Evaluating Economic Impacts of Different Silvicultural Approaches in Bottomland Hardwood Forests of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV)

Author

Sunil Nepal

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Frey, Brent R.

Committee Member

Henderson, James E.

Committee Member

Roberts, Scott D.

Committee Member

Grebner, Donald L.

Date of Degree

12-9-2016

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Forestry

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Forestry

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to model the growth and yield of bottomland hardwood forests of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and to explain the economic tradeoffs of even- and uneven-aged management. The US Forest Service (USFS) Forest Vegetation Simulator was used to model growth and yield for four different bottomland hardwood forest types using USFS inventory data. Even- and uneven-aged management scenarios were optimized for timber revenue maximization using the Land Expectation Value formula. Analyses suggested that growth and yield of even-aged and uneven-aged management approaches differ in terms of end products and harvesting time. The even-aged management scenarios performed better over the uneven-aged management scenarios with few exceptions; however, the magnitude of the economic tradeoff depended upon initial stand conditions and required rates of return. These analyses will allow landowners to understand how much economic gain or loss they may realize by adopting an alternative management.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20343

Recommended Citation

Nepal, Sunil, "Evaluating Economic Impacts of Different Silvicultural Approaches in Bottomland Hardwood Forests of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV)" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 1952.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/1952