Low Impact vs. High Impact		Selection Harvest versus Clearcut New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners Study

Employment and Income Advantages of Selection Harvesting on Appropriate Sites New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners Study, 1996. In Carleton County in western New Brunswick, as in much of New Brunswick, clearcutting remains the most common approach to timber harvesting. The New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners compared a number of woodlots that were being managed by a contractor using low impact forestry to surrounding forest land that was simply clearcut.   Compare a Clearcut to a Selectively Managed Woodlot By leaving an intact forest, low impact forestry provides work and income from the same piece of land repeatedly over a lifetime. High impact forestry eliminates this opportunity. Below is an economic comparison of the two approaches taken in a sugar maple-yellow birch-beech forest on adjacent parcels of land in Carleton County and one nearby property. The New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners found that clearcutting in these stand represented a lost potential in employment and income. By taking the low impact approach to forestry, employment is roughly doubled over 45 years and revenue to the landowner more than doubles. This reflects not only a larger harvested volume, but increased quality of successive harvests.     Forestry Approach High Impact Low Impact Property A Harvest Method Clearcut Selection Regeneration Raspberry, Poplar,  Balsam Fir, Red Maple Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, Beech Next Harvest 2080-2100 2010-2015 Employment over 45 years 35 hours/acre 88 hours/acre Initial Harvest 110 acres 83 acres Volume Harvested 2,400 cords (22 cords/acre) 920 (11/acre) Person hours 3,840 (35 hours/acre) 1,825 (22 hours/acre) Income from first harvest $1,960/acre $1,137/acre   Forestry Approach Low Impact Property B Harvest Method Selection Regeneration Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, Beech Next Harvest 2010 Employment over 45 years 60 hours/acre Initial Harvest 60 acres Volume Harvested 440 cords (7.3/acre) Person hours 900 hours (15 hours/acre) Income from first harvest $788/acre   Summary of Employment and Income Created over 45 Years through Low Impact Forestry Compared to Clearcutting Property Total Employment hours/acre Over 45 Years Total Harvested cords/acre Over 45 years Total Stumpage $/acre to Woodlot Owner Over 45 years (1996$) Low Impact A Four Harvests 88 hours/acre 40 cords/acre $1,600/acre Low Impact B Four Harvests 60 hours/acre 30 cords/acre $1,100/acre Clearcut One Harvest 35 hours/acre 22 cords/acre $ 550/acre     Selection Harvest versus Clearcut University of New Brunswick