The Effect of Logging Compartment Division on Harvesting Pricing
Authors
Petri P. Kärenlampi
University of Eastern Finland, Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu
Abstract
Volumetric productivity in harvesting varies as a function of the properties of the trees. Consequently, the harvesting price paid to the contractor tends to vary. However, pricing appears to depend not only on the properties of trees, but also on the division of any logging site into compartments. Such an effect depends on the statistical properties of any compartment. In the case of an exponentially distributed trunk volume, an upper incomplete gamma function appears to describe the relationship between the harvesting price and the productivity function. In the case of Weibull-distributed trunk volume, the relationship is given in terms of the ratio of two gamma functions. In the case of left-truncated Weibull-distribution, a ratio of two upper incomplete gamma functions appears. Exponential distribution may induce a deviation in excess of 10%, whereas a Weibull distribution with nonzero mode value induces at most 4%. Unification of compartments increases the harvesting price.
