HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 1984

BYRepresentatives Hargrove, Belcher, Basich, Jones, Sayan, Raiter, Vekich, Beck, Brumsickle, Bowman, Doty, Winsley, Kremen, Cooper and H. Myers 

Requiring the department of natural resources to prepare a timber supply report.

House Committe on Natural Resources & Parks

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (11)

      Signed by Representatives Belcher, Chair; K. Wilson, Vice Chair; Beck, Ranking Republican Member; Brumsickle, Dellwo, Ferguson,R. Fisher, Fuhrman, Hargrove, Raiter and Sayan.

House Staff:Bill Koss (786-7129)

Rereferred House Committee on Appropriations

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments by Committee on Appropriations.  (25)

      Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Grant, Vice Chair; H. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member; Belcher, Bowman, Brekke, Brough, Dorn, Ebersole, Ferguson, Hine, Holland, May, McLean, Nealey, Padden, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Spanel, Sprenkle, Valle, Wang and Wineberry.

House Staff:      Randy Acker (786-7136)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 13, 1989

BACKGROUND:

In 1982, Washington's timber harvest was made up by more second growth timber than old growth timber (older than 100 years).  This marked the first time this had happened.  The event typifies the transition going on in the state's forest products industry.

In the past 15 years, the timber inventory in Washington declined by about 10 percent.  From 1960 to 1980, the conifer inventory declined by about 13 percent. While these statistics indicate forest landowners are behaving in an economically rational manner, they also mean that the industry is changing and that local economies are being impacted.

The U.S. Forest Service recently decided to decrease its timber sales program based on new management plans and to protect spotted owl habitat.  This, combined with recent information regarding private inventory on the Olympic peninsula, causes concern over how local economies will deal with the changes.

The Governor's Office and the congressional delegation are now formulating plans to assist the local economies.  Decision makers are seeking data with which to evaluate how alternative timber supply scenarios might affect a locale.  Such data was last prepared in 1975, and only for eastern and western Washington, not for smaller regions. Since that time, the forest products industry has undergone several major alterations:  the number of mills operating declined notably, mill efficiency increased, the availability of public timber decreased and, some people believe, private timber inventories declined significantly.

SUMMARY:

By December 1, 1990, the Department of Natural Resources will prepare a report that assesses the timber supply in Washington.  The report will identify the existing timber inventory and the possible future timber inventory under various assumptions of landowner management, changes in forest land base, and harvest age.  The report will characterize its findings by region, timber ownership, land productivity, and major timber species.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    (Natural Resources) Judy Turpin, Washington Environmental Council; Pat McElroy, Department of Natural Resources; LeRoy Tipton, Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce; Don Clothier, Grays Harbor Economic Development Council director; Ann Goos, Washington Commercial Forest Action Committee; Gus Kuehne, Northwest Independent Forest Manufacturers;  Larry Mason, Forks sawmill owner; Steve Gano, Washington Forest Protection Association.

(Appropriations) Judy Turpin, Washington Environmental Council.

House Committee - Testified Against:      (Natural Resources) None Presented.

(Appropriations) None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (Natural Resources) Current timber supply data is too crude, inconsistent, and too old to permit good decision-making.  Policy makers need to get more precise and timely data, preferably at a regional level.  Several recent studies identified timber supply as an emerging problem; now that the problem has become one of immediate concern, people need to avoid making decisions using out-of-date information.

The Governor's Office and the Department of Natural Resources will provide money to assist the study.  The $150,000 in the bill is not enough to do the quality of job that is needed.

An adequate data base will bring the state into the 21st century and make Washington comparable with other states.

People need to identify the opportunity cost of setting land aside from timber production. The report should also look at the impact of not requiring logs to receive domestic processing.

The timber industry will assist in preparing the study.

(Appropriations) This study would provide information essential for good decision making.  Data on timber supply are of increasing importance as decisions about the use of forest resources are made.  Current data are inadequate.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (Natural Resources) None Presented.

(Appropriations) None Presented.