1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS Web98-233 ENRMarch 10, 1998Federal Timber Harvests:Implications for U.S. Timber Supply(name redacted)Natural Resources Economist and Policy SpecialistEnvironment and Natural Resources Policy Divisio
2、nSummaryThe importance of federal timber has been debated at length over many years. Thefederal government owns about 20% of U.S. timberlands, concentrated in the west, andabout 30% of U.S. timber inventory (and 44% of the softwood inventory). Declines infederal harvests in recent years, and legisla
3、tion to end federal harvests, have led toconcerns about the impacts on forest health and on the economy. The national impactsappear to be relatively modest, but local and regional effects could be substantial.The importance of national forest timber has debated at length for many years. TheForest Se
4、rvice defines “timberland” as land capable of producing 20 cubic feet of indus-trial wood per acre annually. In 1992, there were nearly 490 million acres of timberlandin the United States, nearly 22% of the total land area. Another 247 million acres (11%)were identified as other forest land lands ei
