﻿INTRODUCTION 
  

  

  The 
  management 
  of 
  any 
  operation 
  requires 
  

   frequent 
  evaluation 
  of 
  alternative 
  courses 
  of 
  

   action. 
  Such 
  evaluation 
  defines 
  a 
  goal 
  or 
  

   objective 
  and 
  selects 
  the 
  best 
  available 
  method 
  

   of 
  achieving 
  it. 
  From 
  all 
  possible 
  actions 
  the 
  

   manager 
  sorts 
  out 
  those 
  that 
  are 
  feasible 
  in 
  

   his 
  situation 
  and 
  ranks 
  or 
  grades 
  them 
  for 
  

   efficiency 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  money. 
  In 
  

   this 
  process 
  a 
  specific 
  goal 
  must 
  be 
  defined, 
  

   since 
  without 
  it 
  no 
  real 
  alternatives 
  exist 
  to 
  

   be 
  evaluated. 
  

  

  Forestry 
  is 
  an 
  integrated 
  operations 
  busi- 
  

   ness 
  in 
  which 
  many 
  kinds 
  of 
  activities 
  are 
  

   required 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  a 
  merchantable 
  

   stand 
  of 
  trees. 
  The 
  allocation 
  of 
  an 
  entire 
  

   budget 
  for 
  timber 
  growing 
  cannot 
  be 
  based 
  on 
  

   a 
  choice 
  between 
  regeneration 
  or 
  thinning; 
  

   to 
  evaluate 
  these 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  work 
  as 
  alterna- 
  

   tive 
  means 
  of 
  spending 
  money 
  is 
  meaningless. 
  

   Obviously 
  both 
  these 
  activities 
  (and 
  others) 
  

   are 
  needed 
  for 
  a 
  sustained 
  yield 
  operation. 
  

   However, 
  it 
  is 
  logical 
  to 
  evaluate 
  alternative 
  

   means 
  of 
  regeneration 
  to 
  determine 
  which 
  

   would 
  be 
  most 
  efficient, 
  or 
  to 
  evaluate 
  various 
  

   thinning 
  opportunities 
  to 
  determine 
  which 
  

   stands 
  should 
  be 
  thinned 
  with 
  the 
  money 
  

   available. 
  Some 
  specific 
  goal 
  must 
  be 
  chosen 
  

   before 
  alternatives 
  can 
  be 
  determined 
  and 
  

   evaluated 
  as 
  means 
  of 
  reaching 
  that 
  goal. 
  

  

  The 
  efficient 
  use 
  of 
  public 
  funds 
  is 
  a 
  basic 
  

   requirement 
  in 
  public 
  land 
  management. 
  Or- 
  

   der 
  and 
  consistency 
  in 
  decision 
  making 
  are 
  

   highly 
  desirable 
  so 
  that 
  decisions 
  may 
  be 
  both 
  

   biologically 
  and 
  economically 
  sound. 
  

  

  This 
  paper 
  is 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  timber 
  stands 
  in 
  lands 
  capable 
  of 
  

   growing 
  western 
  white 
  pine. 
  Included 
  are 
  a 
  

   discussion 
  of 
  the 
  biological 
  aspects 
  of 
  species 
  

   selection 
  for 
  regenerating 
  cutover 
  land 
  for 
  the 
  

   primary 
  purpose 
  of 
  timber 
  production, 
  and 
  a 
  

   description 
  of 
  a 
  method 
  of 
  evaluating 
  alterna- 
  

  

  tive 
  species 
  and 
  alternative 
  means 
  of 
  stand 
  

   establishment 
  for 
  efficient 
  use 
  of 
  money 
  for 
  

   timber 
  production. 
  

  

  The 
  task 
  of 
  evaluation 
  of 
  species 
  for 
  stand 
  

   establishment 
  involves 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  evaluations 
  

   that 
  may 
  overlap, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  an 
  individual 
  project. 
  In 
  general, 
  the 
  

   following 
  steps 
  are 
  taken: 
  

  

  1. 
  Determining 
  the 
  objective 
  of 
  the 
  stand 
  

   establishment 
  project. 
  

  

  2. 
  Determining 
  the 
  species 
  alternatives 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  an 
  ecological 
  evaluation 
  of 
  the 
  

   site. 
  

  

  3. 
  Eliminating 
  those 
  species 
  that 
  are 
  clear- 
  

   ly 
  impractical 
  for 
  reasons 
  of 
  high 
  risk, 
  

   low 
  timber 
  value, 
  or 
  other 
  known 
  dis- 
  

   advantages. 
  

  

  4. 
  Evaluating 
  remaining 
  alternative 
  species 
  

   under 
  alternative 
  methods 
  of 
  treatment 
  

   for 
  

  

  a. 
  probable 
  cost 
  of 
  stand, 
  establishment, 
  

  

  b. 
  probable 
  yield 
  of 
  stand, 
  

  

  c. 
  probable 
  value 
  of 
  stand, 
  and 
  

  

  d. 
  probable 
  rate 
  of 
  return 
  (or 
  other 
  

   criterion) 
  under 
  alternative 
  invest- 
  

   ment 
  plans. 
  

  

  5. 
  Choosing 
  the 
  species 
  or 
  species 
  mixture 
  

   that 
  offers 
  greatest 
  probability 
  of 
  achiev- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  objective. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  three 
  steps 
  require 
  judgments 
  based 
  

   on 
  knowledge 
  and 
  experience. 
  Step 
  4 
  requires 
  

   computations 
  based 
  on 
  all 
  available 
  data 
  on 
  

   costs, 
  yields, 
  and 
  values 
  for 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  

   to 
  be 
  evaluated. 
  With 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  electronic 
  

   data 
  processing 
  (EDP) 
  equipment, 
  such 
  com- 
  

   putations 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  with 
  relative 
  ease. 
  All 
  

   of 
  these 
  operations 
  are 
  described 
  in 
  some 
  de- 
  

   tail 
  in 
  this 
  paper. 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  