Ninety-five percent (95%) of the White Salmon watershed is classified as forestland, amounting to 236,963 of the total 250,459 acres. Roughly half of this is managed by the US Forest Service as Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mount Adams Ranger District. The remainder is managed by WA Department of Natural Resources or as private forestland. Pasture and hay land rank a distant second to forestland in White Salmon River watershed land use. Approximately 9,000 acres are utilized for this purpose, accounting for only 4% of the watershed area. The third largest land use in the watershed is orchard fruit production, accounting for 1,585 acres, or 0.6% of the total watershed area.