The Silvicultural and Economic Impact of Professional Forestry Assistance on Timber Harvests on Non-Industrial, Private Forestland in West Virginia

Abstract

Timber harvests conducted on 90 non-industrial, private forestland properties in West Virginia were investigated to determine the effects that professional foresters have on harvest characteristics and residual stand attributes. Harvests were classified based on the type of forester involved with the harvest: 1) consulting/state service foresters representing landowners, 2) industry foresters (procurement or management) representing forest products firms, and 3) no involvement by a professional forester. Consulting foresters removed less basal area, sawtimber volume, and timber value from the stand compared to the other two groups. Consulting foresters had less of an impact on quadratic mean diameter and displayed a lower preference for harvesting the more valuable species. Residual stands resulting from consultant harvests were more likely to be fully-stocked, contained higher proportions of basal area in acceptable growing stock and dominant/codominant crown classes, and suffered less damage from logging. There were virtually no differences between industry foresters and non-foresters for any of the harvest or residual stand attributes examined. Each harvest was given an overall evaluation based on a combination of residual stocking level, proportion of the residual stand in acceptable growing stock, and damage to the residual trees. Nearly one-fourth of the consultant harvests received a "good" evaluation, compared to less than 10% of industry forester harvests and no harvests which lacked the involvement of a forester. Less than one-fourth of the consultant harvests received a "poor" evaluation, compared to one-half to two-thirds for the other two groups. Four post-harvest stands representative of "good" and "poor" harvest practices were projected for 20 years into the future using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) computer growth and yield model. Twenty years after harvest, tracts subjected to "good" harvesting were projected to contain twice the volume of high-quality sawtimber and nearly three times the volume in acceptable growing stock sawtimber compared to tracts subjected to "poor" harvesting. Both "good" tracts contained more than 7,000 board feet per acre in acceptable growing stock, including more than 4,000 board feet per acre in trees 20" DBH or greater. By contrast, "poor" tracts contained 3,000 board feet per acre or less in acceptable growing stock and contained less than 1,500 board feet per acre in trees 20" DBH or greater. Due to the lack of a sufficient volume of quality sawtimber in the larger DBH classes on tracts subjected to "poor" harvest practices, it will likely be necessary to subject these tracts to poor harvest practices again in the future, in order to carry out a commercial harvest.

A Qualitative Study of Family Forest Owners' Experiences with Timber Transactions

“…This process can be very complex due to the diversity of players and roles they participate in during the timber transaction. Players that can be involved during timber transactions include: consulting foresters, procurement foresters, state service foresters, and non-foresters such as loggers (Moss, 2011;Moss & Heitzman, 2013).…”

“…There are three types of professional foresters that can guide landowners during the sale preparation phase. These include procurement foresters, consulting foresters, and state service foresters (Moss, 2011).…”

“…Very little research has been conducted on timber-selling satisfaction, but it is an essential feature in timber transactions (Kärhä, 2004). Past studies on family forest owner's experiences or satisfaction with timber transactions include e.g., Kärhä, 2004;McGill, Pierskalla, Jennings, Grushecky, & Lilly, 2006;Moss, 2011. Kärhä (2004.…”

“…Variables found include: satisfaction with amount of profit earned from the timber sale, if Best Management Practices were discussed with landowner before the timber harvest, and whether a contract had been written specifying requirement's and terms of the timber harvest. Moss (2011), studied the silvicultural and economic impact of professional forestry assistance on timber harvest on family forestlands in West Virginia. Moss (2011), found that landowners who used a consulting forester were more satisfied with price, amount of timber harvested, and more pleased with the overall harvest, compared to those landowners who dealt with industry foresters or loggers.…”

“…Moss (2011), studied the silvicultural and economic impact of professional forestry assistance on timber harvest on family forestlands in West Virginia. Moss (2011), found that landowners who used a consulting forester were more satisfied with price, amount of timber harvested, and more pleased with the overall harvest, compared to those landowners who dealt with industry foresters or loggers. While these studies provide valuable insight into what landowners experience during certain aspects of timber transactions, they do not provide the full picture.…”