An Exploratory Analysis of Influences of Forestland Characteristics and Urban Infrastructure on Forestland Management Treatments

2010Timber supply from Washington State may be reduced by non-industrial private forest owners' diverse purposes for holding timberland, which is a concern since they control 38% of Washington forestland. This study is an exploratory analysis of the effect of land and human infrastructural characteristics on landowners’ likelihood to harvest, precommercially trim, and plant trees. Forest Service inventory data describing land characteristics is combined with structure counts from aerial photos, and urban growth area indicator data. Four land treatments: stocking, harvest, precommercial thinning, and planting are regressed in ordinary least squares, and logit models on independent variables representing land and human infrastructural characteristics. Industrial ownership was found to be positively associated with thinning and planting treatments, and higher timber-production lands, and non-industrial ownership was found to have positive relationships with urban indicators: building density and urban growth areas. Findings suggest industrial owners were more production oriented, also supported by their higher likelihood to precommercial thin and plant. The combination of urban growth area and high building density negatively affected the likelihood of thinning and planting by non-industrial owners, and less so for industrial owners. Timber supply and land conversion can be addressed with timber-production tax incentives, and thinning and planting support programs