Tropical Deforestation

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Pennsylvania Forests
November 11, 2005
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Forest Ownership in Pennsylvania
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NORTHWEST PA -- REGIONAL FORESTRY CONTEXT

• 1. Crawford County Forest Cover
• 1998 55 forested 315,000 acres
• 1920 26 forested 150,000 acres
• 2. Forest Species Distribution
• Northern Hardwood Forest Species gt 60
• Dominant Species Black Cherry, Northern Red
  Oak, Red Maple
• 3. Forest Ownership Patterns
• gt 95 of forest land privately owned
• Approximately 10,000 forest landowners
• Average forest holding 30 acres

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BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY IN NORTHWEST PA

• 1. Forest Ownership Patterns
• Highly dispersed ownership
• Demographics (aging population, increased
  absenteeism)
• Short tenure of ownership (average lt 11 years)
• Absence of formal management plans (5-10 have
  plans regional foresters score private forest
  management practices at 2 on a 1-10 scale)
• 2. High Deer Populations
• 30-40 deer/sq. mile, 15-20 is more optimal

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Difference in forest regeneration on two sides of
a deer exclosure fence.
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BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY IN NORTHWEST PA
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• 3. Logging/Harvest Practices
• Predominance of high-grading and diameter-limit
  cutting
• 15-20 year surge in prices for northern hardwoods
  high and rising demand for these species
  depressed local farm and regional economy
  fierce competition for logs and willing (but
  perhaps unwitting) sellers
• Rates of logging on private lands appear
  unsustainable. In 1998, 55 sawmills in the county
  processed approximately 90 million board foot of
  lumber. Equivalent to anywhere from 10,000 to
  25,000 acres of forest lands being logged, or
  3-8 of forested area in the county.
• Recent moratoria on logging in the Allegheny
  National Forest has likely led to increased rates
  of logging on private lands in surrounding
  counties.

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Experimental cut in the Allegheny National Forest
to illustrate the outcome of even-aged
management of forests in Pennsylvania.
1928
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1937
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1947
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1958
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1968
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1978
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1988
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1998
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Price of wood as it moves through the commodity
chain
Retail Outlet2500/Mbf
Forest Landowner
2500
Final Consumer
Cooperative Value-added Processing
2000
450
Flooring or Molding Mill
Consulting Forester
1550
80
Lumber Broker/ Distributor
Logging Contractor
610
1500
Green Sawmill
Log Broker/ Trucker
Lumber Broker/ Distributor
Kiln Operation
660
1000
1050