Forest Service

In recent years, debate about the future of the national forest system has focused on ensuring that timber harvests do not exceed the forests' ability to replenish the available supply of timber. An important component of managing forests on a sustained-yield basis is each forest's "allowable sale quantity"--an estimate of the maximum volume of timber that can be sold from each forest over a 10-year period without impairing other uses of the forest, such as recreation or wildlife habitat. GAO reviewed the allowable sale quantities and the timber sales at five national forests--Deschutes and Mt. Hood in Oregon, Gifford Pinchot in Washington, Ouachita in Arkansas, and Chattahoochee-Oconee in Georgia. The Forest Service did not meet allowable sale quantities in the five forests for a variety of reasons, including (1) limitations in the data and estimating techniques on which the allowable sale quantities were originally based, (2) new forest management issues and changing priorities, and (3) rising or unanticipated costs associated with preparing timber sales and administering harvests. Although forest officials believed that the Service has used the best information available to develop the allowable sale quantities, they later failed to meet these levels. As a result, timber sales for each of the five forests between fiscal years 1991 and 1993 were significantly below the average annual allowable sale quantity.

GAO found that: (1) timber sales for each of the 5 forests reviewed were significantly below the average ASQ between 1991 and 1993; (2) factors contributing to the Forest Service's inability to meet ASQ included the lack of adequate data and estimating techniques to base ASQ, the emergence of new and changing forest management priorities, and rising or unanticipated costs associated with preparing and administering timber sales; (3) forest officials at one of the five forests overestimated the size of the timber inventory and improperly based the inventory on average volumes rather than on the specific parts of the forest where timber sales were being prepared; and (4) ASQ were reduced in Pacific northwest forests after the northern spotted owl was listed as an endangered species and much of the proposed harvest areas were set aside for its habitat.