INTEGRATED FOREST PRODUCTS FROM FORMER SUGARCANE PLANTATIONS IN HAWAII

To help landowners and land-use planners evaluate potential forest pro duct ventures on former sugarcane lands in Hawaii, a short-rotation fo restry decision support system was developed. An application to estima te annual net returns of hypothetical integrated forest product operat ions established at two former sugarcane plantations is featured. From a variety of plantation management and wood processing options, linea r programming results indicate that the optimal profit opportunity exi sts for the production of medium density fibreboard and plywood from E ucalyptus saligna plantations, with annual net return estimates of app roximately $3.5 million year(-1) ($8970 ha(-1) year(-1)) from three co mmercial thinnings (at 5, 10, and 15 years of age) and one harvest at rotation age (20 years) of trees on the Hamakua plantation on the isla nd of Hawaii and $2.2 million year(-1) ($4880 ha(-1) year(-1)) from tw o commercial thinnings (at 4 and 10 years of age) and one harvest at r otation age (15 years) of trees on the Waialua plantation on Oahu.