Finnish researchers examine optimal forest management practices for mixed stands of Norway spruce, Scots pine, birch affected by climate change

Allison Oesterle

ATLANTA , October 24, 2012 (Agriculture Week) – By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Agriculture Week -- Investigators publish new report on Forestry. According to news reporting out of Joensuu, Finland, by VerticalNews editors, research stated, "Forest management involves considerable amounts of uncertainty related to future timber prices and tree growth. A new element in forest-management planning is climate-induced change in tree growth."

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Eastern Finland, "This study used stochastic adaptive optimization to derive optimal adaptive rules for the management of a mixed stand of Norway spruce, Scots pine and birch, when (1) both price and growth were stochastic and (2) there was a climate-induced growth trend. Optimized reservation-price function was used as the adaptive rule for final felling. The optimal times of thinning treatments were described by rules that related the thinning year to the growth rate of the stand. The results suggest that an improving growth trend slightly shortens optimal rotation lengths. On the other hand, risk related to timber price and growth tended to increase the rotation length. Increasing timber-price volatility increased the reservation price and rotation length."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "When risk and risk-aversion increased, maintaining a more diverse stand structure was profitable."

For more information on this research see: Anticipatory vs adaptive optimization of stand management when tree growth and timber prices are stochastic. Forestry, 2012;85(4):463-472. Forestry can be contacted at: Oxford Univ Press, Great Clarendon St, Oxford OX2 6DP, England. (Oxford University Press - www.oup.com/; Forestry - forestry.oxfordjournals.org)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting T. Pukkala, Univ Eastern Finland, Sch Forest Sci, Joensuu 80101, Finland.

Keywords for this news article include: Europe, Joensuu, Finland, Forestry

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