Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Prescribed burning cost recovery analysis on nonindustrial private forestland in North Carolina

Informally Refereed

Abstract

A statewide internal analysis of prescribed burning costs was conducted by the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources (NCDFR) in 2008 to examine the regional differences of site preparation and silvicultural burning costs, and to determine which components were most responsible for losses or gains. This study analyzed actual costs for 90 site preparation (2,559 acres) and 76 silvicultural burns (3,932 acres) conducted across North Carolina in 2008. Summary statistics revealed that NCDFR incurred a net loss/acre statewide on both types of prescribed burning. Silvicultural prescribed burns resulted in a smaller loss (-$7/acre) than site preparation burning (-$11/acre). Losses resulting from construction and patrolling fire lines were higher for site preparation burns (-$425/mile) than for silvicultural burns (-$317/mile). Recommendations were sent to agency administrators to revise rates to recover expenses while continuing to provide prescribed burning services at the lowest-possible cost to nonindustrial private forest nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners.

Parent Publication

Keywords

prescribed burning, site preparation, silvicultural burning, cost recovery analysis, NIPF landowners

Citation

Myers, Ronald J.; Powell, William; Megalos, Mark. 2012. Prescribed burning cost recovery analysis on nonindustrial private forestland in North Carolina. In: Butnor, John R., ed. 2012. Proceedings of the 16th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-156. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 230-234.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/41538