STATEWIDE
The vast majority of Oregon’s timber harvest is
happening west of the Cascades, as Eastern Oregon harvests
decline to a point that’s threatening remaining mills
there. Eighty-seven percent of the total harvest in 2005
occurred in the western third of the state, while total harvest
in Eastern Oregon dropped 90 million board feet from 2004,
according to a recent Oregon Department of Forestry report.
Overall, state timber harvests were down slightly from
’04. Much of the westside timber came from private lands
owned by timber companies. Meanwhile, harvesting on federal
forests in the eastern portion of Oregon declined. “A
beleaguered forest industry on the eastside of the state
managed to keep the few remaining mills operating,” says
Gary Lettman, a state forest economist. “But the
possibility of industry decline is worrisome, as lumber prices
fall, and the outlook for housing demand sours.”
