Assessing public timber harvest impacts in a mixed public/private stumpage market

A conceptual model for assessing public/private timber supply interactions in small regions is presented. A hypothetical mixed-ownership situation was developed to demonstrate how the cumulative impact of public timber harvests on private sources of supply could be assessed. Simulation results illustrate the ability of the model to portray key features of the mixed forest ownership situation. The simulations further suggest that need to consider the age-class structure of adjacent private forests when assessing the consequences of public forest allowable sale quantities, and bring into question the ability of public forest managers to ensure stability in local wood processing industries.