Assessing the wood-basket and characterizing Michigan's logging businesses by their reliance on nonindustrial private forests for stumpage

This study delineates the procurement areas for individual logging businesses to create a combined wood-basket for 115 logging businesses in Michigan using a road transportation network dataset and information collected from a mail survey of logging businesses. Forest ownership and forest condition datasets are used to understand the status of timber resources and the reliance of logging businesses on different forest-ownership types for stumpage. Information about competition hotspots and status of timber resources can be useful for logging businesses when navigating market dynamics and is important for sustainable management of forest resources, too. Based upon their level of reliance on nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) for stumpage, the logging businesses are classified as NIPF-dependent and nondependent businesses, and similarities and differences between the two groups are explored. This is important as NIPF ownership is the major forest-ownership type in Michigan.