To preliminary evaluate the potential wood utilization of Betula platyphylla Sukaczev trees naturally regenerated in Mongolia, growth characteristics (stem diameter and tree height), wood properties (annual ring width, basic density, and compressive strength parallel to grain at the green condition) of core samples, and stress-wave velocity in stems were investigated for Betula platyphylla trees grown naturally in three different sites in Selenge, Mongolia. Betula platyphylla trees, naturally grown in Nikko, Japan, were also examined to compare wood properties between the two regions. The mean values of stem diameter, tree height, stress-wave velocity of stems, annual ring width, basic density, and compressive strength parallel to grain at green condition in Mongolian B. platyphylla were 17.6 cm, 14.1 m, 3.50 km s–1, 1.27 mm, 0.51 g cm–3, and 20.4 MPa, respectively. Basic density and compressive strength were decreased first from the pith, and then gradually increased toward the bark. The wood properties of B. platyphylla trees grown naturally in Mongolia were similar to those in B. platyphylla trees grown in Japan. Growth characteristics, especially stem diameter, were positively correlated with the stress-wave velocity of stems and basic density. Early evaluation of basic density in B. platyphylla trees is possible by using wood located 2 cm from the pith. Basic density at the position from the 1st to the 15th annual ring from the pith showed significant between-site differences in Mongolian B. platyphylla. Based on the results, it is concluded that the wood of B. platyphylla trees grown in Mongolia may be used for industrial products as well as those from similar species in other countries.
This paper is an assessment of what in Finland are referred to as local forest management associations (LFMAs); the local units of a non-profit, forestry-promotion institution. First, the concept of organisational effectiveness is explored and an attempt is made to define it with respect to the LFMAs. The study then seeks to identify the environmental constraints, organisational characteristics and managerial practices differentiating the most effective and least effective associations. Discriminant analysis revealed four determinants of effectiveness: agrarian prosperity in the given area, activeness in marketing services to forest owners, the board of governors' role, and goal setting practices. The results thus indicate that the comparison of managerial policies and practices among LFMAs can provide useful information for improving their effectiveness.
The Academy of Finland commissioned a review of forest regeneration research. This paper summarises the evaluation. The report deals with the individual research projects and, in addition, the international evaluation group gives several recommendations to develop the forest regeneration research further. The recommendations concern education and training, publications, peer review, experimental design, routine work and extension service, and technology transfer. The paper also includes comments of the Finnish Forest Institute, the Finnish Society of Forest Science and a research scientist on the results of the evaluation.
The PDF includes a summary in English.
This study deals with the evaluation of logging machines. The analyses were based on the results of a productivity study with special reference to a PIKA 35 processor, a delimber-bucker, working in Kyröskoski forest area in Finland. Factors affecting the productivity of the machine were surveyed. Mathematical models for determining the productivity were developed and their practical applications to the particular problem under study was demonstrated.
The PDF includes an abstract in Finnish.
A brief overview of forestry in European Community (EC) of the 9 is presented. Forestry incentives seem necessary for increasing timber production on private ownership in order to avoid possible price inflation.
In the economic analysis of the program evaluation method proposed here to assess the efficiency of such incentives, a broad EC perspective is recommended to avoid erroneous conclusion. The evaluation made from the prospect of a member country only is artificial and is influenced by EC policies anyway. The evaluation changes depending on whether these EC policies are considered given and immutable or not.
Development of timber sale accounting system for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service ordered by the U.S. Congress, has entailed numerous evaluations and research projects. Critics of the current process claims administrative costs are not recovered by the prices paid for Federal timber. However, management of multiple resources for multiple uses makes traditional accounting difficult; i.e., keeping track of cash flows. A further complication involves allocating costs to the various resources (joint cost allocation), for which no nonarbitrary method currently exists. A concurrent issue involves the building of roads for timber harvest into areas released from wilderness consideration. Environmentalists see the road building program of the Federal land management agencies as an additional reason Federal management costs are not recovered from timber-generated revenues. The heart of the issue is which lands are economically suited for timber management, and what nonmarket benefits and costs accrue from the timber management.
The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to evaluate the profitableness of a forest policy program and to discover from among the feasible programs the one that best complies with the desired performance of the economy. At first the procedures of forest policy-making in a country like Finland is considered. After that a method to evaluate forest policy programs is derived.