Article
Adequacy of Timber Trespass Civil Awards: A Louisiana Case Study
Journal of Forestry
(2019)
Abstract
Timber trespass in Louisiana is a civil offense punishable by restitution of three times the timber’s
current market value, yet whether this compensation level alone is adequate at present is unclear.
We modeled a loblolly pine plantation across a range of site qualities in Louisiana. First, we estimated
financial returns from a traditional sawtimber rotation using historical state timber prices that
included three harvests: two thinnings and a final cut; harvest times differed by site quality. We then
assumed all timber was taken at the first thinning. Net present value (NPV) determined appropriateness
of compensation at 1×, 2×, and 3× stumpage revenues and was compared to the traditional
rotation’s NPV. The NPVs were calculated with and without additional settlement for reforestation
costs. We concluded that reforestation costs in addition to 3× stumpage value reimbursement were
required to negate the effect of timber prices and better the traditional rotation’s NPV.
Keywords
- fair market value of timber,
- good faith timber trespass,
- net present value,
- treble damages,
- willful and intentional timber trespass
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall October 7, 2019
DOI
10.1093/jofore/fvz052
Citation Information
T. Eric Mcconnell, Curtis L. VanderSchaaf, J. J. Holderieath and Michael K. Crosby. "Adequacy of Timber Trespass Civil Awards: A Louisiana Case Study" Journal of Forestry (2019) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/j-holderieath/12/