Abstract

The small-scale private forest owner runs his forestry partially under conditions which differ from the big companies, but the differences should not be exaggerated. The major aim of the forestry and the financial situation of the owner are examples of such differences. If the forest owner themselves is active in forest operations, the conditions for economical decisions may deviate from the large-scaled forestry, ie because of lower fixed costs for transportation of machinery and associated equipment. Yet, more important is probably the difference in the planning situation. A simple decision procedure gives the private forest owner possibilities not available in large-scaled forestry – possibilities, however, requiring a good knowledge of biology, technology and economy to be used optimally. The purpose of this project is to investigate these possibilities. An array of conditions, which fundamentally influence decisions, are of particular relevance to forestry. Such conditions include the owners’ goals and the tax planning status, future perspectives of forestry, influence of stem diameter on cut economy, the role of land value in stand economy as well as the management of forest resources from different perspectives. The allocation of resources to stand establishment is a vital question since different stand index classes, (SI), have quite varying economical consequences depending on input. Which SI should be planted and which planted with genetically improved material, and when natural regeneration is to be preferred – are questions illuminated in this report. How to manage pre-commercial as well as commercial thinning is of importance for future stand economy, the number of stems per hectare after treatment is an essential criteria in the young stand, while the return of standing value is of more relevance in the older stand. Fertilizing with nitrogen may give high and relatively quick revenue in stands soon to be cut. Careful calculation and planning in order to perform final cut in relevant old stands may give high profit for a relatively limited input because of the very high values these stands represent. For the interested and informed forest owner there are possibilities to, by successive stand harvest, raise capital revenue and affect the economy of forest resources. How the stand should be harvested is also a question related to the tree species chosen for the new stand. Some specific types of forestry have been more deeply analysed from an economic perspective in the project. These are forestry for selective cutting and forestry based on balanced (intensive in the meaning of fertilizing every second or third year, not just of nitrogen) fertilizing. There may be a place for these forms of forestry, but to give good profit these forms require special calculation requirements. The active forest owners’ economical conditions as well as biological and technical risks and possibilities connected to different forms of forestry has been investigated in two special chapters. All kinds of wood-producing forestry affect biological diversity. The economical consequences of the production of dead wood have been analysed as well as keeping the stand uncut after the optimal time point of final cut and establishing and treatment of hard-wood forests – all these elements are important for the improvement of diversity. The main point of the report is, however, the economy of a wood-producing forestry

Keywords

Economical analyses of stand treatment; treatment methods for private forest owners; planting; natural regeneration; pre-commersial thinning; thinning; pruning; fertilizing; final cut; selective cut; shelter-wood system

Published in

Rapport (SLU, Institutionen för skogens produkter)
2008, number: 10
Publisher: SLU/Skogens produkter

SLU Authors

• Eriksson, Lennart

  • Department of Forest Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Woxblom, Ann Charlotte

  • Department of Forest Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/19522