IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_870.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

On the Tree-Cutting Problem under Interest Rate and Forest Value Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Luis H. R. Alvarez
  • Erkki Koskela

Abstract

The current literature on optimal forest rotation makes the unrealistic assumption of constant interest rate though harvesting decisions of forest stands are typically subject to long time horizons. We apply the Wicksellian single rotation framework to cover the unexplored case of variable and stochastic interest rate. By modelling the stochastic interest rate according to the Cox-Ingersoll-Ross model and the forest value as a geometric Brownian motion we provide an explicit solution for the Wicksellian single rotation problem and show that increased interest rate volatility increases the optimal exercise threshold of the irreversible harvesting opportunity and thereby prolongs the optimal rotation period. Numerical illustration indicates that the optimal threshold becomes higher at an increasing rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Luis H. R. Alvarez & Erkki Koskela, 2003. "On the Tree-Cutting Problem under Interest Rate and Forest Value Uncertainty," CESifo Working Paper Series 870, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_870
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo_wp870.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Samuelson, Paul A, 1976. "Economics of Forestry in an Evolving Society," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 14(4), pages 466-492, December.
    2. Willassen, Yngve, 1998. "The stochastic rotation problem: A generalization of Faustmann's formula to stochastic forest growth," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 573-596, April.
    3. Insley, Margaret, 2002. "A Real Options Approach to the Valuation of a Forestry Investment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 471-492, November.
    4. Reed, William J., 1984. "The effects of the risk of fire on the optimal rotation of a forest," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 180-190, June.
    5. Reed, William J & Clarke, Harry R, 1990. "Harvest Decisions and Asset Valuation for Biological Resources Exhibiting Size-Dependent Stochastic Growth," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 31(1), pages 147-169, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alvarez, Luis H.R. & Koskela, Erkki, 2007. "Taxation and rotation age under stochastic forest stand value," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 113-127, July.
    2. Creamer, Selmin F. & Genz, Alan & Blatner, Keith A., 2012. "The Effect of Fire Risk on the Critical Harvesting Times for Pacific Northwest Douglas-Fir When Carbon Price Is Stochastic," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 41(3), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Alvarez, Luis H.R. & Koskela, Erkki, 2006. "Does risk aversion accelerate optimal forest rotation under uncertainty?," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 171-184, December.
    4. Alvarez, Luis H R & Koskela, Erkki, 2003. "On Forest Rotation under Interest Rate Variability," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 10(4), pages 489-503, August.
    5. Ben Abdallah, Skander & Lasserre, Pierre, 2016. "Asset retirement with infinitely repeated alternative replacements: Harvest age and species choice in forestry," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 144-164.
    6. Newman, D.H., 2002. "Forestry's golden rule and the development of the optimal forest rotation literature," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 5-27.
    7. Alvarez, Luis H. R. & Koskela, Erkki, 2005. "Wicksellian theory of forest rotation under interest rate variability," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 529-545, March.
    8. Tahvonen, Olli & Suominen, Antti & Malo, Pekka & Viitasaari, Lauri & Parkatti, Vesa-Pekka, 2022. "Optimizing high-dimensional stochastic forestry via reinforcement learning," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    9. COUTURE Stephane & REYNAUD Arnaud, 2006. "Multi-stand Forest Management Under a Climatic Risk: Do time and Risk Preferences Matter?," LERNA Working Papers 06.17.210, LERNA, University of Toulouse.
    10. Alvarez, Luis H.R. & Koskela, Erkki, 2007. "Optimal harvesting under resource stock and price uncertainty," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2461-2485, July.
    11. Motoh, Tsujimura, 2004. "Optimal natural resources management under uncertainty with catastrophic risk," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 487-499, May.
    12. Sloggy, Matthew R. & Kling, David M. & Plantinga, Andrew J., 2020. "Measure twice, cut once: Optimal inventory and harvest under volume uncertainty and stochastic price dynamics," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    13. Couture, Stéphane & Reynaud, Arnaud, 2011. "Forest management under fire risk when forest carbon sequestration has value," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 2002-2011, September.
    14. Xu, Ying & Amacher, Gregory S. & Sullivan, Jay, 2016. "Optimal forest management with sequential disturbances," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 106-122.
    15. Tahvonen, Olli & Salo, Seppo & Kuuluvainen, Jari, 2001. "Optimal forest rotation and land values under a borrowing constraint," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 25(10), pages 1595-1627, October.
    16. Leon-Santana, Miguel & Hernandez, Juan M., 2008. "Optimum management and environmental protection in the aquaculture industry," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 849-857, February.
    17. Conrad, Jon M. & Kotani, Koji, 2005. "When to drill? Trigger prices for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 273-286, November.
    18. Lien, G. & Stordal, S. & Hardaker, J.B. & Asheim, L.J., 2007. "Risk aversion and optimal forest replanting: A stochastic efficiency study," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 181(3), pages 1584-1592, September.
    19. Esther W. Mezey & Jon M. Conrad, 2010. "Real Options in Resource Economics," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 33-52, October.
    20. Kant, Shashi, 2003. "Extending the boundaries of forest economics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 39-56, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_870. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.