Hydahl, Carol A.; Grossman, Gerald H.

A red pine growth and analysis spreadsheet for the Lake States

RPGrow$ is a spreadsheet that interactively projects stand-level growth and yield with financial analysis of red pine plantations in the Lake States. Three types of commonly found conditions related to red pine management can be analyzed: 1) an entire rotation from initial planting to final harvest; 2) an existing stand from any point in time until final harvest; and 3) a marginal analysis for converting an existing stand to red pine. Stand growth projections are for 70 years. User inputs include site index, stand age, initial basal area, trees per acre, thinning regime, costs associated with establishment and culture, tax rates, inflation rate and discount rate. RPGrow$ calculates and values pulpwood and sawtimber volumes from user defined stumpage prices. The financial analysis uses discounted cash flow methods to calculate results both with and without tax effects. Comparison of different stand management scenarios and economic factors can be done easily through sensitivitiy analysis.

Key words:
Red pine, growth models, financial analyses, discounted cash flows, spreadsheet.