Tongass National Forest

Tongass Timber Demand Estimate for FY 2004

Issue

Seeking to meet timber demand for the Tongass National Forest is required by Section 101 of the Tongass Timber Reform Act (TTRA) which states that, "...to the extent consistent with providing for the multiple use and sustained yield of all renewable forest resources, seek to provide a supply of timber from the Tongass National Forest which (1) meets the annual market demand for timber from such forest and (2) meets the market demand from such forest for each planning cycle." The determination of market demand and implementation of TTRA is measured periodically.

Background

The TTRA expected the “seek to meet market demand” to be used as the basis for scheduling timber harvest, but failed to define how market demand would be measured. In the May 1997 Tongass Revision Record of Decision, it was confirmed that the annual timber program would be based on the TTRA provision and that the methodology being developed to meet the requirements would be used to schedule volume to be made available to industry. In April 2000, the demand methodology was finalized in Responding to the Market Demand for Tongass Timber: Using Adaptive Management to Implement Sec. 101 of the 1990 Tongass Timber Reform Act.

Using this methodology, the annual timber sale program for the Tongass National Forest will be based on an estimate of the annual volume industry will purchase so that the volume under contract at the end of the year is equal to the annual mill production needs and volume necessary to compensate for the length of time required to replace volume harvested. Demand is the volume industry will purchase and is calculated for low, medium, and high market scenarios. If mill capacity remains constant, the annual demand will fluctuate depending on the accumulated volume under contract at the beginning of the year, the estimated annual harvest rate, and the projected market scenario for each year. The Forest Service is responsible to determine the amount of volume to be offered to meet the demand estimates.

Current Situation

Using the FY04 Timber Demand model, the estimate of volume to be offered to meet demand, by market scenarios, ranges from 153 million board feet (mmbf) in the Low, 177 mmbf Medium, and 254 mmbf High.

The projected Fy04 demand is based on the low market of 153 mmbf. With approximately 230 mmbf of NEPA-cleared timber currently under litigation it is expected that about 80 mmbf will actually be offered.

More Information

Dennis Campbell, Regional Office Forest Management, 907-586-8742

Current as of March 2004

USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest Accessibility Statement
Last Modified: November 25, 2007