scholarly journals Forest Ownership Patterns in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 466-473
Author(s):  
Robert Zupko
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Family Forest ◽  
Forest Ownership ◽  
Family Forests ◽  
Upper Peninsula Of Michigan

Abstract Abstract In heavily forested rural areas, tax-incentivization programs are commonly employed to encourage timber production and harvesting activities. Because of growing interest in developing woody-biomass-based biofuels in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, we analyzed property records to determine who the regional actors are along with what role tax-incentivization programs may play. We found that a minority of entities collectively control 77 percent of the land in the region; however, family forest owners collectively own 23 percent of the land. Although tax-incentive programs are commonly used by commercial forests, the requirements of the primary program in Michigan program appear to preclude most family forests in the region. Accordingly, this study suggests that a greater understanding of reluctance of family forests to enroll in secondary programs is needed, or a lowering of forestland requirements to permit more family forests to enroll. Study Implications In heavily forested rural areas, the development of local forest resources has been suggested as a means of developing the local economy. One means of using the forest resources is through the development of woody-biomass-based biofuel or bioenergy programs. As these programs are dependent upon harvesting to supply the relevant feedstocks, tax-incentivization programs, such as Michigan’s Commercial Forest Land (CFL), may be used to encourage commercial timber production and overcome resistance to harvesting by nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners. These findings suggest such programs are likely to be well to fully subscribed by commercial forests. However, the implementation of these programs (ex., minimum of 40 ac. of forestland) may preclude a significant number of family forests from being able to enroll, which may be a contributing factor to low subscription rates. As a result, policymakers wishing to encourage enrollment by family forests in tax-incentivization programs should consider the practical realities of regional family ownership (i.e., average forestland acreage) in developing the programs.

The Role of Railroads in Multimodal Woody Biomass Transportation in Michigan

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasi Lautala ◽  
Hamed Pouryousef ◽  
Robert Handler ◽  
Stephen Chartier
Keyword(s):  
Great Majority ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Single Mode ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Water Transportation ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Intermediate Storage ◽  
Upper Peninsula Of Michigan

Minimizing transportation costs is essential in the forest products industry, as the relatively low value and high weight of the products causes transportation to account for exceptionally high portion of the overall cost. The forest products such as logs, chips, and residues (woody biomass) are one of the major business sources in Michigan especially in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Currently, truck transportation is used for the great majority of the trips, but it is believed that a more cost-efficient transportation chain might be achieved through use of multimodal approach by trucks and rail and in some cases water transportation. This paper presents the three alternative transportation supply chain models for woody biomass transportation; 1) single mode, 2) multimodal and 3) intermediate storage. The paper uses data from three recent studies to describe the forest products transportation in the upper mid-west, including the typical distances for movements and the breakdown of cost elements for each alternative. It will discuss the potential benefits of increased use of rail as part of the transportation chain and address the perceived drawbacks and challenges caused by the shift. It will also present cost-gradient maps developed to highlight the capability of rail to expand the economical radius for obtaining feedstock and demonstrate how increasing fuel prices change the balance toward multimodal transportation. Finally, the paper will highlight the potential for gained efficiency in log truck operations through increased use of rail.

scholarly journals Family-forest Owners' Willingness to Harvest Sawlogs and Woody Biomass: The Effect of Price on Social Availability

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco X. Aguilar ◽  
Marissa “Jo” Daniel ◽  
Zhen Cai
Keyword(s):  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Family Forest Owners ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Family Forest ◽  
The Social ◽  
Family Forests ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Incentive Payments

Understanding willingness to harvest (WTH) is essential to assessing the social availability of woody biomass from private land. Currently, the only economically feasible way to harvest woody biomass is in conjunction with sawlogs. We examined WTH sawlogs and woody biomass from owners of family forests using data from a survey of Missouri forest owners. While their WTH increased with revenue expected from woody biomass, revenue expected from sawlogs was a stronger influence. Incentive payments for woody biomass thus are unlikely to increase its supply, and the social availability of woody biomass will remain limited unless sawlog prices rise significantly.

scholarly journals Press-Pulse Odocoileus Virginianus Herbivory in Relict Tsuga Canadensis Stands in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 496
Author(s):  
Grace L. Parikh ◽  
Christopher R. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Tsuga Canadensis ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Deer Population ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Substantial Decline ◽  
Upper Peninsula Of Michigan

Ungulate herbivory occurring within a forest plant community’s natural range of variation may help maintain species diversity. However, acute or chronically elevated levels of herbivory can produce dramatic changes in forest communities. For example, chronically high levels of herbivory by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) in regions of historically low abundance at northern latitudes have dramatically altered forest community composition. In eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L. Carrière) stands where deer aggregate during winter, high deer use has been associated with a shift towards deciduous species (i.e., maples [Acer spp.]) dominating the regeneration layer. Especially harsh winters can lead to deer population declines, which could facilitate regeneration of species that have been suppressed by browsing, such as hemlock. To enhance our understanding of how fluctuations in herbivory influence regeneration dynamics, we surveyed regeneration and deer use in 15 relict hemlock stands in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 2007 and again in 2015. With the exception of small seedlings (0.04–0.24 m height), primarily maples whose abundance increased significantly (p < 0.05), we observed widespread significant declines (p < 0.05) in the abundance of medium (0.25 ≤ 1.4 m height) and large regeneration (>1.4 m tall ≤ 4 cm diameter at breast height) over the study period. Midway through our study period, the region experienced a high severity winter (i.e., “polar vortex”) which resulted in a substantial decline in the white-tailed deer population. Given the dominance of maples and dearth of hemlock in the seedling layer, the decline in the deer population may fail to forestall or possibly hasten the trend towards maple dominance of the regeneration layer as these stands recover from pulses of acute herbivory associated with high-severity winters and the press of chronically high herbivory that precedes them.

scholarly journals Preferences for Northern Hardwood Silviculture among Family Forest Owners in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander C Helman ◽  
Matthew C Kelly ◽  
Mark D Rouleau ◽  
Yvette L Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Family Forest Owners ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forests ◽  
Family Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Single Tree ◽  
Single Tree Selection

Abstract Managing northern hardwood forests using high-frequency, low-intensity regimes, such as single-tree selection, favors shade-tolerant species and can reduce tree species diversity. Management decisions among family forest owners (FFO) can collectively affect species and structural diversity within northern hardwood forests at regional scales. We surveyed FFOs in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan to understand likely future use of three silvicultural treatments—single-tree selection, shelterwood, and clearcut. Our results indicate that FFOs were most likely to implement single-tree selection and least likely to implement clearcut within the next 10 years. According to logistic regression, prior use of a treatment and perceived financial benefits significantly increased the odds for likely use for all three treatments. Having received professional forestry assistance increased likely use of single-tree selection but decreased likely use of shelterwood. We discuss these results within the context of species diversity among northern hardwood forests throughout the region.

Catastrophic disturbance in the presettlement forests of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanfa Zhang ◽  
Kurt S Pregitzer ◽  
David D Reed
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Mosaic Landscape ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Rotation Periods ◽  
General Land Office ◽  
Ecological Unit ◽  
Upper Peninsula Of Michigan

The General Land Office (GLO) survey notes (1840-1856) were used to examine the interaction among natural disturbance, vegetation type, and topography in the presettlement forests of the Luce District, an ecological unit of approximately 902 000 ha in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. The surveyors recorded 104 fire and 126 windthrow incidences covering 3.1 and 2.8% of the total length of the surveyed lines, respectively. The rotation periods over the entire landscape were 480 years for fire and 541 years for windthrow, but these varied with vegetation type and topographic position. Fire occurred more frequently on southerly aspects and at elevations where pinelands were concentrated. The density of windthrow events increased with elevation and slope, with the highest occurrence on westerly aspects. Based on the estimated rotation periods, we calculated that 7.5, 24.4, and 68.1% of the presettlement forest were in the stand initiation, stem exclusion, and old forest (including both understory reinitiation and old growth) stages, respectively. Pinelands and mixed conifers were the major components in both the stand initiation (34.5 and 31.1%) and the stem exclusion stage (20.9 and 39.8%), while mixed conifers (39.3%) and northern hardwoods (34.7%) were the major old-forest cover types. The diverse mosaic of various successional stages generated by natural disturbance suggests a "shifting-mosaic" landscape in this region.

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