Is this the age of intensive management? A study of loblolly pine on Georgia's Piedmont

Abstract

Using data for loblolly pine from Georgia's Piedmont, we find that, although the transition from natural to artificial regeneration leads to increased and better distributed stems, the control of competing vegetation results in a dramatic boost to the growth rate from previous-to-current-generation plantations. Our results indicate that the marginal returns of forest management are increasing rather than diminishing; the more intensive the management, the better its economic performance. These findings suggest that intensive management represents a major technical change and bodes well for the future of commercial forestry in the South.