SOUTH AMERICA: INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD SUPPLY POTENTIAL

South America has substantial potential to expand its forest plantations and raw material supply. From 1997 to 2005, South America had a high annual growth rate in the production of industrial roundwood, with Brazil and Chile being the most important countries. In the same period, Asia had the only negative regional production growth rate in the world, and China became the largest round wood importer in the world. This paper summarizes the status of production, consumption, imports, and exports of industrial roundwood and forest products in South America. Produc-tion and exports from South America have continually increased at annual growth rates exceeding the forestry sector in general and the U.S. in particular. Based on timber growing investments to date, a strong timber production and forest products manufacturing sector has developed in the Southern Cone countries of Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, and is increasing in other countries in Latin America. There will be continued opportunities for forest plantations and new manufacturing facilities throughout South America, tempered somewhat by perceived country financial and political risks. These opportunities will allow South America to increase its share of world production and increase imports to North America and to Asia

Empirical example of tradeoffs between teaching and research

Continuing public pressure on major research universities has caused a reevaluation of the balance between teaching and research. The preeminence of research is being questioned, and the focus on teaching and credit hour generation has been stated to be dominant at many institutions. Many states have begun to fund programs based on enrollment or credit hours generated, causing significant changes in the orientation of academic programs at Research I institutions. These changes in funding and philosophy suggest that research productivity may decline, and teaching quantities should increase

An Economic Analysis of Forest Products and Nature Based Tourism Sectors in North Carolina

As part of a study on the impacts of wood chip mills in North Carolina, we analyzed the economic contributions of the forest products sector and tourism sector in the state, using a variety of regional economic and demographic data bases and the IMPLAN input-output model. As of 1996, forest products firms in the state employed about 105,000 people and the nature-based tourism sector about 91,000 people. Total employee compensation in the forest products industry was $3.2 billion; for tourism it was$1.4 billion. Industrial output was $13.5 billion for the forest products industry in 1996, and$3.9 billion for the tourism sector. Value added, which provides a economic measure consistent with Gross State Product (GSP), was $4.9 billion for the forest products sector and$2.2 billion for the nature-based tourism sector, compared to the state GSP of $204 billion. From 1977 to 1996, value added in the forest products sector increased 6.6 percent per year, compared to 8.7 percent for the total state economy, and 9.1 percent for the tourism-based sector. The oldest population class in the state (65 years or more) was projected to increase the most (90 percent) over the next two decades, compared to 30 percent for the total state population, favoring more growth in the service-based economic sector than the manufacturing sector

Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project

Citizen science, also known as participatory research, combines the efforts of professional researchers and community volunteers to collect data. We have established one such collaborative project in eastern North Carolina, near the 79,000-acre Hofmann Forest, called the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) citizen science project. The White Oak River, New River, and Trent River all flow out of the Hofmann. The Hofmann is an ecological keystone in the region, acting as a natural filtration system for harmful runoff that occurs in the coastal plain of North Carolina. Our purposes for this study were twofold: (a) to evaluate the HOWL project by assessing the perceptions of HOWL participants and determining whether the project achieved its goals of individual development and community engagement and (b) to provide recommendations for the HOWL project as well as suggestions for other participatory research projects in their beginning phases. We interviewed 12 HOWL citizen scientists who participated in the project, and we drew two major conclusions from our research. First, we recognized that community engagement and collaboration drastically increased in rural eastern North Carolina due to the community members’ participation in water monitoring and natural resource management. Second, citizen scientists achieved their personal goals and objectives by participating in the HOWL project: Participants reported that they learned new skills, gained knowledge of scientific and research procedures, developed an attachment to their community and region, and acted as environmental stewards

Projecting global and regional outlooks for planted forests under the shared socio-economic pathways

There is rising global interest in growing more trees in order to meet growing population, climate change, and wood energy needs. Using recently published data on planted forests by country, we estimated relationships between per capita income and planted forest area that are useful for understanding prospective planted forest area futures through 2100 under various United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-inspired Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs). Under all SSPs, projections indicate increasing global planted forest area trends for the next three to four decades and declining trends thereafter, commensurate with the quadratic functions employed. Our projections indicate somewhat less total future planted forest area than prior linear forecasts. Compared to 293 million ha (Mha) of planted forests globally in 2015, SSP5 (a vision of a wealthier world) projects the largest increase (to 334 Mha, a 14% gain) by 2055, followed by SSP2 (a continuation of historical socio-economic trends, to 327 Mha, or an 11% gain), and SSP3 (a vision of a poorer world, to 319 Mha, a 9% gain). The projected trends for major world regions differ from global trends, consistent with differing socio-economic development trajectories in those regions. Our projections based on empirical FAO data for the past 25 years, as well as those by other researchers, suggest that achieving the much more ambitious global planted forest targets proposed recently will require exceptional forest land and investment supply shifts.Peer reviewe

A Logistical Regression Model of Southern Hardwood Lumber Export Participation

A survey of nine hundred hardwood lumber manufacturers in seven southern states gathered information on mill production capabilities, marketing practices, equipment, and products. Models utilizing logistical regression were developed to assess mill characteristics and how they influence participation in export markets. Mill yearly rated production, lumber production of oak species, covered storage capacity, sales manager's education level, and public ownership all were found to have a positive influence on a mill's export participation. Sales to finished products manufacturers, production of grade three lumber, production of pallets or pallet parts, and private ownership were significant in inhibiting export participation. Expansion plans, number of species sawn, age of sales manager, and importance of sales calls to marketing effort were all found not to be significant predictors of hardwood lumber mills' export participation, or lack thereof

Tree growth and timber returns for an agroforestry trial in Goldsboro, North Carolina

Paper presented at the 12th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held June 4-9, 2011 in Athens, Georgia.In Ashton, S. F., S.W. Workman, W.G. Hubbard and D.J. Moorhead, eds. Agroforestry: A Profitable Land Use. Proceedings, 12th North American Agroforestry Conference, Athens, GA, June 4-9, 2011.A 17 acre (6.9 ha) agroforestry research and extension alley cropping trial was established at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro, North Carolina in January 2007, with a randomized block design with five replications. The demonstration planted rows of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), and cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), with crop lands in alleys of 40 ft or 80 ft (12.2 to 24.4 m) wide between the tree rows. Crops of soybeans (Glycine max) and corn (Zea mays) were planted in alternating years since establishment. As of 2011, survival rates were 93 [percent] for cherrybark oak, 88 [percent] for longleaf pine, and 97 [percent] for loblolly pine. Average diameter at ground level was 1.0 in (2.5 cm) for cherrybark oak, 2.1 in (5.3 cm) for longleaf, and 3.2 in (8.1 cm) for loblolly. Heights averaged 4.6 ft (1.4 m) for cherrybark oak, 5.2 ft (1.6 m) for longleaf, and 10.4 ft (3.2 m) for loblolly. Growth, yield, and economic projections for traditional timber production indicated that species volumes and values tracked the current height and diameter relationships. Loblolly pine had the largest projected internal rate of return, at 7.2 [percent], followed by longleaf pine at 3.5 [percent], and cherrybark oak at 2.9 [percent]. There might be more loss in crop and silvopasture production with loblolly, however, and production of pine straw for longleaf or game mast for cherrybark oak may offer other benefits. Crop yields on the sandy soils were very poor during the four years observed.Viola Glenn (1), Russell Myers (1), Frederick Cubbage (1),Hayley Stevenson (1), Dan Robison (1), Paul Mueller (2) and Ron Myers (3) ; 1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University. 2. Department of Crop Science, North Carolina State University. 3. North Carolina Division of Forest Resources.Includes bibliographical references

Logging contractors' growth in the southern cone: an analysis of contractor business strategies, innovation, and mechanization

Forest plantations have increased in South America for several decades. Harvesting is performed mainly through contractor companies. Our hypothesis is that logging contractors that innovate, grow more than others. We analyzed logging contractors through production and innovation, working in Argentina (22), Brazil (35) and Uruguay (10), through surveys between 2008 and 2012. Factors that affected firm growth were analyzed with linear mixed effect models. In all three countries there was a preponderance of logging contractors with cellulose companies. Our results show that logging firms that had mutualistic supply chain relations with the contracting organizations had better production indicators and lower cost per ton than other independent harvesting contractors. In the last 10 years, mechanization increased significantly, reducing the number of employees. Innovation was the most significant variable in enhanced logging production. For the period from 10 to 5 years before the survey period, the number of employees and type of contracting company were most significant on loggers' growth. During the last 5-year period before the survey period, the number of employees and innovation were significant. Thus, during the last 10 years, logging companies shifted from growth based on type of the firm to the amount of innovation by firms, and contracting companies.Fil: Mac Donagh, Patricio Miguel. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Velazco, Santiago José Elías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Botta, Guido Fernando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján; ArgentinaFil: Schlichter, Tomás Miguel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Cubbage, Frederick. North Carolina State University; Estados Unido