When pre-harvest planning is performed by contractors : How is it perceived and how does it affect working environment and costs

At the Swedish forest owner association Mellanskog pre-harvest planning prior to thinning is traditionally performed by company foresters. In the past three years, Mellanskog has in one business area, instead outsourced pre-harvest planning to thinning contractors. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the outsourcing of pre-harvest planning is perceived by the company foresters and contractors and how it affects the working environment and costs. The study showed positive experiences from foresters and contractors, though there were some responsibility issues and economic concerns. Outsourcing improves the contractor’s working environment, but deteriorates that of the foresters. Having foresters performing the pre-harvest planning is more expensive than having contractors performing it, especially on small harvesting worksites