An expanded concept of the role of forest industry in private nonindustrial forestry

Abstract

Forest industries in the southeastern United States offer assistance to private nonindustrial forest landowners in planning and accomplishing regeneration of cutover land and management of subsequent stands. In general, if the landowner sells a tract of timber to the company, t :,e company will develop an intensive regeneration and management plan for the tract and carry it out at company cost to the landowner. The problem is that most private forest landowners will not invest the amount of money it costs the company to regenerate cutover land in this way. Highly intensive industrial forestry practices are justified on an economic basis quite different from anything the private owner can even consider. The way to make forest management attractive to the private nonindustrial sector is to cut the cost of it. The major costs of forest management to the landowner are those for regeneration. To reduce these costs, pr£harvest planning must be done when a source of seed is still available on the site. Becat,se forest industries are buying most of the wood, they have a unique opportunity to provide ireharvest planning for the forest owner. My suggestion to forest industry is to make present programs more attractive by tailoring them to landowners' investment and production goals. T!1e key to reducing regeneration costs is to offer natural regeneration and direct seeding as alternatives to plantation establishment.

Citation

Franklin, E. C. 1980. An expanded concept of the role of forest industry in private nonindustrial forestry. In: Proceedings Annual Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry Meeting; 1980 March; Atlanta, GA: 339-342.