Alaska Softwood Market Arbitrage

1
INLAS Utilization Module
Issue Removal and use of timber might provide a
way to lower the costs of reducing fuel loadings
and altering forest structural conditions to
accomplish certain non-timber related management
objectives. Information is needed on how timber
removals might provide a mechanism to achieve
restoration objectives, while contributing to
local economies, and helping to reduce subsidies
needed to implement treatments.
Research Questions What is the utilization
potential (ranking) for each stand (polygon)
under each management scenario? Are the materials
proposed for removal from the INLAS area suitable
for the existing timber markets? What are the
costs per acre for various treatment
options? Will the various management scenarios
require financial subsidies?
Approach The analysis will include wood product
potential in addition to estimates of volume.
This will allow evaluation of the ability of the
landscape to provide raw materials for different
types of manufacturing processes under the
various management scenarios. Analyses under
each of these scenarios will also include the
potential to gather non-timber forest products.
Financial analysis will be conducted using the
Financial Evaluation of Ecosystem Activities
software (FEEMA www.fs.fed.us/pnw/data/soft.htm)
Expected Outputs Outputs will be a set of maps
that provide an indication of the feasibility of
using different timber and non-timber species.
This will be displayed by developing a
Utilization Index and an Accessibility Index
for various map units. These indices will take
the form of rankings of the potential to convert
timber removals into various wood products
(Utilization Index) and the relative
accessibility of different timber and non-timber
products for areas on the landscape (Availability
Index).
Contacts Doug Maguire, (541-737-4215,
doug.maguire_at_orst.edu) Jamie Barbour
(503-808-2074, jbarbour01_at_fs.fed.us).