 2000 fire season in the West demonstrated what happens if we do not actively manage our forests to reduce overstocking of small-diameter trees: more than 6.5 million forest acres were burned. The intensity of these fires was primarily related to severe drought conditions and the long-term effects of a national wildfire suppression policy, which led to an unnatural buildup of brush and small trees in our forests and range lands.
For example, in northern Arizona, ponderosa pine stands that once contained 50 trees per acre now contain 200 or more trees per acre. The species type has also shifted from a more fire-resistant species like ponderosa pine to a less fire-resistant species such as grand fir, Douglas-fir, and sub-alpine fir. Thus, wildfires today, "burn hotter, faster, and higher that those of the past."
For fiscal year 2001, the U.S. Congress enacted emergency legislation that provided funding to the Forest Service to increase firefighting response, restore landscapes, rebuild communities, and reduce fire risk. As part of this legislation, some funds are to be used to work with communities and others (such as local businesses, universities, Rural Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils, state and local government agencies, and engineering firms) to develop uses for SDU material. However, this funding is only a catalyst to begin action. For future generations, we, in forestry and forest products, need to find solutions to economically restore our forests to a healthy and productive condition, on both federal and private lands.
One barrier to achieving this goal is that not all SDU material can be utilized for high-value uses. To overcome this problem, the material must be sorted into its best and highest value use, a practice that has usually taken place at the log landing. Logs are sorted based on their physical quality, such as number of rings per inch, size of knots, and straightness. Estimates indicate that creating higher-value uses for 20 to 30 percent of the thinned material could improve the economics of forest management operations. Logs may be similar in size, but due to their growth history, the physical properties may be different. The logs with tight growth rings, small knots, and relative straightness would be the type of material that could be turned into value-added products. There would be another 40 to 50 percent of thinned material that would be available for the traditional log markets, such as dimension and nondimension lumber. Finally, the residues would be targeted to low-value market opportunities such as compost, mulch, and energy. Dramm is developing guidelines on the procedures and economics for log-sort yards, particularly those associated with Forest Service activities.