(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — In a season of big numbers and bigger harvests, the BLM’s Pumpkin Pi Timber Sale roasted modern records. The 400-acre sale brought in nearly $10.6 million and will produce 23.5 million board feet of timber. The seasonally named sale surpassed the previous record by nearly 5.5 million board feet, boosting the domestic timber supply and supporting American jobs.
“This record-breaking timber sale is a major boon for western Oregon’s economy,” said BLM Director Steve Pearce. “Beyond the revenue shared with 18 counties, this sale will generate more than $70 million in local economic activity.”
Throughout the month of August, the BLM sold more than 40 million board feet of timber across roughly 1,400 acres in western Oregon, earning more than $17 million. These sales will produce enough timber to build 2,500 single family homes and support 550 jobs.
“Under the Trump Administration, streamlined approvals and expanded tools for public land managers helped make record setting sales like this possible, strengthening America’s domestic lumber supply, supporting rural economies, and reducing reliance on foreign sourced building materials,” Pearce said.
The BLM manages 2.4 million acres of some of the most productive forests in the world and is committed to supplying a reliable, secure, and resilient domestic supply of timber. In western Oregon, this commitment is embodied in the Oregon and California Revested Lands Sustained Yield Management Act of 1937. Under that Act, the BLM’s forestry and timber program sustains lives, livelihoods, and quality of life for the communities in and around them.
BLM forestry supports economic security, reduces risks from wildfire, improves fish and wildlife habitat, and decreases costs of energy production. Local communities rely on jobs that come from BLM forests, and timber from public land feeds local industry.
Additionally, revenue from timber harvested on Oregon and California lands is shared between the U.S. Treasury and 18 western Oregon counties. This funding provides local communities with the means to construct new county buildings; develop fairgrounds and museums; support libraries, schools, and jails; and build flood-control dams and reservoirs. While under the Secure Rural Schools Act, the revenues help fund restoration projects on federal lands, fund emergency search and rescue services, and make communities safer from wildfire.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
