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

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

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

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

Modeling the Financial Potential of Silvopasture Agroforestry in Eastern North Carolina and Northeastern Oregon

Silvopasture is the planned and managed agroecosystem in which forage, livestock, and woody perennials are integrated "either simultaneously or sequentially on the same parcel of land." Silvopasture can help mitigate anthropogenic climate change through carbon sequestration in perennial vegetation. We examined silvopasture, forest, and pasture systems in eastern North Carolina and northeastern Oregon. In North Carolina, we evaluated forest and agroforestry systems using loblolly and longleaf pine species. In Oregon, we evaluated forest and agroforestry systems using ponderosa pine. We based the analyses on typical forest and cattle regimes, including yields, costs, and prices obtained from the literature, and consulted with experts in the respective subjects. The financial viability of land management investments was investigated using capital budgeting techniques. Cash flows were developed using 4 percent and 6 percent real discount rates. Analysis suggests loblolly pine timber management and cattle management are more profitable than silvopasture management in eastern North Carolina. Additionally, cattle management is more profitable than silvopasture in northeastern Oregon. Longleaf pine and ponderosa pine are not profitable when solely managed for timber and can benefit financially when combined with livestock

Machine rate calculations and productivity rate tables for harvesting southern pine.

This paper summarized complete 1980 costs for all types of harvesting equipment in the South. Productivity rates are also summarized for this equipment.Cubbage, Frederick W.. (1981). Machine rate calculations and productivity rate tables for harvesting southern pine.. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/5876

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Market Responses to Timber Scarcity Problems

Excerpts from the report Introduction: The effectiveness of free markets in increasing quantities of timber supplies has been a forestry issue for centuries. Doubts about market effectiveness have prompted establishment of many public and private programs designed to improve forest management and timber utilization. However, the comparative merits of market mechanisms versus public programs have not been thoroughly analyzed. In this paper we will examine existing literature on the market responsiveness of timber and agricultural resource supplies to price changes and discuss the implications of this research for public and private policies and programs. Increased debate about public and private mechanisms for eliciting socially desirable levels of wood fiber supplies is likely. To provide a better basis for policy discussions, we initiated the research described here to review the economic theory underlying free markets and to collect information on the market responsiveness of various natural resources and the effects of public policies on supply

Governmental regulation and nongovernmental certification of forests in the tropics: Policy, execution, uptake, and overlap in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua

We analyzed how and why governmental forest regulation and nongovernmental forest certification in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua and their execution lead to, or fail to produce desired changes in forest owner and user behavior toward the enhanced sustainability of tropical forests. The findings confirmed not only that sufficient resources and capacity for forest policy execution are crucial for attaining policy objectives, but also that innovative arrangements for promoting, verifying, and enforcing policy compliance can compensate for limited resources and processes. Such arrangements incorporate a mixture of policy tools and actors that go beyond the traditional command-and-control approach, including the establishment of positive fiscal incentives for sustainable forest management, provision of technical assistance, participation of private-sector forest stewards, and support from nongovernmental organizations. The results also shed light on the mitigating effects of local-level inducements and constraints to governmental and nongovernmental forest policy adoption and compliance, such as forest size and composition, available resources, technical capacity, and attitudes toward forest policy and implementers.Forest regulation Forest certification Sustainable forest management Tropical forest management