Michigan is more than half forestland1—18.6 million acres; and 51 % of Michigan can be classified as commercial forestland, capable of producing a commercial timber crop (USFS 1994). Michigan is the state richest in timberland of the 21 Northern states (Powell et al. 1993) and only New York has more forestland. Michigan's timberland is extremely productive, carrying more timber volume than any other state in the region. It carries more than 10% of the timber volume in the North and 24% of the timber volume in the North Central region of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. Michigan's forest industry lands carry over half the North Central industry's timber volume.
There are 3.0 million acres of timberland in the southern Lower Peninsula (SLP) and 7.2 million acres in the northern Lower Peninsula (NLP). Timberland makes up 21% and 63%, respectively, of all the land in these regions. The eastern Upper Peninsula (EUP) has 3.8 million acres of timberland and the western Upper Peninsula (WUP) has 4.6 million acres. Because timberlands make up 77% of the eastern half and 84 percent of the western half of the UP, they exert an especially strong influence over the economy of this region.
During the past decade, timberland acreage has actually increased, reversing the trend of decline which took place from 1955 through 1980 (Potter-Witter 1994). The U.S. Forest Service 1993 preliminary inventory figure of 18.6 million acres of timberland is an increase of 6.6% since 1980. The largest increase—524,000 acres—has been in the SLP, with the NLP also showing an increase of 521,000 acres of timberland.
Ownership of Timber Supply Private
Private
Timberland
ownership in Michigan is roughly two-thirds private and one-third
public. The largest ownership class, non-industrial private and
farms, contains 56% of the state's timberland. This class is composed
of land held by the approximately 384,700 private owners who are not
in the forest industry or who are farmers. Regionally, non-industrial
private ownership is concentrated in the Lower Peninsula, where it is
61 % of the timberland, while in the Upper Peninsula it accounts for
41% of timberland acreage. Farmers own 4% of Michigan's timberland,
mostly in the Lower Peninsula.
Forest industry ownership is 8% of timberland and is mostly in the Upper Peninsula, where 18% of the timberland is in this ownership class. Mead Corporation and Champion International, the largest industrial owners, are located in the central and western Upper Peninsula, respectively. Forest industry and public ownership have a greater influence there than in the lower peninsula. The WUP is 35% public, 24% forest industry and 41% private non-industrial. The EUP is 46% public, II %'forest industry and 43% non-industrial private.
Public
Thirty-six
percent of Michigan timberland is in public ownership. The state of
Michigan is the major public timberland owner, with 20% of the
timberland statewide, 19% of the Upper Peninsula timberland and 22%
of the Lower Peninsula. This land is administered by the Forest
Management and Wildlife Divisions of the Department of Natural
Resources. The DNR administers the 3.9 million acre State Forest
system, 3.6 million acres of which are timberland. The six state
forests are in the Upper and northern Lower Peninsulas. Additionally,
it administers 294,000 acres in State Game Areas, largely in the
southern Lower Peninsula.
Federal lands, primarily managed by the U.S. Forest Service, are 14% of Michigan timberland. The 2.6 million acre National Forest System makes up the majority of this ownership. Two National Forests, the Ottawa and the Hiawatha are in the Upper Peninsula; the third, the Huron-Manistee National Forest, spans the northern Lower Peninsula.
Producer Base
Primary consumers of stumpage are the harvesters, truckers, and brokers. They may form small separate enterprises or large vertically integrated firms. Production of pulpwood sticks and logs (roundwood) from stumpage (standing timber) is performed by timber harvesters who cut the timber. The roundwood is transported by truckers to the primary manufacturer. The timber brokers' primary function is to locate and purchase stumpage, and they may or may not also be the harvester of the sale. There are approximately 1000 timber producers—harvesters, truckers, and brokers—in Michigan. Half of Michigan's producers are in the Upper Peninsula, and most employ one to five people.
Common-Sense
Timber Management
Howard Johnson of Wallowa, Oregon
http://managingwholes.com/howard.htm
Go Back Home