Graduate Project
 

LOGCOST a harvest cost model for southwestern Idaho

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_projects/m613n3348

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  • LOCCOST is an interactive computer program that predicts stump to mill logging costs, stumpage and net present value of a harvest based on stand data, pond value and logging parameters, entered by the user. The program is intended for use by foresters to evaluate the economics of different stand management strategies. It is also useful in deciding whether commercial thinning of existing stands is profitable. The current version is designed for use in southwestern Idaho, but minor changes could be made which would extend the applicability to other parts of the USDA, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Approximately two minutes is required to enter data, and program execution takes approximately 15 seconds, using an IBM Personal Computer. LOCCOST is compiled in BASIC and loLL4 .Julian Sessions will run on microcomputers that have at least 256K RAM and are IBM compatible. Documentation of the model and a Users' Guide are included in the Appendices. Felling and bucking, as well as yarding production, computed by LOCCOST compared favorably with other studies. Stump to truck logging costs are significantly lower than the cost estimated by the Intermountain Region Timber Appraisal Handbook. Preliminary testing of this harvest cost model, using stand data from the Boise National Forest in southwestern Idaho, suggests that the model is sensitive to such variables as tree size, species, volume per acre cut, logging system, terrain, and distance to the mill. Differences in thinning intensity, and past stand history (precommercial thinning) also result in differences in harvest cost per mbf, when modeled by LOCCOST. The results of alternative stand management strategies tested suggest that precommercial thinning may be necessary to produce profitable stands on average sites, if rotations less than 100 years are desired.
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