Can NHRI’s form and risk assessment be used to predict sawlog potential in hardwood forests in Maine?

CFRU members represent a combined management area of 3.5 million hectares of forestland in Maine. Both economically and ecologically speaking, it is to our member’s advantage to know what products are available in their inventories, such as high-value sugar maple sawlogs and veneer products. Ever-changing mill demands make having robust product estimates all the more vital to adapting and planning for short-term harvests and long-term G&Y projections. Yet estimating product ratios in hardwood forests can be complex due to the highly variable stem forms and growth and regeneration strategies found in hardwood species across the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest.

Ryan Smith, a recent graduate of the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine, utilized NHRI’s form and risk classification system for his thesis work to determine its effect on estimated product ratios across common commercial species in Maine. LEARN MORE