Deciphering the plot preferences of forest contractors when purchasing stumpage through conjoint analysis

In order to have sustainable wood value chains, it is essential to understand the factors that determine the incorporation of wood resources into them. Forest contractors are among the key players in this process. This study evaluates the preferences of forest contractors when purchasing forest parcels. The variables considered are: slope of the terrain, distance to the nearest road, parcel size, parcel shape, and the fragmentation of the surrounding land. The study area is Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain that is dominated by small-scale family forestry. An Attribute Levels Survey was designed to establish threshold values of the considered variables to afterwards perform a Choice Based Conjoint Analysis (CBCA). The CBCA allowed to analyze the preferences of forest contractors in relation to the values of these variables and their relative importance. Also, it allowed to generate a map of the level of preference for all the Galician forest parcels with individual, private ownership. The most noteworthy result of this survey was that size greatly impacts the preference of timber contractors, preceded by slope and followed by distance to roads. These results will aid in the design of landscape-scale policies in a geospatial dimension, like the promotion of forest associations, and will lead to an improvement in the sustainability of wood supply.