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Browsing by Author "Thompson, Emmett F."

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    An approach to considering uncertainty in developing long-term, least-cost wood procurement policies
    Haynes, Richard W. (Virginia Tech, 1968-12-15)
    An approach was developed to consider the uncertainty which is intrinsic to forestry decisions. The approach was termed a partial stochastic linear program because uncertainty was considered by introducing variation into one element of the linear programming model (the right hand side). To implement this approach, subjective evaluations were made, regarding the amount of uncertainty associated with the values in question. This approach was applied to a wood procurement problem which had been previously solved as deterministic. The previous problem was a case study of an integrated forest products firm with the objective of minimizing the present value of wood procurement over a 20-year study using linear programming. The management of this firm was required to make subjective estimates of the variation associated with each available source of supply. The original case study was then reformulated as a partial stochastic linear program. The solutions of the partial stochastic approach were compared to the deterministic solution. This comparison showed the procurement policies suggested by both approaches were much the same. However, the stochastic approach differed in that management could obtain information about the sensitivity of a policy or a source and establish trade-off relationships between the cost of one policy and the uncertainty of another policy. The questions of the extent of model building and the implications for future study in this area are also considered.
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    Compounding and discounting factors for forest management decisions
    Thompson, Emmett F. (Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, 1968-11)
    6 tables contain compounding and discounting factors which are solutions to formulas commonly used in the financial evaluations of forestry operations
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    Costs of Establishing Loblolly Pine Plantations In Virginia: Methodology and Estimates
    Thompson, Emmett F.; Shores, Michael E.; Sullivan, Alfred D. (Virginia Tech. Division of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, 1973-02)
    Forest regeneration decisions are among the most important that foresters make. In many instances, the cost of regeneration may be the largest cost item incurred in producing a timber crop. Accordingly, information on the cost of establishing satisfactorily stocked stands is a necessary ingredient for effective forestry decision making. This report presents a method for obtaining such information and provides cost estimates for establishing loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in Virginia.
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    A description of Virginia pine diameter distributions
    Lloyd, Frank Thomas (Virginia Tech, 1966-05)
    Although the research reported here has not satisfied its primary objective of a mathematical expression of diameter distributions in natural stands of Virginia pine, several constructive conclusions and recommendations are possible. All of them are offered with the perspective that research in the interest of advancing growth and yield techniques in forestry is needed, that the study has been exploratory to begin with, and that the contributions presented here, however conclusive or trivial, are the beginnings of a foundation for further research work. Certain deficiencies in the study are apparent, if not obvious. The major deficiency in the statement of the problem and its conclusion is the lack of a rigorous criterion, or criteria, for judging the success of a fitted distribution. Chi-square was used in this project to test the success of the model, but as the work progressed it became increasingly clear that chi-square was not the best criterion for the purpose of this work. It is the utilitarian purpose of the model that more aptly determines its success, for it is the ability to describe with sufficient precision the attributes of the forest stand that justly determines whether or not the model is useful. Therefore, Validation of the model should be connected with the forester's interest in volume, value, quality, cost estimation, return, profit and any other attributes useful in management of timber.
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    Economic Guidelines for Loblolly Pine Management in Virginia
    Thompson, Emmett F.; Mantie, Robert C.; Sullivan, Alfred D.; Burkhart, Harold E. (Virginia Tech. Division of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, 1973-12)
    Recent studies (e.g. Southern Forest Resource Analysis Committee, 1969; U. S. Forest Service, 1972) indicate that wood requirements may exceed available supplies by the end of this century. The latest forest survey of Virginia (Knight and McClure, 1967) indicated a 15 percent excess of pine cut over pine growth As a result of this latter finding, Virginia's General Assembly passed a 1970 Reforestation of Timberlands Act. This Act provides financial assistance to private landowners to restore former pine growing lands to pine production. Virginia has clearly established a state policy of encouraging investment in forest production. However, individual landowners may have alternative uses for their land and/or capital, or they may not be fully aware of their land's potential for timber. The specific objective of this study was to develop a means for making economic data on using their land for loblolly pine production available to Virginia's individual forest landowners. The study was limited to loblolly pine for several reasons. Loblolly pine is perhaps the most important of the. timber species currently grown in Virginia, and it is expected to increase in importance.Of the 67.5 million tree seedlings planted in Virginia in 1972, 62.0 million were loblolly pine and 36.5 million of these were planted by farmers and other individuals (Virginia Forests, 1972). Loblolly pine accounts for over 90 per cent of the approximately 85 thousand acres artificially regenerated in Virginia each year (Shores, 1970). In addition, new information on the physical yields of natural stands of loblolly pine and loblolly pine plantations in Virginia has recently become available (Burkhart, et al., 1972a; Burkhart, et al., 1972b).
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    Estimated hunting expenditures in Virginia
    Thompson, Emmett F.; Gray, James M.; McGinnes, Burd S. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Research Division, 1967-01)
    A report on estimated hunting expenditures in Virginia
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    Present status and possible future development of the wood furniture industry in Virginia
    Lyons, Edward Francis (Virginia Tech, 1966-06-05)
    The study had the dual objective of characterizing the present role of Virginia's wood furniture industry within Virginia's overall economy and evaluating the possible economic implications of changes in the major production factors influencing the future development of the industry. Supporting the hypothesis that the furniture industry is a major contributor to the economy of Virginia, the following factors were considered: size and number of plants, labor force, wages, and productivity of firms in Virginia. The industry 1n Virginia employed in excess of 21,000 employees in 1964.
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    A review of Virginia's forest property tax
    Thompson, Emmett F.; Manning, Glenn H.; Davis, Lawrence S. (Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, 1966-06)
    Objectives of this report are to describe a model for equitable forestry tax, to compare the Virginia forestry tax to the model, and to recommend additional research needs
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    A simulation game for wildlife management planning
    Guynn, David C. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1973)
    A computer simulation model of the planning process of the wildlife management agency of an eastern sta te was constructed. The model is constructed in the form of a management game for inservice training and classroom use. The player of the game formulates a five-year operating plan for the mountainous region of the state. The plan is implemented on an annual basis and annual reports are issued to reflect how well scheduled activities. meet public demands. The player is allowed to modify the five-year operating plan after examination of the annual report. Components of the wildlife management system included in the model are: land acquisition, hunter access, habitat improvement, stocking programs, coordination with forestry practices, public relations, hunting regulations, and budget calculations. Public reaction to the planner's policies is provided on an annual basis in addition to output concerning mandays of hunting, population levels, estimates of legal and illegal harvest, and budget constraints for the following year. Verification of the model was based on subjective tests of reasonableness performed by those considered knowledgeable about the real system. Operational instructions are provided for those wishing to use the game and an example five-year run of the game is presented as a guide for use.