Timber procurement

Harstela P. Timber procurement. In KeUomaki S, editor. Forest resources and sustainable management. Helsinki (Finland) Fapet 1998. p. 311-62. 

Cost. Bat telle Columbus ( 5) recently estimated the 1980 cost of readying timber residue, cull and dead trees for fuel conversion in the state of Vermont. The analysis considered procurement (stumping), harvesting, chipping and transportation over 40 kilometres, but omitted fertilization costs. Based on green wood (45% moisture, 10.9 GJ/green tonne), the wood cost was estimated as 16.40/green tonne. 

The building industry is under enormous pressure and is unable to meet the demands from different construction sectors. Wood is in short supply, and it is difficult to procure seasoned timber in required quantities. There is a serious need to combat wood scarcity. Existing wood substitutes such as reconstituted panel products particle/fiber boards, ply wood, and other materials cannot meet the increasing demand for wood without the development of wood substitutes. One important option is to promote development and utilization of natural fibers for the development of composites. 

Forestry is an areal mode of production that requires the deployment of labor and machinery wherever wood is to be procured. In the Finnish case the ownership of forest land is divided between private owners (60%), companies (9%), local authorities, parishes and commimities (6%) and the state (26%) Finnish Statistical Yearbook of Forestry, 2007), and procurement takes place on an open market. Thus energy production has to compete for the purchase of biomass with other uses of forests and their timber, including conservation and recreation. Consequently, our scenarios are contingent on the functioning of the markets as well as on technology and infrastructure. 

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