Estimating costs of salvage logging for large-scale burned forest lands: A case study on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast

Abstract

Different forest fires causing different degrees of effects occur in fire-sensitive forests due to various reasons such as climate change. Useful as well as harmful aspects of forest fires are a multi-disciplinary research topic. Geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) methods offer a number of benefits for researchers and operators in the field of forest fire research. The present study analyses timber pricing based on forest contractor demands of post-salvage logging processes. The effect of timber obtained from compartment units on producers’ pricing policy was modelled. Sapadere forest fire area (2500 ha) located in Antalya in Turkey was selected as the main study area. Topography parameters (aspect, slope and slope position), stand types (diameter class and crown closure), and burn severity were analyzed together using GIS and R software packages. A multi-linear regression model (R² = 0.752) demonstrated that factors that had the most impact on pricing were slope position, aspect, stand age, crown closure and burn severity. This model can be used to estimate salvage logging prices in Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) stands with similar parameters. Forest administrators and contractors may readily address the unit price of timber by estimating approximate costs in a given forest area for which they are going to bid. This will help reduce operational planning times of harvesting procedures in burned stands.

Keywords

Timber extraction / Forest fires / Stumpage sale / Cost estimation / Sustainability / Crown fire

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