Resources / Forestry / Rotation length
Forestry · Growth & yield · Cycle

Rotation length

10 yr

The years from planting to clearfall. The biologically optimal point is where the current annual increment falls back through the mean annual increment — the moment average growth per year stops rising.

Worked example · MAI vs CAI · culmination age
culminate yr 10 MAI Current annual increment yr 2 yr 10 yr 14
MAI vs CAI · culmination age
The benchmark

WA blue gum is grown on a short pulpwood rotation of about 10 years, the age at which mean annual increment culminates on these sites.

FWPA ↗
What it signals

Rotation length is the single biggest lever on land productivity and cash flow: cut too early and you leave volume in the ground, too late and MAI is falling while land and capital sit idle. The MAI–CAI crossover marks the sweet spot.

Data required to calculate
Mean annual increment by agem³/ha/yrCurrent annual incrementm³/ha/yr

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Track MAI and CAI annually rather than harvesting on a fixed age.

02

Weigh a small growth gain against another year of land and risk cost.

03

Line up harvest timing with mill demand and haulage capacity.

Questions & answers

What is rotation length?

The years from planting to clearfall. The biologically optimal point is where the current annual increment falls back through the mean annual increment — the moment average growth per year stops rising.

What data do you need to calculate rotation length?

You need: Mean annual increment by age (m³/ha/yr), Current annual increment (m³/ha/yr). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good rotation length benchmark?

WA blue gum is grown on a short pulpwood rotation of about 10 years, the age at which mean annual increment culminates on these sites.

How do you improve rotation length?

Track MAI and CAI annually rather than harvesting on a fixed age. Weigh a small growth gain against another year of land and risk cost. Line up harvest timing with mill demand and haulage capacity.

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