Hardwood plantation management.

Abstract

Until recently forest management was aimed primarily at maintaining the integrity of existing pine stands and converting low-value hardwood stands to higher-yielding stands of pine. What is the rationale behind the change in emphasis from intensive pine siliviculture to even more capital-intensive siliviculture of hardwood plantations? We attempt to answer this question and to give some of the reasons for deciding in favor of hardwood plantations. Among the most significant of these is an economic evaluation which shows the plantation management system capable of producing more than 50% more volume at one-third the cost of natural regeneration. -Authors