Pack Forest Update10-15-10

Gregory J EttlAssociated Professor and Director

Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest

Pack Forest

UW’s Research and Experimental Forest– 4374 acres– Working forest (harvest 40 ac/yr)– 56,000 ft2 Conference Center– $900,000 annual operating budget– $38,790 state support, 15-25 UW employees

Self-sustaining– Private goods: timber, conference center revenue, grants

and contracts, cell phone tower leases, state support, salal and firewood

– Potential sale of development rights or property– Potential sale of ecosystem services—conservation

easements

SO WHAT HAS CHANGED?

Interim Director, School of Forest

ResourcesTom Hinckley

CSF-PF DirectorGreg Ettl

Forest Manager½ vacant

Woods Utility Lead0.6 FTE

Outreach SpecialistVacant

Woods WorkerVacant

Trail MaintenanceVacant-lay-off

Woods WorkerVacant

CSF-PF Program ManagerVacant

Conference ManagerTerri McCauley

Lead CustodianDiane Harris

Dining Hall SupervisorGeorgainne Crouchet

Program Assistant

Maintenance Mechanic0.8 FTE

Assistant to the Director

Pat Saunders

2 Research Assistantships

4 summer interns

Utility WorkerVacant-lay-off

10 Dining Hall Staff

Organizational Structure

15-25 Employees13 students and volunteers this

summer

Layoffs

Added Students

SO WHY THE CHANGE?

Forest Resources 4374 total acres

– 461 ac in ecological reserves– 118 ac adjacent to the main campus

buildings– 78 ac of forest adjacent to the main

entrance, and the junction of state HWY 7 and 161

– 3717 ac of production forest are available to support operations

Harvest History: Sorry but we cut too muchTotal land

base (timber production

land) in acres

Total acres harvested

Total land base

harvested (% of 4374 ac)

Land production % of what we owned at

time harvested

1970’s 2880 (2200?) 644 14.7% 29.3%

1980’s 4073 (3400?) 1105 25.3% 32.5%

1990’s 4374 (3717) 720.7 16.4% 19.4%

2000’s 4374 (3717) 462 10.5% 12.4%

Total 1970-2008

4374 (3717) 2932 67.0% 78.9%• Note that under a 35-year rotation we would expect to harvest 1/35th of 3717 ac (106 ac) each year

• On a 65-year rotation (57 ac/year)• 2932/28 years=104.7 ac/year

Projected harvest and revenue in a good (2007) timber market

5-year harvest period

*Standing Initial

Volume MMBF

Harvested Volume MMBF

Stand volume

gained in period MMBF

Residual volume at

end of periodMMBF

2010-2015 32.33 7.26 2.14 27.21

2015-2020 27.21 6.29 1.17 32.09

2020-2025 32.09 7.24 6.78 31.63

2025-2030 31.63 7.11 13.34 37.86

2030-2035 37.86 7.72 15.86 46.00

Harvest Plan under good timber market

Projected harvest under poor timber market

5-year harvest period

*Standing Volume

Beginning MMBF

Harvested Volume MMBF

Stand volume gained in period MMBF

Residual volume at end

of period MMBF

2010-2015 26.2 9.90 1.51 14.792015-2020 14.79 11.79 10.34 13.342020-2025 13.34 12.17 2.47 3.642025-2030 3.64 ††9.27 14.46 8.832030-2035 8.83 8.83 15.86 10.202035-2040 10.20 10.20 12.85 12.85

Stands enter production-sized sorts around 50 years post harvest and therefore volumes increase as stands planted post 1970’s-1980’s harvests mature stand volumes increase.†Assumed net timber revenue: $250/MBF for Douglas-fir, $250/MBF for red alder, $600/MBF for western redcedar, and $3/ton pulp.††Additional timber volume comes from cutting campus and road buffers.

NOW WHAT?

Steps to Revitalize Pack Forest Increased State Support? More students (classes and research) Grant and contract revenue Mount Rainier Institute? Divest of land? ECOSEL Auction of Management

– Looking to hold a stakeholder meeting– It would be great to have support of

Nisqually River Council

THANK YOU