Forest yield index and its applicability to the assessment of future forest yields

Abstract

The paper suggests and examines a simplified relative indicator of forest production, with special regard to possibilities of its use in projecting future forests. Forest yield index (IY), based on an economic parameter "value of final cutting yield" was proposed, and examined in the model territory of Kysuce in north-western Slovakia. The current values of final cutting yield, dependent on tree species, site index and the length of rotation period served as a basis for the assessment of expected yields. The possibilities and limitations of index applicability in long-term strategic forest management decision-making are discussed, considering the uncertainty of ecological and economic conditions during the long forest production cycle, as well as the complexity of tree species growth and production in the mixed forests, uneven aged forests and forests under climate change.