Unused Logging Production Capacity in Northern New England, USA

Abstract

Among the costs associated with timber harvesting in northern New England, those related to unused production capacity are among the most poorly understood. Yet research in other regions of the US suggests that idle logging capacity can impose significant costs on wood supply systems, including logging businesses and procurement organizations. Mail surveys of logging business owners and representatives of wood consuming mills were used to understand unused logging capacity in the northern New England states: Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Over two-thirds of logging business owners said that they experienced unused production capacity in an “average” year. Weather, poor road conditions, equipment breakdowns, and mill-imposed quotas, were cited most often as causes of unused logging capacity. Results of this study have implications for logging businesses, procurement organizations, and wood supply system efficiency in northern New England.