Changing our mental model from growing volume to producing value: The case of uneven-aged hardwood management

Abstract

The selection system is a common management system in uneven-aged tolerant hardwoods stands in Crown forests of eastern Canada. This silvicultural system aims to produce a sustained yield of products and services at the stand level, using frequent partial cuttings that harvest the mature and valuable portion of the forest, while tending the rest of the stand to increase its productivity and value for future cuttings. Current practices involve the use of empirical partial cutting guides to decide the number of trees to both harvest and maintain at each cutting cycle, typically to maximize longterm sawlog and veneer production. This paper demonstrates that by replacing this objective function with the maximization of the net value of the harvest for the whole value chain by using a simple mathematical optimization model, forest management can be greatly improved in terms of profitability. Nevertheless, further developments are needed for improving forest management optimization models in order to better balance short-term profitability and long-term ecological, economic and societal objectives.