forests and forests that could become old-growth, providing habitat to those.

             species associated with forests with old-growth characteristics. While a large.

             portion of federal land is committed to sustaining species that need.

             old-growth, the difficult question remains, how much is enough? Leaving these.

             forests completely unharvested invites unacceptable, large-scale insect.

             infestations and catastrophic fires(6).

             Because federal lands comprise nearly 50 to 60 percent of Oregon"s.

             forests, practices on these lands have a major impact on forest-dwelling.

             vertebrates(2). These lands are well distributed throughout the state. .

             Private land ownership accounts for approximately 40 percent of the states.

             forests(5). Of this private ownership, over half is in industrial ownership and.

             the rest is held mostly by small woodland owners(7).

             Since 1992 harvesting on federal lands has dropped sharply. In contrast,.

             many industrial private lands are intensively managed(6). Oregon law requires.

             prompt replanting, and stands are often fertilized and thinned. This split.

             ownership, in addition to diverse management practices on private lands,.

             results in a wide range of habitat conditions. .

             No species studied appears immediately threatened by forest practices.

             in Oregon(3). In fact, many species are abundant. While that finding appears.

             hopeful, it does not ensure that these will not be future problems. Current.

             practices may not be adequate to keep the present range of species in the.

             future. While some species thrive in the habitat provided by younger forest.

             stands, a considerable number of species either requires, or reproduces.

             better, where large live trees, large cavities, and large pieces of downed wood.

             are present.

             The Oregon Forest Practice Act currently requires that some trees be.

             retained after harvest. But the question is: how much is enough? Will trees.

             being retained be sufficiently distributed to meet the future habitat needs of.