Merchantable and Non-Merchantable Species. Any development scheme based on forestry, which must perform long term, is prepared on the forester's appraisal of the forest, how to treat and manage the forest, and on the forester’s assessment of the type and quantities of products that one would expect to obtain within a sphere of where only several merchantable species are acceptable on international markets. It has been shown that a very common feature of rainforest is the complexity of its floristic composition. Rainforest stands can contain more than 100 different species of woody shrubs and trees per hectare. From a management viewpoint, those species can be broadly classified as those which are merchantable and those which are non-merchantable. Merchantable species are species which, when of suitable size and form, can be sold as timber products by the forest owner for monetary gain.
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Non-merchantable stems (when of suitable size and form) are those whose properties are unknown to potential purchasers, or their stocking is too low to permit the collection of commercial consignments. 17
Eddowes P J 1979. The Utilisation of Papua New Guinea Timbers. FPRC Dept of Forest Port Moresby PNG. P2.
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