Optimal timber harvest scheduling under harvest volume constraints: a comparison of two opportunity cost criteria

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen W. Armstrong ◽  
William E. Phillips ◽  
James A. Beck Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Opportunity Cost ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Ranking Criterion ◽  
Observed Behaviour ◽  
Harvest Volume ◽  
Priority Criterion ◽  
Site Classes

A simple model is developed to determine the economically optimal combination of stands to harvest in a period when there are periodic maximum harvest volume constraints. The model is formulated using concepts developed in the Faustmann optimum forest rotation model. The objective function minimizes the net opportunity cost of delayed harvest. For each stand in the forest, the model is used to determine if the stand should be harvested this period or if the harvest decision should be deferred to the next period. In the typical exposition of the Faustmann model, the opportunity costs of delayed harvest are expressed per unit area. Because of this, and the spatial orientation of forest management, it is tempting to use costs per hectare to set harvest priority. However, when harvests are constrained by some maximum harvest volume, costs per unit volume are the appropriate criterion to use. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the economic losses resulting from the use of the inappropriate priority criterion. The model is applied to a study area in Saskatchewan. As well as demonstrating the economic losses, the study shows that a much wider variety of species associations and site classes are scheduled for harvest when the volume-based ranking criterion is used. This mix of harvested species and sites is consistent with the observed behaviour of firms. It has been argued elsewhere that this behaviour is due largely to government-imposed behaviour (e.g., operating ground rules) or to the spatial considerations of forest management. We suggest here that at least some of this behaviour can be attributed to optimal response to harvest volume constraints.

Forest neighbourhoods for timber harvest scheduling

1994 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 768-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick A. Wightman ◽  
Emin Z. Baskent
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Data Model ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Vector Data ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Vector Data Model ◽  
Stand Conditions ◽  
Small Forest

Forest management involves exploring through time the scheduling opportunities for timber and non-timber values within a forest. The ability to identify and form neighbourhoods — areas of suitable stand conditions and locations — is critical to this endeavour. This paper presents a GIS-based algorithm for identifying and forming forest neighbourhoods suitable for timber harvest scheduling. The resulting neighbourhoods are contiguous and overlapping, composed of stands sharing similar attributes. Similarity is based on a definable similarity list where stand conditions closest to one another in the list are most similar to one another. The algorithm is demonstrated with a single stand example and then a small forest example. Control of neighbourhood size is limited using a vector data model, except in forests composed of small stands. The examples illustrate that neighbourhood inclusion is dependent on both a forest stand's condition and relative position in the forest. The paper concludes with suggestions for further development of the algorithm. Key words: timber harvest scheduling, forest management, spatial modelling, GIS, neighbourhoods

Integrated spatial fire and forest management planning

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 2370-2383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio A. Acuna ◽  
Cristian D. Palma ◽  
Wenbin Cui ◽  
David L. Martell ◽  
Andres Weintraub
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Fire Loss ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Access Road

Forest management planners usually treat potential fire loss estimates as exogenous parameters in their timber production planning processes. When they do so, they do not account for the fact that forest access road construction, timber harvesting, and silvicultural activities can alter a landscape’s vegetation or fuel composition, and they ignore the possibility that such activities may influence future fire losses. We develop an integrated fire and forest management planning methodology that accounts for and exploits such interactions. Our methodology is based on fire occurrence, suppression, and spread models, a fire protection value model that identifies crucial stands, the harvesting of which can have a significant influence on the spread of fires across the landscape, and a spatially explicit timber harvest scheduling model. We illustrate its use by applying it to a forest management unit in the boreal forest region of the province of Alberta in western Canada. We found that for our study area, integrated fire – forest management planning based on our methodology could result in an 8.1% increase in net present value when compared with traditional planning in which fire loss is treated as an exogenous factor.

Evaluation of two risk mitigation strategies for dealing with fire-related uncertainty in timber supply modelling

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1136-1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Savage ◽  
David L. Martell ◽  
B. Mike Wotton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Planning Model ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Scheduling Model ◽  
Risk Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Harvest Volume ◽  
Forest Managers

We embedded a linear programming timber harvest scheduling model into an aspatial stochastic simulation model of a flammable forest to evaluate two fire risk mitigation strategies. The harvest scheduling model is solved repeatedly to produce harvest schedules within a rolling planning horizon framework. The risk mitigation strategies we examined were (1) whether or not to account for fire in the planning model and (2) replanning interval. We evaluated those strategies under four representative fire regimes. We found that accounting for fire in the planning model reduced the harvest volume variability as fire activity increased (i.e., for average annual burn fractions ≥0.45%), but replanning intervals over a range of 1 to 10 years had little impact on harvest volume variability. We also developed a risk analysis decision-making aid that forest managers can use to help deal with fire-related uncertainty. Our results suggest that risk-averse forest managers should account for fire while planning, especially when burn fractions exceed 0.45%.

Vom Forst zum Wald. Entwicklungstendenzen im naturnahen Waldbau | From a Production-Oriented Forest to a Multipurpose Forest. New Trends in Near-Natural Silviculture

1999 ◽  
Vol 150 (12) ◽  
pp. 484-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolf Hockenjos
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
The Other ◽  
Private Forest ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Great Demand ◽  
The Past ◽  
Forest Enterprises

Concepts of near-natural forestry are in great demand these days. Most German forest administrations and private forest enterprises attach great importance to being as «near-natural» as possible. This should allow them to make the most of biological rationalisation. The concept of near-natural forestry is widely accepted, especially by conservationists. However, it is much too early to analyse how successful near-natural forestry has been to date, and therefore to decide whether an era of genuine near-natural forest management has really begun. Despite wide-spread recognition, near-natural forestry is jeopardised by mechanised timber harvesting, and particularly by the large-timber harvester. The risk is that machines, which are currently just one element of the timber harvest will gain in importance and gradually become the decisive element. The forest would then be forced to meet the needs of machinery, not the other way round. Forests would consequently become so inhospitable that they would bear no resemblance to the sylvan image conjured up by potential visitors. This could mean taking a huge step backwards: from a near-natural forest to a forest dominated by machinery. The model of multipurpose forest management would become less viable, and the forest would become divided into areas for production, and separate areas for recreation and ecology. The consequences of technical intervention need to be carefully considered, if near-natural forestry is not to become a thing of the past.

scholarly journals Impacts of Alternative Harvesting and Natural Disturbance Scenarios on Forest Biomass in the Superior National Forest, USA

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Russell ◽  
Stephanie Patton ◽  
David Wilson ◽  
Grant Domke ◽  
Katie Frerker
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Volume Control ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Project Area

The amount of biomass stored in forest ecosystems is a result of past natural disturbances, forest management activities, and current structure and composition such as age class distributions. Although natural disturbances are projected to increase in their frequency and severity on a global scale in the future, forest management and timber harvesting decisions continue to be made at local scales, e.g., the ownership or stand level. This study simulated potential changes in natural disturbance regimes and their interaction with timber harvest goals across the Superior National Forest (SNF) in northeastern Minnesota, USA. Forest biomass stocks and stock changes were simulated for 120 years under three natural disturbance and four harvest scenarios. A volume control approach was used to estimate biomass availability across the SNF and a smaller project area within the SNF (Jeanette Project Area; JPA). Results indicate that under current harvest rates and assuming disturbances were twice that of normal levels resulted in reductions of 2.62 to 10.38% of forest biomass across the four primary forest types in the SNF and JPA, respectively. Under this scenario, total biomass stocks remained consistent after 50 years at current and 50% disturbance rates, but biomass continued to decrease under a 200%-disturbance scenario through 120 years. In comparison, scenarios that assumed both harvest and disturbance were twice that of normal levels and resulted in reductions ranging from 14.18 to 29.85% of forest biomass. These results suggest that both natural disturbances and timber harvesting should be considered to understand their impacts to future forest structure and composition. The implications from simulations like these can provide managers with strategic approaches to determine the economic and ecological outcomes associated with timber harvesting and disturbances.

Short-term effects of timber harvest and forest edges on ground-layer mosses and liverworts

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 610-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara R Nelson ◽  
Charles B Halpern
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Edge Effects ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Ground Layer ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Logging Effects ◽  
Structural Retention

Limited information exists on the effects of forest management practices on bryophytes, despite their importance to forest ecosystems. We examined short-term responses of ground-layer bryophytes to logging disturbance and creation of edges in mature Pseudotsuga forests of western Washington (USA). The abundance and richness of species were measured in four 1-ha forest aggregates (patches of intact forest) and in surrounding logged areas before and after structural retention harvests. One year after treatment, species richness, total cover, and frequency of most moss and liverwort taxa declined within harvest areas. Within forest aggregates, mosses did not show significant edge effects; however, richness and abundance of liverworts declined with proximity to the aggregate edge. Our results suggest that, over short time frames, 1-ha-sized aggregates are sufficient to maintain most common mosses through structural retention harvests but are not large enough to prevent declines or losses of liverworts. Thus, current standards for structural retention, which allow for aggregates as small as 0.2 ha, may be inadequate to retain the diversity and abundance of species found in mature, undisturbed forests.Key words: bryophyte, edge effects, forest borders, forest management, logging effects, structural retention harvest.

scholarly journals Opportunity cost of natural forest management in the Arenal-Huetar Norte Conservation Area, Costa Rica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Zúñiga-Méndez ◽  
Victor Meza-Picado ◽  
Sebastian Ugalde-Alfaro ◽  
Jhonny Méndez-Gamboa
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Opportunity Cost ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Landscape Matrix ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Productive Activities ◽  
Natural Forest Management

Abstract Background: Part of the success of forest conservation programs is due to the economic sustainability they can provide to owners of forest resources, and how these management mechanisms can be used within an increasingly aggressive productive landscape matrix. However, there are currently no precise or up-to-date data on the economic relationships between land uses and their respective productive activities. This study designed a model to evaluate the opportunity cost of natural forest management, taking as a reference the primary productive activities that take place within the Arenal-Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in Costa Rica. Methods: Profitability data from 24 sites in natural forests with a forest management plan approved by the State Forest Administration was used, as well as geographic and productive information on alternative land uses. Results: Based on these data, an opportunity cost map was generated which shows a marked segregation of the forests into two main areas: a) a high-opportunity cost area, located south of the study area; and b) a medium-low opportunity cost area, to the center-north of the study area. Conclusions: It is concluded that ideal areas for timber harvesting are currently restricted to places far from the market, and with low opportunity costs (ranging between ≤ $0 ha -1 year -1 and $500 ha -1 year -1 ).

Economic trade-offs of managing forests for timber production and vegetative diversity

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1260-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Holland ◽  
Robert J. Lilieholm ◽  
David W. Roberts ◽  
J. Keith Gilless
Keyword(s):  
Diversity Index ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Scheduling Model ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Compositional Diversity ◽  
Shannon’S Diversity Index

Three indices of forest stand structural and compositional diversity were incorporated into a linear programming timber harvest scheduling model to examine the trade-offs between managing stands for timber production and biodiversity objectives. The indices, based on Shannon's diversity index, characterized stand species diversity, basal area diversity, and vertical crown diversity. While harvest-level objectives were often compatible with the maintenance of vegetative diversity, the maximization of present net value was accompanied by substantial reductions in all three measures of diversity.

Assessing the implications of a carbon market for boreal forest management

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (03) ◽  
pp. 367-381
Author(s):  
Stewart Elgie ◽  
Geoffrey R. Mccarney ◽  
Wiktor L. Adamowicz
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Carbon Price ◽  
Integrated Modelling ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Boreal Plains ◽  
Management Changes ◽  
Modelling Approach

Canada's forests —particularly the boreal—are a major storehouse of carbon. How they are managed could significantly affect Canada's greenhouse gas emissions while also presenting a new revenue source for forest managers. This study attempts to assess how a carbon price could affect forest management, particularly in Canada's boreal plains region. An integrated modelling approach is developed to incorporate both forest carbon and timber supply considerations within an optimal management framework. This modelling approach allows for consideration of alternative market and regula tory scenarios, along with a range of possible management intensity and harvest scheduling options over the landscape. The overall conclusion is that carbon incentives will increase the value of the boreal forest—potentially quite signifi cantly— and will generally encourage management changes consistent with sustainable forest management practices.

scholarly journals Harvest volumes and carbon stocks in boreal forests of Ontario, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 97 (02) ◽  
pp. 168-178
Author(s):  
Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian ◽  
Stephen J. Colombo ◽  
Jiaxin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Harvest Volume ◽  
Unmanaged Forest ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon Stocks

We used models to project forest carbon stocks for a series of harvesting scenarios for 29 boreal forest management units totalling 23.3 million ha in Ontario, Canada. Scenarios evaluated for 2020 to 2050 ranged from a no harvesting option to annual harvesting of 2% of the total merchantable volume present in 2020. For each scenario, we estimated the following carbon quantities: (a) forest ecosystem carbon stocks, (b) sum of carbon stocks in forest ecosystem and harvested wood products (HWP) minus emissions associated with HWP production and decomposition, and (c) net greenhouse gas (GHG) effects of harvesting estimated as (b) combined with emissions avoided by substituting HWP for non-wood materials. The average of each carbon quantity for 2020 to 2050 was linearly dependent on the annual harvest volume. The developed relationships were used to estimate harvest volumes for which the three carbon quantities would equal equilibrium forest ecosystem carbon stocks for a pre-suppression natural disturbance cycle. These estimates indicate the range of harvest volumes for which resulting carbon stocks would equal or exceed those in an unmanaged forest. Also discussed are possible criteria for determining annual harvest volume.

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