Comparing the Costs and Revenues of Transformation to Continuous Cover Forestry for Sitka Spruce in Great Britain

Forests

Owen Davies¹  Gary Kerr²  Thomas J. Straka³ 

[1] 2 Howe Street, Glasinfryn, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 4UN, UK; E-Mail:;Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LH, UK;2 Howe Street, Glasinfryn, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 4UN, UK; E-Mail

关键词: continuous cover forestry;    economics;    transformation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f6072424

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Recently continuous cover forestry (CCF) has become an accepted approach to forest management in Britain, but uncertainty about its economic consequences may be a barrier to its wider use. A study was carried out to examine the costs and revenues of transforming a stand of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) to CCF. The main conclusion is that transformation to CCF need not be more costly than clearfelling and replanting if natural regeneration is successful and the aim is to produce a simple canopy structure. The long-term value of transformation to a more complex canopy structure, with three or more strata, is lower and the extra costs need to be justified in terms of management objectives. The main output from the study is an analysis spreadsheet that empowers practitioners and policy makers to investigate the effects of costs, revenues and discount rates on estimates of net present value over 20 years, 100 years and in perpetuity, to suit local conditions. This paper summarises the method and results of the study in a British context, sets these in a wider international context, and considers the merits, applications and possible further developments of the approach.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.