Forest Service: Timber Sales in Fiscal Years 2014-2023
Fast Facts
The Forest Service sells timber that can be used to build homes and make paper products, among other things. This Q&A report looks at how the Forest Service manages timber sales.
The Forest Service manages several types of timber sales. In some sales, buyers bid on contracts that give them rights to harvest timber in certain areas. The agency may also exchange timber for services, such as restoring wildlife habitat or reducing wildfire risk.
Goals for timber sales are set yearly but the Forest Service has missed those goals by about 10% in recent years. According to the agency, factors such as staffing and buyer interest affected timber sales.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service manages the National Forest System for multiple uses and provides sustained yields of various resources, including timber. The agency may also sell timber to achieve land management objectives and promote other national forest uses. For example, the Forest Service may sell timber to reduce the number of trees in an area, create openings to improve wildlife habitat, or reduce the risk of insects, diseases, or wildfires.
The Forest Service sells timber through four mechanisms: timber sale contracts, stewardship contracts and agreements, Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreements, and permits.
- Through timber sale contracts, the Forest Service sells the right to harvest timber to a purchaser, generally through an open, competitive bidding process.
- Through stewardship contracts and agreements, the agency exchanges timber for services (e.g., habitat restoration) to help achieve its land management goals.
- Under GNA, the Forest Service enters into agreements with states to implement timber sales, called GNA agreements.
- The Forest Service also issues permits for the removal of timber for a nominal fee or free of charge.
The Forest Service uses an iterative process, with headquarters officials working with the agency's regions, to set agencywide and regional targets for the amount of timber the agency aims to sell each year through all four mechanisms.
The Forest Service's average timber target was about 6,281,000 hundred cubic feet (CCF) per year, and its average amount of timber sold was about 5,590,000 CCF per year, from fiscal years 2014 through 2023. The agency also reports its targets and sales in board feet (see table).
Table: Forest Service's Timber Target and Volume of Timber Sold, Fiscal Years (FY) 2014–2023
|
FY |
Target (CCF) |
Sold (CCF)a |
Target (MBF) |
Sold (MBF)a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2014 |
5,600,000 |
5,361,643 |
2,936,700 |
2,831,587 |
|
2015 |
5,752,103 |
5,354,126 |
3,019,862 |
2,819,181 |
|
2016 |
6,039,700 |
5,594,698 |
3,175,959 |
2,962,767 |
|
2017 |
5,696,000 |
5,592,819 |
3,001,150 |
2,933,132 |
|
2018 |
6,457,000 |
5,936,894 |
3,407,590 |
3,155,548 |
|
2019 |
6,194,122 |
6,054,699 |
3,277,247 |
3,230,089 |
|
2020 |
6,980,250 |
5,989,082 |
3,686,722 |
3,223,145 |
|
2021 |
7,344,740 |
5,192,986 |
3,880,880 |
2,824,163 |
|
2022 |
6,247,698b |
5,178,533 |
3,304,850b |
2,801,400 |
|
2023 |
6,494,330 |
5,642,095c |
3,448,849 |
3,008,885c |
|
Annual average |
6,280,594 |
5,589,757 |
3,313,981 |
2,978,990 |
CCF = hundred cubic feet; MBF = thousand board feet
Source: GAO analysis of Forest Service data. | GAO-25-107496
Note: These data are from the Forest Service's Timber Information Manager database and may differ from data the Forest Service reported in the past for various reasons. For example, this table includes timber volume added during contract execution in the fiscal year that the timber was sold, whereas past reports may not have included the added volume in that fiscal year.
aThe Forest Service sets timber targets for the amount of timber the agency aims to sell each year. Thus, this table reports volume of timber sold; the final harvested volume may differ. The volume sold amounts include volume that is added to timber sales during contract execution.
bThe target for FY 2022 was preliminary. According to headquarters officials, the Forest Service did not set a final target in FY 2022 for various reasons, including because the agency received its final appropriations late in the fiscal year.
cBeginning in FY 2023, the Forest Service began counting the volume of timber provided free of charge via firewood permits toward its sold volume, which it had not done previously. The Forest Service may offer firewood to the public free of charge in designated areas if it is compatible with land management plans. From FY 2014–2023, the Forest Service counted firewood permits provided for a fee toward its target.
The Forest Service did not meet its targets for the amount of timber sold for any of the years from fiscal years 2014–2023. The agency sold nearly 90 percent of its annual targets, on average, during this time frame. Headquarters officials told us there are several reasons why the agency might not meet its target, such as limited staff capacity to plan and implement timber sales and wildfires and other natural disasters that shifted priorities or affected areas where the agency had planned sales.
The majority of timber the Forest Service sold from fiscal years 2014–2023 was through timber sale contracts, followed by stewardship contracts and agreements. The agency's use of GNA agreements to sell timber generally increased during this time frame, and the amount of timber sold through permits was variable.
Why GAO Did This Study
The Forest Service sells timber each year as part of its management of the National Forest System. GAO received multiple congressional requests to examine Forest Service timber sales. A House Report accompanying a bill for the Forest Service's appropriations for fiscal year 2024 also includes a provision for GAO to study timber harvest levels. (H.R. Rep. No. 118-155, at 83 (2023); 170 Cong. Rec. S1095, S1675 (Mar. 5, 2024)). This report discusses how the Forest Service offers timber for sale, how the agency sets targets for the amount of timber it aims to sell each year, and how much timber the agency sold from fiscal years 2014–2023. This is part one of a two-part review. The second part will further examine Forest Service timber sales, including agency and stakeholder perspectives on the timber sale process.
For more information, contact Cardell Johnson at (202) 512-3841 or JohnsonCD1@gao.gov.