Many students have asked lots of questions about clearcutting - check out the Forestry Notes Section - there is a good article on types of logging called Silviculture Systems in BC.
Q: How much does it cost to log a tree and how much money can you get for it?
A: We measure our costs per cubic metre (a cubic metre is about the size of a small telephone pole about 35 feet high). It takes 60 cubic metres of wood to build a small house.
The cost of all the planning, reforestation, logging, transportation and stumpage payments to the government works out to about $100-$110 per cubic metre on the coast and in the spring of 1998: The price that wood sells at depends on the species of tree and the quality of the wood it can range from $0 up to $800 per cubic metre. On average $90 cubic metre. So you can see that this year the difference between the costs of logging ($100) and the price of selling ($90) means companies are losing money!
Q: How much is stumpage? Why is it different on the coast and interior?
A: "Stumpage" is the fee that individuals and firms are required to pay to the government when they harvest Crown timber in British Columbia. Stumpage is determined through a complex appraisal of each stand or area of trees that will be harvested. The calculations are very complex and vary depending on location and tree quality. The average cost on the coast is approximately $38 per cubic metre and in the interior $42 per cubic metre. In 1997 the forest industry paid over $1.7 bllion in stumpage payments to the government of BC.
The difference between the coast and interior is based on operating cost - it is much more expensive to build roads and work on the coast where the terrain is steep and difficult.