Optimizing Continuous Cover Forest Management

Abstract

This chapter lays out the theoretical foundation for evaluating the economic efficiency of alternative forest management systems and presents an overview of approaches and applications used for evaluating the economic potential of continuous cover forestry. Comparison of alternative management systems is demonstrated through case study computations for a mixed-conifer stand that is subject to the risk of wildfire. The economic questions of continuous cover forestry were first addressed in North America and interest has spread to Europe and other continents. The stand management formulations have evolved during the last 50 years from those investigating steady-state selection harvests towards dynamic formulations that optimize sequential harvesting decisions. Amenity benefits and stochastic features are more recent additions to the simulation and optimization models used in the economic analysis. Additional work with refinements both in the economic and biological components of the optimization models is sought to expand our understanding of the factors that drive the rational choice of forest management system.