Forest management activity costs in the continental United States (2012-2018)

This data publication contains a forest management activity cost database that describes average weighted per acre costs for 86 different national forest management activities ranging from broadcast burning to precommercial thinning based on federal data from 2012 to 2018 for each of the 109 national forests within the continental United States. These data are summarized from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Activity Tracking System (FACTS) data.
Incorporating detailed economic analysis of scenario planning at the national, regional and forest levels will make it easier for land managers to model forest management costs and revenues while meeting multiple management goals. Developing national forest management cost data specific to a suite of management activities will improve our understanding of the available choices across landscapes for investments in timber production, ecological restoration, and fire treatments using economic and biophysical tradeoffs at multiple scales.