Prices Of Forest Products Research Articles

Research on the Influencing Factors and Development Strategies of the Under-forest Economy in Heilongjiang Province

Abstract: To address issues such as the small scale of operations, low technological content, and opaque market information in the under-forest economy of Heilongjiang Province, this study employs descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis methods based on 124 questionnaire responses from forest farmers in various cities and counties of Heilongjiang Province. The study explores the influencing factors of developing the under-forest economy in Heilongjiang Province. The results show that the number of family laborers, family wage income, forest product planting area, attention to forestry technology, and forestry bureau subsidies significantly impact the development of the under-forest economy. Factors such as forest product prices, product quality, the risk of unsold products, supply of production materials, and forest product cooperatives have a weaker influence on the development of the under-forest economy. Based on these influencing factors, relevant suggestions are proposed to promote the development of the under-forest economy, providing a more scientific theoretical basis for the development of the under-forest economy in Heilongjiang Province.

The impact of COVID-19 on the global forestry sector – A bibliometric analysis-based literature review

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought profound changes in the world. Consequently, it has affected global forests, forest-dependent communities, and the forest industry. The current study examines academic research focusing on the Pandemic's effects on the overall forestry sector by conducting a bibliometric analysis followed by a literature review in light of themes identified from the bibliometric analysis itself. We identified relevant studies in the Web of Science database, and the metadata of the selected studies was analyzed using the R-based Biblioshiny application. We identified the studies' sources, focus areas, impacts, locations, and themes through the bibliometrics analysis. Then, the findings of the studies were reviewed and summarized based on the identified themes. One dominant theme was forest recreation, with urban forests increasingly serving as stress-relieving and social spaces for communities during the Pandemic. Conversely, reduced ecotourism and forest park visits adversely affected some communities and conservation efforts that depend on tourism income. Loss of livelihoods and diminished enforcement in some regions exacerbated pressures on forests, leading to heightened deforestation, poaching, land encroachments, and forest fires. Some authorities adapted to the challenge by integrating online technologies into forest management and conservation efforts. Some forest-dependent communities were disproportionately affected, raising concerns about indigenous rights. The forest industry faced challenges such as labor shortages and fluctuations in the supply, demand, and prices of forest products, as indicated in several studies. The study offers insights into the existing literature and identifies research gaps. It provides essential information for better preparedness in the face of future disruptive events and informs the development of policies to protect our forests.

Forest products monetary contribution to households’ income: A means to improve the livelihood of a low-income rural community in South Ethiopia

Forest products and forest-based activities in Ethiopia play a substantial economic contribution to the livelihoods of rural households. Despite its pivotal role, empirical data are inadequate on forests' monetary contribution across a range of ecological locations and social situation, particularly for rural agrarian communities of the developing nations, like Ethiopia. We estimated the economic contributions of forest products and forest-based activities to forest-dependent rural households’ income and highlighted key socioeconomic characteristics in Wolaita, Ethiopia. We collected demographic, socioeconomic, and forest use data using a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 384 households, and surveyed markets to determine the prices of forest products for the valuation of forest use in three districts. We used descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, the two-sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA to analyze the data. Findings showed that all respondents were engaged in one way or another in forest-based activities, while 84.6 % were involved in farming. The annual average income from forest products was 252.7US per household, contributing to 28.1 % of the total yearly average income (989.4US$), and 38.3 % relative forest income (RFI). Annual mean household income from crops was 648.1US$. Average annual household income from grazing, charcoal, firewood, woodcutting, cut-and-carry, NTFP, seed selling, medicinal plants, and seedling selling was 77.3 %, 58.4 %, 50.2 %, 24.1 %, 18.5 %, 12.7 %, 7.1 %, 6.8 % and 5.4 % of the total annual mean income, respectively revealing a significant difference (p < 0.05). Family size, farmland size, distance to the forest, and occupation were the determinants of the contribution of forest products to household income. In general, poor households derive the highest relative forest income implying high dependence of the poorer on forest resources in the study area. The findings provide useful information for developing sustainable forest management policies and strategies to enhance the economic and ecological benefits of forests, and highlight the need for funding projects to pay attention to the specific household variables that affect forest use. Mainstreaming conservation activities in development sectors and integrating development and conservation projects may improve the livelihood of the low-income family in the region.

An Analysis of the Pass-Through of Exchange Rates in Forest Product Markets

This paper assesses the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) for forest product prices (i.e., sawnwood, logs) by applying a two-regime Self-Exciting Threshold Autoregressive (SETAR) model. We incorporate autoregressive second-order dynamics in the regime equations. This leads to better forecasts, as integrating more lags helps capture the cumulative effects of the price dynamics. We examine sawnwood and log products traded in the United States, Malaysia (Southeast Asia) and Cameroon (West Africa). Our results illustrate the importance of applying the two-regime SETAR-type models to analyze the non-linear exchange rate pass-through for forest product markets. The impulse response analysis of each price pair supports the changing behavior of price ratios in various regimes. This may be regarded as another justification to apply models accounting for structural changes to investigate the exchange rate pass-through in a non-linear fashion. The aftershock adjustment process is similar, but the amplitude of the impact differs among markets. The results reveal potential arbitrage opportunities in the forestry industry.

Model of determination and forecasting of prices of forest products using the example of pulp

The paper presents the problems of the development of the Russian forest complex at the present stage, which are confirmed by a decrease in the volume of production and export of forest products. Fluctuations in global and domestic prices for forest products create real problems of sustainable and effective development of the forest complex. Many factors determine the dynamics of timber prices and affect various components of price dynamics. As the correlation analysis showed, the main influence on the trend component of pulp prices on the world market and the Chinese market is exerted by: the change in GDP per capita as a percentage, the inflation rate and the growth rate of investments. To determine the trend in pulp prices for the Chinese market, we used official data from GDP growth forecasts. Highlighting the determinants of development and forecasting, taking into account the main factor of gross product, the trend-cyclical model of pulp prices allows us to anticipate natural deviations in market development, plan the cost of forest products, the cost of exporting forest materials, which is important for the financial situation of forestry enterprises. In general, the developed methodological approach is applicable to other types of forest products, and the results of the study can be used by enterprises, organizations of the forest complex when studying market conditions and planning activities for various periods. At the level of state bodies, forecast models allow planning the cost of export-import turnover of forest materials, production of products by forestry enterprises.

Orman ürünlerinin satışında elektronik satışların kullanılmasına ilişkin orman işletmesi çalışanlarının görüşleri

This research was carried out to determine the opinions of the implementing personnel regarding electronic sales methods, which have started being used in the sale of wood-based forest products. Within the scope of the research, a survey was conducted with 323 personnel working in various units of the General Directorate of Forestry and working in electronic sales. Basic statistical tests and the chi-square test were used in the analysis of the research data. According to the research findings, the use of electronic sales in the sales of forest products, which started in 2019 with the reflection of technological developments in forestry, has become widespread with the Covid -19 pandemic period. Electronic sales, which were approached cautiously at the beginning by practitioners, were adopted due to the curfews during the pandemic process, the risks born with doing business face-to-face, the ease, reliability, speed and fairness etc. of the method and the consideration that it was more advantageous compared to in-person sales. It is thought that the method plays a role in the increase in the sales prices of forest products along with other reasons. The most negative aspect of the method is the reduction of direct communication-interaction with customers.

Financial Revenues from Timber Harvesting in Secondary Cloud Forests: A Case Study from Mexico

Secondary forests, i.e., those arising after the clearance and abandonment of previously forested land, dominate tropical forest landscapes, rapidly sequester carbon, provide essential ecosystem services and are prone to re-clearance. Secondary cloud forests (SCF) play a particularly critical role for biodiversity and hydrological regulation. To promote their persistence, sustainable management is necessary; however, there is limited information regarding SCF potential for sustainable timber production. We estimated the revenue from selective timber harvesting in a pilot study in a 20-year-old SCF in Mexico. We explored the effect of the harvested timber volume, harvesting costs and price of forest products on the Net Present Value (NPV). Small landowners could only extract 17% of the harvestable standing volume due to a high number of small trees, a high (34%) volume of non-timber species, and their limited capacity to process timber. A third of the income derived from fuelwood, and overall financial returns were negative. A positive NPV may result from a 20% harvesting intensity, a 10% reduction in harvesting costs, or a 20% increase in stumpage price. Our results warrant the development of forest policy instruments and economic incentives for small-scale SCF landowners to alleviate poverty and meet national and global restoration and climate mitigation goals.

Forest Resource Use Pattern in Fringe Villages of Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary and Singalila National Park of Khangchendzonga Landscape, India

Forests in the Barsey-Singalila transboundary area under Khangchendzonga landscape (KL) are facing pressures of resource uses. Despite continuous utilizations, complete data are lacking from the ground level. Socioeconomic, demographic, and forest use data were obtained by interviewing 233 households across two study locations. Forest product market survey was undertaken to determine prices of forest products. Resource dependence index was (0.60) high for both the locations. Alnus nepalensis is highly preferred fuel species with probability of use (0.791), and Rhododendron arboreum with probability of use (0.09) is considered as least preferred species. Relatively bigger village with more population is aggravating utilization pressures. Resource use at Gorkhey-Samanden is low (20% in case of fuelwood) as compared to the use at Ribdi-Bhareng (80% for fuelwood). Only preferred medicinal plants or wild edibles, namely, Yushania maling are collected regardless of their availability for fuelwood and other uses, which is causing more pressure on a small group of plants. A huge shortfall between resource demand and production indicates the possible extraction of resources from surrounding reserve forests. The results provide significant information on peoples dependency on forest resources and may be utilized for developing forest conservation policies for enhanced ecosystem services and livelihoods in the region.

Causes and Impacts of Deforestation and Forest Degradation at Duguna Fango Woreda

Forest is one of the crucial resources that determine the livelihood, environmental stability, and socio-cultural value of the dependent people. However, being deteriorated by different drivers it is becoming a global agenda with deep-rooted implications following the massive forest clearance and deterioration. This research was conducted to diagnose the causes of deforestation and forest degradation and to devise the ways for vegetation cover improvement opportunities at Duguna Fango Woreda. With a random sampling approach, ten districts (commonly named as Kebeles) were selected, and proportionate sample distribution was made to each kebele. A total of 120 household heads were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Focus group discussion, field observation, and secondary data sources were used for qualitative data requirements. The quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS software (version 20.0); descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. Pearson correlation, Ordinal logistic regression; and chi-square test (crosstabulation) were computed for different variables. Accordingly, Slash and burn, farmland expansion, overgrazing, timber logging, firewood collection, charcoal production, forest fire, and settlement expansion were identified as direct causes of deforestation at 95% CI. On the other hand, population growth, increased price of forest products, climate change, and lack of awareness on forest management were indirectly positively correlated with deforestation in the area. Consequently, it has resulted in the loss of biodiversity, soil fertility decline, frequent drought occurrence, erratic rainfall; local temperature increment, and gully formation due to soil erosion at 95% CI. Selected Agroforestry practices are identified as the ideal solution to the current deforestation problem at Duguna Fango woreda.

Evaluation of Institutional Development : Case on Private Forest Farmer Group in Sumbawa Regency

Although a large number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the success of farmer groups, a comprehensive evaluations starting from group formation process has not been carried out much. This research rates the success of farmer groups as a vehicle to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the area of Management Unit of Production Forest (KPHP) of Puncak Ngengas-Batu Lanteh, Sumbawa. The success was measured by evaluating three roles of farmer groups namely,  a) class for learning, b) forum for collaboration, and c) unit for production. This research was conducted in two periods, i.e. on April 2016 and April 2017. The sample consisted of 20 forest farmers selected purposively, the data were collected through interviews and focus group discussion techniques and analysed descriptively. This study revealed that the roles scale of farmer groups as class for learning and as a forum for collaboration were categorized as low level, while as a unit for production was categorized as moderate level. These categories show that in general the farmer group had not succeeded in carrying out its function as a class for learning, and as a vehicle for collaboration, except as a unit for production. This weak condition was utilized by middlemen to take advantages from marketing activity by controlling forest product prices.  The Kanada farmer group was categorized in the beginner group which needs 75 % intervention from outsider such as continual mentoring by counsellors to grow the attitude from working alone to working together in a group.Â

Local Perceptions of Forest Certification in State-Based Forest Enterprises

Forest management certification plays a supportive role in the realization of wood production by evaluating social, economic and ecological objectives. This study analyzed the changes in the perceptions, views and expectations with respect to forest management certification held by those who live on forest land in Turkey, known as forest peasants, according to their education level, age and their engagement in forestry activities. The study was conducted at the Kastamonu Regional Directorate of Forestry located in northwestern Turkey. Data were collected using face-to-face survey with 407 forest peasants who randomly selected. In addition to the descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests were used to analyze whether there were any significant differences among the views depending on the locals’ education level, age and their engagement in forestry activities. The results showed that forest peasants generally knew what certification was. The forest peasants stated that certification has benefits for occupational health and safety. However, they also stated that there had not been any significant increase in forestry worker wages or the price of forest products, that there had not been any noticeable difference in the forest administration’s forestry activities, and that the principles of participatory forest management had not been applied efficiently and effectively following certification.

Using Network 2000 Program for Transportation Planning of Forest Products

The construction and maintenance of forest roads are the activities that require the highest financial investment in the extraction of forest products. In addition, the cost of transporting forest products from landing to storage area can be significant proportion of the total extraction cost. For this reason, forest engineers are obliged not only to reduce the cost of road construction and maintenance, but also to prepare the most appropriate transportation plan to minimize total costs. Computer aided models can be used to solve complex transportation problems that require the evaluation of many alternative routes and selection of the alternative with least cost. In this study, the Network 2000 program based on the shortest path algorithm was used in transportation planning of forest product, and then the solution capacity of the method was examined in a sample application. As a study area, two Forest Enterprise Chiefs (FECs) of Paşalar and Sarnıç were selected from Mustafakemalpasa Forest Enterprise Directorate (FED) in the border of Bursa Forest Regional Directorate. The transportation cost of the road sections, forest product types, location of landing and forest depots were entered into the Network 2000 program after being digitized with ArcGIS 10.2 software. In the solution process, firstly, the route that minimized the transportation cost was investigated, and then, the route with the maximum net profit was determined by taking the sale prices of forest products into consideration. According to results, the transportation cost mostly depends on the transportation time, hourly truck cost and load capacity of the truck.

Measuring the economic impacts of trade liberalisation on forest products trade in the Asia-Pacific region using the GTAP model

SUMMARY The paper examines the effects of unilateral trade liberalisation of forest products amongst the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries. It attempts to quantify the gains from liberalised trade when APEC member countries extend their preferential treatment to non-member countries in forest products trade using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model. Given that forest products comprise only a relatively small proportion of world merchandise trade, it is expected that trade liberalisation would cause small changes in terms of trade, real GDP, production, consumption and prices of forest products amongst APEC member countries. The results suggest that in general, when more countries participate in trade liberalisation the more welfare could be improved with the exception of the region North America which is comprised of three countries, the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

Economic Impact of Net Carbon Payments and Bioenergy Production in Fertilized and Non-Fertilized Loblolly Pine Plantations

Sequestering carbon in forest stands and using woody bioenergy are two potential ways to utilize forests in mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Such forestry related strategies are, however, greatly influenced by carbon and bioenergy markets. This study investigates the impact of both carbon and woody bioenergy markets on land expectation value (LEV) and rotation age of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests in the southeastern United States for two scenarios—one with thinning and no fertilization and the other with thinning and fertilization. Economic analysis was conducted using a modified Hartman model. The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during various activities such as management of stands, harvesting, and product decay was included in the model. Sensitivity analysis was conducted with a range of carbon offset, wood for bioenergy, and forest product prices. The results showed that LEV increased in both management scenarios as the price of carbon and wood for bioenergy increased. However, the results indicated that the management scenario without fertilizer was optimal at low carbon prices and the management scenario with fertilizer was optimal at higher carbon prices for medium and low forest product prices. Carbon payments had a greater impact on LEV than prices for wood utilized for bioenergy. Also, increase in the carbon price increased the optimal rotation age, whereas, wood prices for bioenergy had little impact. The management scenario without fertilizer was found to have longer optimal rotation ages.

Экономическая доступность лесных ресурсов: факторы ее определяющие и достоверность оценки

The current low levels of allowable amounts of wood removals (annual allowable cut) are largely predetermined by economic inaccessibility of forest resources. Achievement of the target value of the indicator of the state program of the Russian Federation &amp;#34;Development of Forestry&amp;#34; for 2013-2020 years in terms of forestry is impossible to ensure without the formation of favorable economic conditions for the implementation of logging activities. Economic incentive for development of forest resources is a positive criterion of economic accessibility of forest resources, which is defined by the value or exceeding the value of forest rent standard cost of reproduction, and protection of forests. The affordability of forest resources is affected by the totality of the various factors (resource, logistics, general economic, commercial, institutional) determining the level of prices, costs of production and reproduction of timber forest resources, as well as possible legal restrictions on the development of forests. Based on the results of calculations on cutting area fund of Vilegodsky forest, located in the southeastern part of the Arkhangelsk region, analysis of the impact of such factors as the use of low-quality wood, the level of prices and wages to economic accessibility of forest resources was made. In the absence of processing low-quality wood, proportion of economically inaccessible forests was more than 30 %, at the same time in the organization of pellet production volume of economically inaccessible forests decreased by 44.7 %, while the estimate of economically accessible forest resources increased by 45.3 %. Increase in the price of forest products by 10% leads to a decrease in cost of inaccessible forest resources of Vilegodsky forest for about 50-65 %, reflecting the importance of this factor. The level of wages is also a determining factor for the assessment of the economic accessibility of forest resources. With the growth of the average wage in the lumber from 35 thousand up to 40 thousand rubles per month, assessment of economically accessible forest resources is reduced by more than a third, and the volume and the number of plots of economically accessible forest resources – for more than a quarter.

Sustainable Development of Forest

This paper brings system dynamics into the analysis framework of sustainable development of forest and analyzes the interreaction of two subsystems of this dynamic system. The studies have shown that the price of forest products plays a key role on the existing ecosystem and influence the evolution of forest ecosystem through adjusting the structure of interests of human being.

Assessing the impact of planted forests on the global forest economy

Background: Planted forests are increasingly important in world forestry, natural resources conservation, and climate change policies. There is great interest in their potential for carbon sequestration and conservation of natural forests while they remain an essential source of fuelwood and industrial roundwood. Methods: A method was developed for estimating the importance of planted forests in the global forestry sector. This was based on calculation of a global economic equilibrium with or without planted forests, using an adaptation of the Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) to simulate wood production in seven regions representing a total of 180 countries. The GFPM was then used to calculate production, consumption, trading balance, and price of forest products in 2009. Results: The utilisation of planted forests was estimated to reduce prices of forest products by 24 - 37%, and those of manufactured products by 4 - 14%, depending on the level of processing. World production of fuelwood was 4% greater due to the utilisation of planted forests, and industrial roundwood production was 14% higher. Conclusions: Although an increase in the level of consumption of end products was noted for all regions, production was sometimes lower if the effect of reduced prices was greater than the effect of the increase in wood supply. Nevertheless, the gain in global financial benefit to consumers far exceeded the loss of producer profits, leading to an estimated net gain of US$10,000 ha -1 in net present value at 2009 prices. Furthermore, planted forests reduced roundwood harvesting from natural forests by 26%, thereby contributing to ecological benefits such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.

Cost-benefit analysis of soil and water conservation measure: The case of exclosures in northern Ethiopia

This paper is about the cost-benefit analysis of a specific soil and water conservation measure, commonly termed as ‘exclosures’ in the case study area of this research, adopted in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. The analysis integrated available data on on-site and off-site effects of the conservation measure. Major benefit and cost items related to this specific measure were identified, quantified, and valued. Direct market prices and variants of indirect environmental valuation techniques (cost based and productivity change methods) were employed in valuing the benefit and cost items included in the analysis. Our results indicate that establishing exclosures in degrading marginal lands generate a large positive net present value (NPV) of ETB 5620ha−1. However, putting productive agricultural land under exclosures yields a negative NPV even under some hypothetical scenarios of 50% rise in prices of forest products and a social discount rate halved from the base rate of 8%. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the net present value is quite volatile to changes in biomass production and the social discount rate. Thus, appropriate forest management schemes have to be adopted in order to maximize sustainable biomass production. Furthermore, factors such as credit constraints that affect local people's time preference should be addressed to induce local people to discount the future at lower rate.

Simulated effects of mandatory versus voluntary participation in private forest carbon offset markets in the United States

Abstract Assumptions regarding landowner participation, whether mandatory or voluntary, are an important determinant in evaluating the implications of a carbon offset sales program. We modify an existing intertemporal optimization model of the US forest and agriculture sectors to allow optional involvement of private forest land in a carbon offset market and compare these results to a case in which all private land is enrolled. Our analysis of these two cases and various CO 2 e price levels indicate different responses in carbon stock and flux, forest land area and management, forest product prices, and forest conditions. The results suggest that the cost of sequestering carbon in US forests, using either a voluntary or mandatory carbon offset sales program, may be substantially higher than suggested by earlier studies.

Back to the Forest: Exploring Forest Transitions in Candelaria Loxicha, Mexico

Declining profitability of agriculture and/or higher prices of forest products and services typically drive an increase in forest cover. This article examines changes in forest cover in Candelaria Loxicha, Mexico. Forest cover increased in the area as a result of coffee cultivation in coffee forest-garden systems. Dependence on forest products and services, and not prices of forest products, drive the process in our study site. Low international coffee prices and high labor demand outside the community might pull farmers out of agriculture, but they do not completely abandon the lands. A diversification in income sources prevents land abandonment and contributes to maintaining rural populations and coffee forest gardens.