{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76420"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76420","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Evaluating the feasibility of improvement thinnings for fuelwood for private non-industrial landowners in Virginia","abstract":"The major objectives of this study were to: 1. evaluate the financial aspects of improvement thinnings for fuelwood in Appalachian hardwood stands. 2. determine direct net energy values from energy inputs and outputs for fuelwood harvesting in Appalachian hardwoods. The landowners decision on whether or not to thin was greatly influenced by haul distance and his opportunity cost for time spent harvesting wood. Other considerations included the market price for both firewood and firewood stumpage. Two cases were analyzed using discounted cash flows, the first considered the landowner as a firewood consumer. The results of this portion indicated that at low haul distances (< 15 miles) and low opportunity costs ($0 to 5 per hour), the landowner should produce his own firewood. At longer haul distances an open market purchase should be made and at higher opportunity costs a contractor should be hired to harvest the firewood. In the second case, the landowner acted as a firewood producer. The results indicate that at low haul distances and low opportunity costs of harvesting, the landowner can attain reasonable rates of return on the investment (approximately 4% after-tax in real terms). At greater haul distances and higher opportunity costs the investment returns diminish. The second objective concerning energy resulted in favoring larger scale operations at longer haul distances and smaller operations at shorter distances. The major influences on energy values were haul distance and degree of mechanization. Overall, this analysis presents a process for evaluating firewood thinnings and offers the landowner the capability of examining a variety of sites and harvest systems. However, the results should be viewed only as an example situation.","abstract_html":"The major objectives of this study were to: 1. evaluate the financial aspects of improvement thinnings for fuelwood in Appalachian hardwood stands. 2. determine direct net energy values from energy inputs and outputs for fuelwood harvesting in Appalachian hardwoods. The landowners decision on whether or not to thin was greatly influenced by haul distance and his opportunity cost for time spent harvesting wood. Other considerations included the market price for both firewood and firewood stumpage. Two cases were analyzed using discounted cash flows, the first considered the landowner as a firewood consumer. The results of this portion indicated that at low haul distances (&lt; 15 miles) and low opportunity costs ($0 to 5 per hour), the landowner should produce his own firewood. At longer haul distances an open market purchase should be made and at higher opportunity costs a contractor should be hired to harvest the firewood. In the second case, the landowner acted as a firewood producer. The results indicate that at low haul distances and low opportunity costs of harvesting, the landowner can attain reasonable rates of return on the investment (approximately 4% after-tax in real terms). At greater haul distances and higher opportunity costs the investment returns diminish. The second objective concerning energy resulted in favoring larger scale operations at longer haul distances and smaller operations at shorter distances. The major influences on energy values were haul distance and degree of mechanization. Overall, this analysis presents a process for evaluating firewood thinnings and offers the landowner the capability of examining a variety of sites and harvest systems. However, the results should be viewed only as an example situation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cupp, David Calvin"],"institution":"Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Forestry","degree_department":"Forestry","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1984,"date_issued":"1984","date_published":"1984","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:32Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76420","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cupp, David Calvin"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2017-03-10T21:43:39Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-03-10T21:43:39Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1984"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76420"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The major objectives of this study were to: 1. evaluate the financial aspects of improvement thinnings for fuelwood in Appalachian hardwood stands. 2. determine direct net energy values from energy inputs and outputs for fuelwood harvesting in Appalachian hardwoods. The landowners decision on whether or not to thin was greatly influenced by haul distance and his opportunity cost for time spent harvesting wood. Other considerations included the market price for both firewood and firewood stumpage. Two cases were analyzed using discounted cash flows, the first considered the landowner as a firewood consumer. The results of this portion indicated that at low haul distances (< 15 miles) and low opportunity costs ($0 to 5 per hour), the landowner should produce his own firewood. At longer haul distances an open market purchase should be made and at higher opportunity costs a contractor should be hired to harvest the firewood. In the second case, the landowner acted as a firewood producer. The results indicate that at low haul distances and low opportunity costs of harvesting, the landowner can attain reasonable rates of return on the investment (approximately 4% after-tax in real terms). At greater haul distances and higher opportunity costs the investment returns diminish. The second objective concerning energy resulted in favoring larger scale operations at longer haul distances and smaller operations at shorter distances. The major influences on energy values were haul distance and degree of mechanization. Overall, this analysis presents a process for evaluating firewood thinnings and offers the landowner the capability of examining a variety of sites and harvest systems. However, the results should be viewed only as an example situation."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Evaluating the feasibility of improvement thinnings for fuelwood for private non-industrial landowners in Virginia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.department":["Forestry"],"dc:creator":["Cupp, David Calvin"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-03-10T21:43:39Z"],"dc:date.available":["2017-03-10T21:43:39Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1984"],"dc:description.abstract":["The major objectives of this study were to: 1. evaluate the financial aspects of improvement thinnings for fuelwood in Appalachian hardwood stands. 2. determine direct net energy values from energy inputs and outputs for fuelwood harvesting in Appalachian hardwoods. The landowners decision on whether or not to thin was greatly influenced by haul distance and his opportunity cost for time spent harvesting wood. Other considerations included the market price for both firewood and firewood stumpage. Two cases were analyzed using discounted cash flows, the first considered the landowner as a firewood consumer. The results of this portion indicated that at low haul distances (< 15 miles) and low opportunity costs ($0 to 5 per hour), the landowner should produce his own firewood. At longer haul distances an open market purchase should be made and at higher opportunity costs a contractor should be hired to harvest the firewood. In the second case, the landowner acted as a firewood producer. The results indicate that at low haul distances and low opportunity costs of harvesting, the landowner can attain reasonable rates of return on the investment (approximately 4% after-tax in real terms). At greater haul distances and higher opportunity costs the investment returns diminish. The second objective concerning energy resulted in favoring larger scale operations at longer haul distances and smaller operations at shorter distances. The major influences on energy values were haul distance and degree of mechanization. Overall, this analysis presents a process for evaluating firewood thinnings and offers the landowner the capability of examining a variety of sites and harvest systems. However, the results should be viewed only as an example situation."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76420"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Evaluating the feasibility of improvement thinnings for fuelwood for private non-industrial landowners in Virginia"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.dcmitype":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Forestry"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:32Z"}