Potential markets for logs and sawn timber from Darwin stringybark forests of Cape York Peninsula

On Cape York Peninsula there are about 1.7 Mha of eucalypt forests with commercially attractive timber species on land tenures other than National Park. Potential north Queensland markets for Darwin stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta), Cooktown ironwood (Erythrophleum chlorostachys) and Melville Island bloodwood (Corymbia nesophila) are described, and prices and quantities demanded estimated from informal discussions with timber processors and consumers who are familiar with the species are reported. Interviewees are optimistic about market prospects for the former two species, but are pessimistic about Melville Island bloodwood. The structural hardwood market is the largest market for hardwood timbers in north Queensland. Other products from the region with relatively high demand include strip flooring and electricity poles. Darwin stringybark is considered to be highly suitable for the electricity pole, structural timber and strip flooring markets, where prices of about $500/m3 of chemically treated log,$1,400/m3 of chemically treated structural timbers and $2,750/m3 of kiln dried floorboards, respectively, could be achieved. Cooktown ironwood is regarded as a high-quality appearance grade timber, with interviewees indicating a willingness to pay at least$2,000/m3 of dried timber and potentially up to about $5,000/m3. Opportunities exist to sell small volumes of Cooktown ironwood into extremely high-value domestic musical instrument markets. Interviewees asserted that Darwin stringybark and Cooktown ironwood have sound prospects in overseas markets

Appendix M: GAMS Programming Code for the Wik Forestry Goal Programming Model

GAMS Programming Code for the Wik Forestry Goal Programming Mode

Appendix A: MCA Terminology

This appendix reviews the terminology of multiple criteria analysis

Potential specialty timber markets for hardwoods of Western Queensland, Australia

Small volumes of timber from Acacia and Eucalyptus woodlands of western Queensland, Australia, have achieved high prices in specialty timber markets, which has aroused the interest of landholders. A postal survey of 225 domestic and international specialty timber product manufacturers was undertaken to determine current utilisation of these lesser-known species, establish their suitability for various product markets, ascertain desirable timber dimensions and condition, and estimate potential future domestic and international demand. An overall response rate of 31% was achieved. Responses indicated that current utilisation of these timbers is probably not more than 200 m3/yr. Nevertheless, respondents generally indicated that western Queensland hardwoods are highly suited to the manufacture of specialty timber products, including small-scale furniture items, custom knife handles and musical instruments, and that they have high export potential. Some furniture and musical instrument manufacturers indicated they would be willing to pay up to $3,000/m3 and$30,000/m3 respectively, for small volumes of high-quality appropriately processed western hardwoods. Large, well-directed marketing campaigns will be necessary to expand specialty timber markets for western Queensland hardwoods

Challenges of socio-economically evaluating wildfire management in and adjacent to non-industrial private forestland in the Western United States

Non-industrial private forests (NIPFs) in the United States generate many unpriced benefits for both the landholder and society generally. These values can be enhanced or diminished by wildfire management in situ and on adjacent public land. This paper considers the problem of accommodating non-marketed NIPF values affected by wildfire in social benefit-cost analysis to evaluate the efficiency of fire suppression activities. There are substantial gaps in scientific understanding about how the spatial and temporal provision of non-market values are affected by wildfire, and considerable challenges in evaluating social welfare change arising from specific wildfire events. This presents serious impediments to adapting price-based decision-support tools to incorporate non-market values. Departure from the historic range and variability of ecological conditions is proposed as an alternative framework to support wildfire management decisions in and adjacent to NIPF when non-market values are important