Forestry BMP implementation costs for Virginia

Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) are operational techniques used to protect water quality during timber harvesting operations. The implementation cost of BMPs is important to loggers, forest landowners, and the forest industry. This study provides an estimate of BMP implementation cost on a per harvested acre basis for the coastal plain, piedmont, and mountains of Virginia. BMPs were recorded during field inspections of46 sample timber harvest sites. Loggers provided estimates ofthe cost of individual BMPs. From this data, the median per harvested acre BMP implementation cost was $8.11 for the coastal plain, $25.75 for the piedmont, and $29.29 for the mountains. Per acre BMP implementation costs on sample harvest sites ranged from $3.17 for a large harvest site in the coastal plain with no perennial streams to $94.41 for a small tract in the mountains with perennial streams, steep slopes, and difficult access.