Logger perceptions of salvage harvesting in Minnesota, USA

Abstract

ABSTRACTHarvesting timber in forests recently affected by a disturbance, i.e. in salvage conditions, is generally thought to take longer and come at a greater cost compared to harvesting non-salvage timber. Despite this, the degree that forest disturbances create stand conditions that impact productivity when harvesting salvage timber has not been quantified. Similarly, the concerns and perceptions loggers have when operating in salvage conditions have not been fully assessed. This analysis examined mailed survey responses from 129 logging business owners from the state of Minnesota, USA, which inquired about their experience in harvesting timber from salvage sales, concerns about operating under salvage conditions, and perceptions of productivity in forests impacted by three common disturbances. In total, 41.9% of logging business owners (n = 54) indicated they harvested wood from at least one salvage sale in 2015 or 2016. The majority of loggers cited concerns with reduced productivity and reduced wood quality when operating under salvage conditions. Using multinomial logistic regression, analyses indicate logging business owners would have a greater probability of conducting a salvage sale if they produced more volume, were in business for fewer years, and produced a greater percentage of volume during the summer months. As managing for natural disturbances are increasingly being incorporated into forest management plans, forestry professionals should consider these results in response to relatively discrete disturbance events and how salvage sales are designed.