Forestry/Christmas Trees

At this time we do not have a forestry instructor.

Forestry Columbia and Washington Counties, 503-397-3462 and 503-821-1113

Washington County Forestry Web Page

FOREST RESOURCES OF COLUMBIA COUNTY

HANDY FACTS

Since the time of the first European settlements to the present, the processing and growing of forest products remains the county's key industry.  Many forest areas are now in their third generation since those first settlers and loggers cleared the land.

Current Forest Land Ownership

Columbia County is roughly 426,000 acres in size.  Though the third smallest county in the state, total timber harvest ranked fifth of all counties in the 1995 ODF inventory.  Figure 1 illustrates ownership patterns.  Two items are unique.  First, only a small percentage of the forest is public ownership.  Secondly, 95% of the forest land is site class III or higher.

Land Ownership

Columbia County

                  Figure 1.  Land ownership by owner category.

The largest industrial owners of land in the county are listed below:

The private non-industrial ownership group is comprised of many thousand owners with parcels from 1700 to 2 acres.  Average size is around 20 acres.

Timber Harvests

Timber harvest between 1983-1989  and 1990-93 are compared to the 1994 and 1995 harvests in Figure 2.  Of interest is the fairly stable harvest from private forests while public harvest levels decline. This trend is likely to continue.

Timber Harvests

Columbia County

Thousands

of

Board

Feet

                  Figure 2.  Timber harvest by year and ownership category.

Columbia County Tree Harvests

Since the 1980’s, harvests across the county have stayed stable at around 200 billion feet. Certainly high prices in 1988, 1995 and other years have caused spikes. Yet, when the highs and lows are averaged, the county seems to be reaching a harvest level that may be steady into the foreseeable future.

--CCSWA Newsletter, 12/15/05

A BRIEF LOGGING HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY

With the first settlers, considerable timber was slashed and burned to clear farmland.  In 1870 there were only 99 farms in the country (2053 acres).  During the next 20 years, farmland was cleared at a rate of about 900 acres per year, and by 1890 there were 285 farms (20,000 acres).  By 1945 there were 2101 farms (39,000 acres).  In 1992 there were 661 farms (72,000 acres), of these, there are 104 farms (40,000 acres) reporting more than $10,000 per year earnings.

Initially timber had limited value except as fuel and for local building material.  Cordwood sales to steam ship companies along the river developed with the river traffic.  Fluming of wood to boat landings was common along the Columbia.

In 1895, there was roughly 350,000 acres of virgin timber in the country.  By 1945, 7,000 acres remained (15,000,000,000 bf cut), by 1960 little remained. In 1934, the tax rolls reported 300,000 acres of logged land, with 72,000 acres tax delinquent.

At the beginning of the century, oxen and horses were the logging "machines".  The tax rolls of 1890 list 3353 head of oxen and 924 horses.

In 1906 Chapman Logging started railroad logging up N. Scappoose Creek.  Shortly after, Clark and Wilson Lumber Co. at Goble, Benson Lumber Co. in Clatskanie, Kerry Lumber, Yeon-Pelton Logging of Beaver and other companies started logging at the river and moved toward Vernonia.

The Oregon-American Lumber Co. built its mill in Vernonia in 1922-23.  Gradually companies merged, completed logging and sold out to firms we recognize today, notably Crown Zellerbach and Longview Fibre.  These companies developed a system of sustained harvests and replanting. Today, a third crop of trees is being harvested.

Adapted from - Brief History of Farming and Cutting of Timber in Columbia County by Geo. Nelson, 1961, Columbia County Historical Society - Vol. (1)

How to Reach Us:

OSU Columbia County Extension Office

505 N. Columbia River Hwy

St. Helens, OR 97051

Phone: 503-397-3462 \ Fax: 503-397-3467

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Fridays from Noon to 1 p.m.