State income tax laws and their relationship to the federal income tax were surveyed and changes affecting forest landowners since similar research on this subject (1981-82) are discussed. Several previously favorable provisions were eliminated at the federal level. Although the economic situation and research assumptions have changed, the general indications are that many states have implemented provisions which may be considered generally unfavorable to forest landowners. The 1988 federal and state income tax liabilities for hypothetical forest landowners at three personal income levels, each with and without timber sale revenue, were calculated for 41 states in the U.S. which impose a comprehensive income tax. In the South, the state percentage of the total income tax liability for the hypothetical landowners who sell timber ranged from 9 to 21, 7 to 17, and 6 to 15 percent for the low, medium and high income levels, respectively. The state percentage ranged from 10 to 31, 9 to 20, and 7 to 16 percent for the low, medium and high income levels, respectively for landowners who did not sell timber. Louisiana was the lowest and North Carolina was the highest for all hypothetical cases. In the West, the state percentage ranged from 13 to 25, 12 to 25, and 10 to 19 percent, for the low, medium and high income levels, respectively, for landowners who sold timber. The state percentage for landowners who did not sell timber ranged from 10 to 34, 15 to 25, and from 12 to 20 percent the low, medium and high income levels, respectively. Arizona and Colorado consistently were among the lowest and Hawaii was the highest for all the hypothetical cases / Master of Science

Hardwood specialty buyers representing 1600 home centers and lumberyards including the Top 100 home centers according to 1985 sales were surveyed. The objectives of the survey were to characterize the home center market for hardwood specialty products and to obtain an idea of the future direction of this market regarding hardwood specialty products. The results of the survey indicated that a new potential market for hardwood manufacturers exists. For example, the total home center market for the four major hardwood product lines was approximately $1 billion in 1986 and the hardwood board market segment is predicted to grow at a 12% compounded annual growth rate from 1986 to 1991. Oak is the dominant wood species in this marketplace. Merchandising strategies between typical firms and Top 100 home centers varied considerably. Top 100 home centers were merchandising standardized product lines in display racks with available point-of-purchase literature, but the majority of typical firms were not. These typical firms have a need for standard products, display racks, and point-of-purchase literature. Currently, the home center market is fragmented with a large percentage of home centers having annual sales of less than $3 million and owning only one store. Future demand for hardwood products should be greatest for moulding, plywood and boards. Future demand should be greatest in the urban and suburban market segments. The most important customers in this marketplace were the Do-It-Yourselfer and the professional-remodeler. High price and poor quality were common customer complaints. Lack of reliable suppliers and inconsistent quality were prevalent purchasing difficulties for hardwood specialty buyers. / M.S.

An equation for predicting the strength of wood beams with tension end notches (TEN) was derived using a critical fillet hoop stress (CFHS) theory. The equation is a simplified description of the results of hundreds of finite element (FE) analyses of TEN beams with varied geometries (total of 690 configurations). It accounts for the effects of loading type and beam and notch geometry variables, such as beam height, fractional notch depth, radius and notch location. The effect of span-to-depth ratio is implicitly incorporated in the formulation of the model. Notched beam strength is represented by a material parameter, K, which was found to be related to specific gravity. A simple equation for predicting K from specific gravity was derived from experimental results. The CFHS equation is applicable to both filleted and sharp-cornered notches. An effective radius, R, which models the effect of a sharp-cornered notch, was determined and confirmed for two wood materials. A method of determining R, for other materials was established. The CFHS equation was compared with other models and notch equations currently recommended in design codes and significant differences were noted. Chief among them is the sensitivity of notched beam strength to notch location (or the ratio M/V). This is not currently considered by “notch factor"-based design equations. Stiffness of TEN wood beams was experimentally found to be influenced by fractional notch depth and notch location, M/V. The effect of end notching on beam stiffness has not been seriously addressed before and theoretical analysis does not predict the reduction. / Master of Science

Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) play an important role in the lives of people who rely on forests. An absence of data on the size of harvests, their location, and the economic value of NTFPs prevents effective management and full utilization by all stakeholder groups. We set out to measure one important NTFP sector -- the medicinal plant trade in the diverse deciduous forests of the eastern United States, by surveying licensed buyers of ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in 15 states about purchasing of other untracked species. To combat potential coverage and non-response bias we created a place-based model that predicted the probability of purchasing non-ginseng medicinals based on buyer location and used this to build more robust estimates. This viable method for estimating NTFP output is a replicable system that can be applied in other regions and for other products. We reviewed the literature and hypothesized biophysical and socioeconomic factors that might contribute to the prevalence of non-ginseng purchasing, and tested them on the respondents using multinomial logistic regression. The significant variables were used in two-step cluster analysis to categorize respondents and non-respondents in high or low production areas. Volume was assigned to non-respondents based on respondent behavior within each cluster. Both were then summed to estimate total output. The results depict trade volume and prices paid to harvesters for 11 medicinal NTFP species. There was significant variation between products. Two species, black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), accounted for 72 percent of trade volume and 77 percent of the value paid to harvesters. The total first-order value for all species estimated was 4.3 million $USD. The discrepancy between point-of-sale and retail value implies room for increasing value for all stakeholders at the base of the supply chain. Harvests for most species were concentrated in the central Appalachian coalfields. We also sought to understand what motivated or deterred participation by conducting qualitative interviews with buyers and other stakeholders. Buyers were interested in knowing the size and value of the trade, but had concerns about losing access to the resource, which was rooted in past experience with land managers and policy-makers, and conflicting discourse between stakeholders about the state of the trade and of wild populations. Many institutional deliverables are not well matched with the realities or priorities of the traditional trade. We describe potential avenues for collaboration and reciprocity, including providing market research and certifying or providing technical support for sustainably wild harvested material in addition to ongoing support for cultivation. / PHD / Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are sources of sustenance and livelihood for people around the world. This broad category includes parts of plants such as barks, roots, and fruits, and fungi harvested for food, medicine, decoration, for use in crafts and cultural and spiritual ceremonies. They are harvested for personal use, and sold into local and global supply chains. Commercially harvested NTFPs have a dual nature. They have the potential for providing income without having the kind of large-scale disturbance caused by logging or other more impactful extractive industry. At the same time, most forests are not managed for NTFP production, and the ecological impacts of most NTFP activity are difficult to assess. Habitat loss and harvesting pressure has led to the monitoring and regulation in the trade of one iconic medicinal NTFP American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) For the majority of NTFPs, the scale, value and distribution of the trade is unknown, presenting a barrier to effective management and institutional investment in the trade. We sought to better understand one important NTFP supply chain, the trade in medicinal plants occurring in eastern deciduous forests using a voluntary survey program. To accomplish this, we surveyed and interviewed registered ginseng buyers in 15 states about the other products they purchase. This dissertation is divided into three parts with three different objectives. The first is to describe the trade in medicinal NTFPs from eastern forests. This includes what species are being harvested, how harvests are distributed throughout the study area, the value of surveyed species to producers, and market structure close to the point of sale. We found that the majority of the trade was taking place in central Appalachia. The majority of the trade in terms of value and total output was concentrated in two species, goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). The second chapter seeks to create a replicable method for projecting total volume for the most commonly harvested species, including predicting the buying of the majority of respondents who did not participated. We created a model that predicted the likelihood of a respondent purchasing non-ginseng based on characteristics of their location associated with the trade. The third chapter uses interviews with buyers and other participants to explore how to improve participation in NTFP studies and make the results more useful for stakeholders.

Experimental drying studies were made on two types of solar lumber kilns, one an external collector type and the other a semi-greenhouse type. Two charges of green sugar maple lumber (5/4 inches  thick) were tested in an external collector solar kiln at the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison (43°5'N, 89°23'W), Wisconsin, during the summer of 1982. In the first run detailed drying data were obtained and the energy balance was calculated for each day during the entire drying period. Based on these results, the following empirical model for the overall efficiency of the kiln was obtained: EFF = - .0413 + .0102^*(IMC) - .0000562^*(IMC)² where, EFF = overall efficiency of the kiln IMC = average initial moisture content of the lumber in percent Using  this model, the average daily moisture content loss in percent (MCL) can be calculated as follows: MCL = (100*EFF*SI*ACV)/[R*(62.4*V*SG)*{0.53*(212-Ti)+972}] where, EFF = the value obtained from the first equation ACV = area of the collector in ft² SI = average daily solar insolation in Btu/ft² R = ratio of total solar energy incident on the collector cover to total energy available to the system V = green volume of lumber in ft³ SG = green specific gravity of lumber Ti = average initial temperature inside the kiln in °F A comparison of the actual drying time observed in the second run showed good agreement with the predicted drying time obtained from the above equations. A single charge of 9/8 inches green yellow poplar was dried in a semi-greenhouse kiln at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg (35°09'N, 81°30'W), Virginia, during the fall of 1982. Following the same procedure as for the external collector kiln, an empirical model for the overall efficiency (EFF) of the kiln was obtained as a function of initial moisture content (IMC), EFF = - .0767 + .00988*IMC / M.S.

M.S.

A model was developed to estimate the economic stock supply of primary wood products. Two hardwood products were recognized: logs and bolts. The supply model was used to evaluate the impacts of shifting primary product demands and increasing supply costs on delivered prices and quantities in southwest Virginia. Homogeneous supply response cells, identified from Forest Service forest survey data, were used to generate log and bolt supplies. Response cells define blocks of forest land with similar biologic, physiographic, and landowner characteristics. Yield equations estimate the volume of logs and bolts available. Harvesting and hauling costs depend on a response cell's physiographic characteristics. Stumpage owners set reservation price as a function of expected stumpage prices, future timber yields, and an alternative rate of return. Recovery cost per unit in a response cell equals the sum of harvesting and hauling costs and reservation price. The quantities of logs and bolts supplied are determined by comparing harvest revenues to recovery costs. If revenues are greater than or equal to costs in a particular response cell, then timber is harvested The demands for logs and bolts are derived from the demand for manufactured products. Log and bolt demand equations in the model were statistically estimated. For each time period, the model determines the delivered log and bolt prices which equate the quantities of logs and bolts supplied to the quantities demanded. The solution technique is iterative. The quantities demanded and supplied of logs and bolts are determined for the given delivered prices. If quantities supplied do not equal the quantities demanded, then delivered prices are adjusted, and the quantities are recalculated. Primary product supplies in southwest Virginia are price elastic because of extensive hardwood resources and relatively constant recovery costs. Expansions in primary product demands expected over the next 15 years should have little direct impact on delivered prices. Delivered prices, however, will be sensitive to production costs. These costs will rise if factor input prices, such as fuel prices, wage rates, or machinery costs, increase. / Ph. D.

Thesis (LL. M.)--Queen's University at Kingston, Canada, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-200).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

This research examines tensions between Latino/a farmworkers, who rely on the seasonal harvest of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens [W. Bartram] Small) berries for increased livelihood security, and conservationists and land-managers who view harvesting as detrimental for wildlife. Informal harvesting occurs on public and private lands, sometimes without permission. Berries, though ubiquitous on the landscape, have become a contested resource. The rapid conversion of rural wildlife habitat into suburban development has increased State urgency to bring natural areas into protection along the Florida Ecological Greenways Network. Habitat infringement and associated pressures on wildlife by development has led to the promotion of the state-wide Florida Wildlife Corridor, based on the FEGN. This corridor would connect isolated Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) populations and Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) with other populations. The scale of the commercial berry industry is unknown, but is estimated at millions of pounds annually. State and wildlife conservationists are increasingly concerned with the perceived scale of the harvest and its possible associated effects on wildlife, particularly Florida black bears. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection