Economic and Environmental Contributions of Agricultural Lands to Timber Production in Minnesota Available to Purchase

Sharply increasing timber prices in Minnesota reflect an imbalance in the age class distribution of the cover types that are most important to the forest industry. A scheduling model was used to allocate forest and agricultural lands to meet specified forest products demands in various locations and time periods. This research identified potential future timber supply shortages and examined the contributions that short-rotation tree crops grown on specific marginal agricultural lands can make in reducing such shortages. Tree production on agricultural lands provided additional benefits by allowing to reduce harvest on ecologically sensitive forest lands. Additional, direct environmental benefits from agricultural lands under tree cover were not examined.