A silviculture investment model for industrial forests

Published silvicultural investment guidelines are usually very general and simply rank treatments. These rakings are often insufficient for managers of vertically integrated forest products firms because managers need specific capital investment schedules that consider their unique situation. A prototype Model I linear program formulation, including an investment constraint, is presented and applied to an industrial forest. Results show the opportunity cost of the desired constraints is minimal but that maximization of woodflow versus present net worth requires a large additional investment. The forest is so productive, relative to minimum needs, that the investment constraint is essentially redundant. Woodflow maximization tends to favor capital-intensive treatments, such as plantation management, while present net worth maximization avoids the front-end investment by emphasizing extensive treatments and natural regeneration.

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