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A comparison of timber and forage values within lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stands in south-central British Columbia

University of British Columbia

This research compared the influence of pre-commercial thinning (PCT) and fertilization on forage and timber values in three managed lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. Var. latifolia Engelm.) forests in the Interior of British Columbia (BC). Cattle (Bos taurus) were grazed in two of the forests. The respective values of treatments were compared using their land expectation value (LEV). Timber values were calculated using the Tree Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY) growth and yield model. Cattle use was calculated by relating estimated grazing densities with TIPSY-derived canopy closure estimates for known periods, and establishing a relationship using a linear regression. The value of forage as upland cattle pasture was calculated using a pasture lease rate ($/animal unit month) derived from prior market research in BC, Alberta, and the United States of America. In all study areas the unrelated control was the profit-maximizing silvicultural strategy. In the Summerland study area, no treatment was profitable. In the Kelowna study area, all the unfertilized treatments were profitable. In the Cariboo study area, all treatments were profitable. In all forests, the unfertilized 2000 stems/ha. treatment was the best alternative option, and under the right conditions could be a profit-maximizing investment. The inclusion of forage values in the comparison of investments did not change which treatment was profit-maximizing: treatments affected timber values much more than forage values. This research suggests that under conditions of high site productivity and an assumed social discount rate of 4%, PCT and intensive fertilization can be a profitable management option for interior lodgepole pine stands.

Text

2011-08-29

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/36967

Plant Science

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/