Browsing by Subject "timing of clear felling"

This study aimed at conducting a baseline for optimal harvesting schedules with economic criteria for Scots pine, Norway spruce and silver birch in Estonia. Additionally, this study aimed at providing comparison to previous findings about optimal schedules in boreal forests and recommendation for practitioners. Faustmann’s (1849) forest rotation theory provides the theoretical foundation for the thesis. The study was performed by including Estonian whole-stand forest growth models and local timber prices and forest regeneration costs in the optimization, which was based on the Hooke and Jeeves’ (1961) direct optimization method. Scots pine was found to be the optimal species in most site classes, silver birch being the optimum in the most fertile site. The schedules for silver birch were found to be less sensitive to changes in the rate of interest, site fertility and timber price than the conifers. The current legal restrictions lead to longer rotations, more thinnings and economic losses when compared to the unrestricted optimal scenarios. The optimal number of thinnings in most scenarios for all species turned out to be three, if the legal restrictions are followed. In general, the optimal rotation periods were found to be shorter and the timing of the first thinning earlier in many scenarios than in Finland. Also the optimal number of thinnings was found to be more stable in Estonia than in Finland. It was found that if the initial stand stocking for the main tree species falls below a certain threshold in mid-rotation mixed-species stands including less valuable broadleaves, it is optimal to clear fell the stand immediately and regenerate the stand according to the optimal stocking recommendations. From the practical point of view, given the current limitations regarding the timing of clear fell, forestry practitioners have the most value creation potential in improving the forest regeneration methods and thinning schedule. In comparison to Finnish studies, it was found that there exists many similarities regarding the schedules and the suitability of species for different forest sites between the findings of this study and previous Finnish studies and the Finnish silvicultural recommendations. Thus, the extensive Finnish recommendations and findings provide a good basis for practitioners also in Estonia. However, given also the found differences, harvesting schedules in Estonia should be developed in more detail for more sophisticated recommendations for local practices.