What treatments are being used and who is doing the work?
Created: 03/05/2014
A Product of the Dry Forest Zone Project
www.dryforestzone.org Contact: ewp@uoregon.edu
TREATMENT
The most commonly applied treatment by ranger district
The US Forest Service manages 16.8 million acres 
of national forest land in the Dry Forest Zone. It 
conducts a range of activities or “treatments” 
including timber harvest and hazardous fuels 
reduction. These activities may be implemented by 
the agency itself, a contracted business, or other 
organizations. Some activities can produce revenue, 
while others can incur costs. From 2009-2013, a 
total of nearly 700,000 acres were treated.    
WORKFORCE
Total acres treated by method, 
2009 - 2013
Treatment  trends
Total acres treated by workforce type,
 2009 - 2013
Implementation of mechanical and hand treatments by workforce type
Total number of acres by treatment method Division of labor for the two primary treatment methods
The majority of these acres (46 %) were treated using prescribed burning to 
reduce fuels. Only 17 %  were commercial sales that generated revenue, but 
on several ranger districts in southern Oregon and northern California, this 
was the primary means of treating acres. 
Workforces including Forest Service employees, private sector contractors, 
timber purchasers, and others perform treatments. Forest Service employees 
implemented the most prescribed burning. Contractors performed the most 
mechanical and hand treatments. A majority of ranger districts relied on non-
Forest Service groups to implement mechnical and hand treatments.
Total number of acres treated by ranger district, 
2009 - 2013
0 100,000 200,000 300,000
315,222
255,818
114,611
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CA
OR
WA
ID
NV
Bend
Boise
Redding
Medford
Portland
0 100Miles$
Burning Mechanical and 
hand treatments
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CA
OR
WA
ID
NV
Bend
Boise
Redding
Medford
Portland
$ 0 100Miles
Less than 1,000 acres
1,001 - 10,000 acres 
10,001 - 25,000 acres
25,001 - 50,000 acres
Greater than 50,000 acres
!
!
!
!
!
CA
OR
WA
ID
NV
Bend
Boise
Redding
Medford
Portland
0$ Miles 100
Forest Service employees
Contractors
Purchasers
Others *
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
2009 2010 20122011 2013
Burning
Mechanical and hand treatments 
Commercial sales
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
2009 2010 20122011 2013
Data source: Forest Service Activity Tracking System (FACTS)
* Others includes combinations of workforce groups as well as  
   stewardship work.
Burning Mechanical and hand treatments Commercial sales Forest Service employees Contractors Purchasers Others *