Abstract
Logging utilization research results have informed land managers of changes in utilization of forest growing stock for more than 40 years. The logging utilization residue ratio- growing stock residue volume/mill delivered volume- can be applied to historic or projected timber harvest volumes to predict woody residue volumes at varied spatial scales. Researchers at the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research and USFS Southern Research Station are investigating variability in residue ratios across Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. This project has presented unique sample design challenges. The primary sampling unit is the logging site where trees are felled and removed from the forest. However, it is not possible to know in advance the total population of logging sites and it is therefore impossible to identify the sampling frame and conduct probabilistic design-based sampling. To meet this challenge, the authors designed a model-based sampling protocol that is yielding regional predictions of the residue ratio.
Parent Publication
Citation
Berg, Erik C.; Morgan, Todd A.; Simmons, Eric A.; Zarnoch, Stanley J. 2015. Logging utilization research in the Pacific Northwest: residue prediction and unique research challenges. In: Stanton, Sharon M.; Christensen, Glenn A., comps. 2015. Pushing boundaries: new directions in inventory techniques and applications: Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) symposium 2015. 2015 December 8–10; Portland, Oregon. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-931. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 274-278.
