• Briggs, David
  College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  

The US Pacific Northwest has seen a major decline in available timber supply due to reservation of forest lands for various environmental concerns. The forest lands that remain are predominantly very young and immature stands that have received varying degrees of management. The change has created a substantial shift in the size and quality of trees currently available to manufacturers of products. Current adaptations of the industry to these changes are reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of the impact of investment in more intensive management of remaining lands and associated wood quality concerns. A number of research cooperatives are focused on various aspects of managing forests of the future but improved coordination and integration of efforts is needed.