René H. Germain

Public perceptions of the USDA Forest Service public participation process

Abstract Social conflicts over the management of natural resources are increasing. An informative example of these conflicts is the debate over the management of the USDA Forest Service National Forests. Despite sincere efforts by the US Forest Service to improve modes of public involvement, the contentiousness and frequency of conflict continues to escalate. This is manifest in the high number of administrative appeals on forest plans and projects. The study used a nationwide survey of 178 appellants of Forest Service management decisions to examine participant perceptions of the public participation process. The results establish that public participants who appeal agency decisions are dissatisfied with the equity of the public participation process. We also investigated differences in satisfaction levels based on interest group and the degree to which participants were involved in the process. The results indicate that participants desire more collaborative approaches to public participation, but are not always willing to adequately engage in the process, often choosing to meet their objectives through reactive, conflict-based means.

Case Study of Three High-Performing Contract Loggers with Distinct Harvest Systems: Are They Thriving, Striving, or Just Surviving?

Abstract This article focuses on the narrow margins faced by contract loggers under various harvest systems in the forest products supply chain of the northeastern United States. Contract logging f...

Is it efficient to single-handedly run a multi-machine harvesting operation? A case study from the Northeast United States

ABSTRACT Harvest operations carried out by a single logger operating more than one machine are common, yet little is understood of their productivity and costs. A case study of three single-logger operations (SLO) located in New York, USA was conducted to assess their harvest costs and productivity. Daily activity and production data were collected from each harvest operation and analyzed in conjunction with machine rate calculations to estimate system productivity and costs for each SLO. Based on these data, deterministic simulations were conducted to assess how the addition of second and third loggers affected harvest system efficiency. Operator and equipment utilization rates were calculated at the systems level and compared among the observed SLOs and simulated two- and three-logger simulations. In most cases, the introduction of additional loggers reduced operator utilization due to the introduction of system delays, and therefore, increased labor costs. However, this investment in labor often led to greater equipment utilization and lower production costs. Overall, system productivity increased by between 77% and 145% when additional loggers were added to the system, while costs per cubic meter (m3) decreased by as much as 28%. The results of this study will inform business decisions regarding the efficiency of SLO and the potential gains associated with investing in crew sizes greater than one.

Community Forestry in the State of Uttarakhand, India: Not Meeting the Needs of the Villagers

This community forestry case study examines village forest councils (van panchayat) in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand. We describe forest stocking levels of 20 community forests and address the question of whether these forests are in a position to provide commodity resources, such as fuelwood and fodder, on a sustainable basis. In addition, we report on the perceptions of the villagers on whether their respective community forest is meeting their fuelwood and fodder needs. At the biophysical level, none of the community forests were in a position to provide fuelwood and fodder on a sustainable basis. Most forests did not have adequate overstory stocking, and there was no evidence of deliberate management to improve the situation. Interviews with 400 villagers (20 in each village) supported the field findings. Villagers unanimously reported that their respective community forest was inadequate in supplying commodity needs. Furthermore, they wished the Forest Department would provide more technical and financial assistance to guide them with forest management needs. Women are a critical part of community forestry as they are the primary gatherers of fuelwood and fodder. Although the perceptions of women toward forest management issues are important, our interviews with female villagers indicate they play a passive role in decision-making. Decentralization in natural resources management sounds good at the theoretical level as it provides villagers with some authority and autonomy, but it cannot be effectively implemented without professional guidance coupled with resources. The villagers are ready and willing to improve the situation, but they do not have the resources to make change unilaterally—they need professional and financial support from the Forest Department.

Land cover, land use, and mill characteristics as predictors of wood procurement range.

Urbanization of forestland has the potential to reduce the timberland base indefinitely. Wood-using industry located in areas with declining timberlands may be forced to expand the range of procurement operations to meet production requirements. This article examines 11 different land use and land cover variables as predictors of woodshed area for sawmills in the northeastern United States. Based on woodshed maps provided by 175 sawmills in seven states, geospatial analysis and multiple regression are used to test the hypothesis that mills in areas with higher proportions of nontimber land have larger woodsheds. Results indicate that mill characteristics, not landscape variables, are the strongest predictors of woodshed area. Although some cover types, including farmland and open water, are associated with larger woodsheds, none of the measures of urbanization used in this study are significant predictors of woodshed area. If urbanization is leading to a reduced flow of sawlogs, the explanation for the la...