Regulation of Timber Yield for Sustainable Management of Industrial Forest Plantations — Theory and Practice

Abstract

The integration of forest plantations, sustained yield regulation of industrial wood fiber, and market responses of private forest landowners determine sustainable forest management for timber. The world has approximately 3.4 billion ha of forests; 230 million ha of all types of forest plantations; and 40 million ha of industrial wood plantations. A sample of private and public forestry analysts in the world indicated that they use a variety of timber harvest regulation approaches. These include Model I and Model II model formulations; Simplex and heuristic model solution approaches; sustained yield harvest constraints; and ecological constraints. An analysis of the forest plantation area and timber supply situation in the U.S. South indicated that intensive forest management can balance softwood timber inventories and timber harvests, at slightly increased real timber prices. The data on forest plantations and growth rates, as well as our survey of harvest regulation, indicate that the forest products industry and other forest owners have the means to achieve and modeling capabilities to measure and implement sustainable timber management. If this potential is realized, increased productivity in managed forests will lessen timber harvesting pressures and enhance the protection of natural forests.