Optimum Stand Selection for Juniper Control on Southwestern Woodland Ranges

Abstract

The optimum time for a land improvement investment when both cost and benefits are changing is when the rate of change of benefits equals the rate of change of costs. This principle can be applied to selecting optimum weed-tree stands for control operations where stands are present in a variety of age classes. If the cost of the control method is fixed, older stands with zero rate of tree cover change represent optimal treatment areas, but if the cost of the control method increases with stand age, young stands represent optimal treatment situations.