scholarly journals Timber Harvesting Production, Costs, Innovation, and Capacity in the Southern Cone and the U.S. South

Author(s):  
Patricio Mac Donagh ◽  
Joshua Roll ◽  
George Hahn ◽  
Frederick Cubbage
2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-299
Author(s):  
Bob Carbaugh

America’s college textbook publishers historically had a business model based on continuing profits and growth led by high prices. However, that model eroded as competition from the used-book market and rental textbooks resulted in falling textbook sales and losses for publishers. Textbook publishers are currently revising their business model so as to move away from printed textbooks to digital (online) educational materials. Also, publishers are downsizing their operations and undergoing mergers with each other to survive in the marketplace. The 2019 merger proposal of McGraw-Hill and Cengage Learning reflects the current problems of college textbook publishing: The merger would be between two financially weak companies that are attempting to reduce overhead and production costs and create additional revenue streams. However, the U.S. Department of Justice’s concerns about the harmful effects on competition led to the companies’ agreement to abandon their plans to merge in May 2020. JEL Classification: A00, K21, L22, L41


Author(s):  
Douglas A. Irwin

This chapter sets out basic facts about international trade and the U.S. economy. It describes how world trade has expanded rapidly in the recent decades and explains how the development provides the context in which to consider trade policy. The chapter discusses the reasons for the increase in trade and how trade has changed with the fragmentation of production and the increase in trade of intermediate goods. It talks about the state of public opinion on the question of globalization. It also analyzes protectionist policies that directly harm employment in domestic industries by raising production costs in addition to forcing consumers to pay higher price for the products they buy.


FLORESTA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
Danilo Simões ◽  
Ricardo Hideaki Miyajima ◽  
Rodrigo Petrongari Tonin ◽  
Paulo Torres Fenner ◽  
Gislaine Cristina Batistela

The constant technical and economic analysis of timber harvesting operations is essential and determining, due to the monetary magnitude. Traditionally, these analyses are conducted deterministically, which does not allow obtaining values with probabilities of occurrence. Considering this issue, stochastic models were built in order to analyze the behavior of probabilistic production cost in felling operations with feller-buncher, through the Monte Carlo method. The study was conducted in the Central-West region of the state of São Paulo in a forest of Eucalyptus sp., with six years of age, planted in 3 x 2 m spacing. Technical analysis was based on the study of time and movements, which determined the effective productivity and economy in the hourly operating cost of the feller-buncher and in the production costs of the operation. Due to uncertainties, probability distributions were assigned to these results, which identified the most relevant variables and quantified the probabilities of the production cost. The results demonstrated that the fuel cost had a statistically significant strong positive correlation coefficient ( = 0.91) (p-value < 0.01). The hourly cost, consequently, was directly proportional to the production cost of the operation. The production cost of the operation in flat relief was 18% lower than the production cost of the operation in undulating relief.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 820-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang He ◽  
Fengqi You

Using detailed techno-economic-environmental models, we investigate the environmental impacts and production costs of the mega-scale shale gas-to-olefins projects in the U.S.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Han ◽  
Woodam Chung ◽  
Ji She ◽  
Nathaniel Anderson ◽  
Lucas Wells

Two ground-based timber harvesting methods have been commonly used for beetle-kill salvage treatments after a bark beetle epidemic in northern Colorado. A “lop and scatter” method uses a mobilized stroke delimber to delimb and buck trees at the stump, leaving tree tops and limbs on the forest floor, while a whole-tree harvesting method brings the entire tree to the landing where it is delimbed and bucked, and thus produces logging residue piles at the landing as a byproduct. We conducted a detailed comparative time study of the two harvesting methods to develop productivity and cost models and compared the performance of the two methods under various site conditions. We applied the productivity and cost models to lodgepole pine forest stands totaling 3400 hectares of the Colorado State Forest State Park to estimate salvage harvesting costs for each forest stand and identify the least costly harvesting options. The results show that the estimated stump-to-truck timber production costs were $30.00 per oven dry ton (odt) for lop and scatter and $23.88 odt−1 for the whole-tree method in our study harvest unit. At the forest level, the estimated average stump-to-truck costs were $54.67 odt−1 and $56.95 odt−1 for lop and scatter and whole-tree harvesting, respectively. Skidding distance and downed trees affect the harvesting costs of both methods, but their influence appears to be more significant on the whole-tree method.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dos Santos Silayo ◽  
George Migunga

With exemption of a few private forests, timber harvesting in most plantation forests in Tanzania is carried out by less skilled and less equipped crews. Newly recruited crews often learn from experienced ones which may not be doing it in the perfect way. Therefore estimation and projecting production and costs becomes a big problem to logging managers. This study was carried out to develop productivity and costs models for chainsaw operators in a learning experiment. The experiments were designed in clear felling operations. Three experiments were set where each crew category was studied using time study and work sampling techniques that involved studying crews before training, after training and after the break at an interval of three months. Descriptive statistics and modelling was performed for each crews performance. Specific crews productivity and costs models have been developed reflecting necessary and unnecessary delay times. Assessment of the production costs show that unit costs decreases with increasing productivity in each unit of measurement of the production rate. It is recommended that productivity and costs for two-man crosscut saw operators be studied and modelled since they are also the main cutting tools used in tree cutting in Tanzania. Keywords: Productivity, Cost, Timber Harvesting, Modelling, Chainsaw, Tanzania.


HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 606a-606
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Otis

The Caribbean has been considered as a potential region for the winter production of processing cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.). The industrial framework, transportation considerations, production costs, and marketing strategies are evaluated by utilizing pertinent studies, trade journals, and industry interviews. Three marketing strategies will be discussed; brined, fresh green stock, and attracting the processor to the region. Of these, producing fresh green stock has the greatest short term potential. This can be achieved through securing grower contracts and competitive backhaul rates, market proximity, and reduced production costs. These factors justify the Caribbean as a viable alternative to established areas for the export of cucumber products to the U.S. market during the winter season. The development of this market can be enhanced by improvements in the Caribbean transportation networks and stable governments.


HortScience ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany L. Maughan ◽  
Kynda R. Curtis ◽  
Brent L. Black ◽  
Daniel T. Drost

Strawberry production in the U.S. Intermountain West is limited by harsh climatic conditions and competition from domestic producers and imports. Using season extension methods to combat climatic conditions may be effective but generally increases production costs. This study evaluates the economic returns to implementing high tunnels, low tunnels, and in-ground supplemental heating to strawberry production (Seascape and Chandler cultivars) in northern Utah. The high tunnel provided a net return of $1,943.57 or $15,548.56 per hectare assuming eight high tunnels per hectare. The addition of low tunnels within the high tunnel led to a positive increase in net returns for ‘Seascape’ but not for ‘Chandler’ production. Supplemental in-ground heating increased net returns by up to 50% for both cultivars, primarily as a result of higher pre-season yield and market pricing. Study results find that season extension technologies can successfully increase net returns to strawberry production through early and increased yields, when strawberries are sold primarily through local direct markets.


2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keithly G. Jones ◽  
Agapi Somwaru ◽  
James B. Whitaker

A provision of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 requires country of origin labeling (COOL) for certain agricultural commodities. To comply with the law, producers, processors, and retailers face additional production costs associated with labeling, separating, and tracking commodities. Using estimated costs provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we simulate the impacts of mandatory COOL on U.S. and global agricultural markets using a global static general equilibrium model (STAGEM). The results show resource adjustments that lead to decreases in production, consumption, and trade flows. The results assume no demand premium for labeled commodities relative to unlabeled commodities.


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