Factors affecting the economic assessment of continuous cover forestry compared with rotation based management.

Abstract

Economic comparisons between Continuous Cover Forestry and rotation-based forestry are complex and often inconclusive as there are fundamental difficulties in comparing even-aged and uneven-aged management systems from an economic point of view. These difficulties are multifactorial but they can be broadly grouped into methodological factors and management related factors. This paper explores some of the most influential issues affecting outcomes in economic valuations and in particular how they affect CCF compared with rotation based management. The discussion of these issues will help to inform the debate on CCF and its applicability to forest owners more familiar with rotation based forestry.