Forest Harvest Patterns on Private Lands in the Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA

Christopher Soulard,Glenn Griffith,Jessica Walker

doi:10.3390/f8100383

Christopher Soulard, Glenn Griffith + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/f8100383

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Abstract

Forests in Washington State generate substantial economic revenue from commercial timber harvesting on private lands. To investigate the rates, causes, and spatial and temporal patterns of forest harvest on private tracts throughout the Cascade Mountains, we relied on a new generation of annual land-use/land-cover (LULC) products created from the application of the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm to Landsat satellite imagery collected from 1985 to 2014. We calculated metrics of landscape pattern using patches of intact and harvested forest in each annual layer to identify changes throughout the time series. Patch dynamics revealed four distinct eras of logging trends that align with prevailing regulations and economic conditions. We used multiple logistic regression to determine the biophysical and anthropogenic factors that influence fine-scale selection of harvest stands in each time period. Results show that private lands forest cover became significantly reduced and more fragmented from 1985 to 2014. Variables linked to parameters of site conditions, location, climate, and vegetation greenness consistently distinguished harvest selection for each distinct era. This study demonstrates the utility of annual LULC data for investigating the underlying factors that influence land cover change.

Highlights

IntroductionHistory of Commercial Logging in Washington State
Patch analysis reveals that landscape pattern and structure in the Cascade ecoregions changed over the study time frame, though the individual dynamics of forest and harvest land cover types differed
While forest cover often regenerates in the decades following harvest and fire, a steady reduction in the total amount of productive forest will contribute to declines in private harvest volumes, with attendant disruptions of rural economies that rely on timber and paper industries [64]

Summary

Introduction

History of Commercial Logging in Washington State. The history of the commercial timber industry in the state of Washington dates back more than. The first federal logging regulations and large scale privatization of forest lands began in the early 1900s [1]. Prior to the latter half of the 20th century, federal involvement in the restriction of log exports was relatively muted due to the widespread perception of forests as a limitless resource that was useful for driving economic activity [2]. The Forest Resources Conservation and Forests 2017, 8, 383; doi:10.3390/f8100383 www.mdpi.com/journal/forests

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