FORVAL-Online: A Web-based forestry investment tool

Over the past decade, timber values have risen considerably, and society is beginning to see timberland for what it is – a valuable capital asset that must be managed properly. Timberlands, however, cannot be subject to an “across the board” management regime. Different sites possess different productive constraints, and the same holds true for landowners and their management goals. Considering the diversity of managers’ and landowners’ analysis needs, the ability to obtain a customized forestry investment analysis is invaluable. “FORVAL-online: A Web-based Forestry Investment Tool” is a project to develop and make widely available an accurate and easy to use forestry investment analysis package for use by non-industrial private forest landowners and forestry professionals. FORVAL-online accepts user input and performs calculations in the following areas: financial criteria, monthly payments, annual payments, precommercial timber value and projected stumpage price