journal of forest science

nuses were very variable, and they amounted to 10–30%
for the whole period and all operations. or the period of
investigation wage tariffs changed the most of all, when
in felling they increased by 289%, skidding by 311%,
handling by 317% and transportation by 344%. Unanimously,
for the whole period, the coefficients of conversion
of wage costs to direct costs have increased. Their
development according to the respective operations was
not the same and their values have not increased so significantly
as for wage tariffs. or all operations their values
have increased by about 40–80% since 1988.
Tables 2–6 present aggregate coefficients of costs that
were calculated as a product of wage tariffs, coefficient
of additional charges to basic man-hours, bonuses to basic
wage and conversion coefficient of wage costs to direct
costs. Aggregate coefficient is expressed in SKK per
1 man-hour of work separately in each operation. One
exception is other related operations, in which aggregate
coefficients of costs are expressed in SKK per 1 m 3 of
felled timber. Based on the aggregate coefficients of costs
according to calendar years also their indexes were calculated
as the ratios of coefficient in the respective calendar
year to the coefficient in the basic year 1988. The
development of these indexes is illustrated in ig. 6. Regarding
their values the indexes of costs of felling and
skidding were increasingly growing and had a relatively
balanced trend. In the final year 1997 the costs of these
two operations increased 4.0–4.4 times in comparison
with the basic year 1988. The costs of timber transportation
increased very rapidly, particularly by the year 1992,
when they were higher 3.7 times. or the whole period
of investigation the costs of transportation were 4.5 times
higher than in 1988. Of all operations the highest increase
in costs was recorded for handling. or 9 years of investigation
the costs of this operation increased more than
5.7 times. The lowest increase in costs was recorded in
other logging operations, where the costs increased only
2.3 times for the period of investigation, which is about
a half trend of the handling costs. Providing that we do
not consider the costs of other logging operations and
assess only four main operations, we can state that the
costs increased 4.0–5.7 times for the years 1988–1997.
We can state on the basis of comparison of price and
cost indexes that in 1988–1997 timber prices increased
by about 2.7–3.8 times according to quality classes of
logs but the costs of respective logging operations increased
4.0–5.7 times. The exception is the costs of other
logging operations, which increased only 2.3 times. This
difference in the increase of timber prices and costs of
logging indicates unanimously their growing disproportion.
This situation is also reflected in the values of net
yields of spruce stands.
DISCUSSION
The trends of unit prices of spruce raw timber according
to quality and diameter classes of logs are assessed in
the paper as well as the trend of spruce timber costs ac-
cording to the respective logging operations in the Slovak
Republic for the years 1988–1997. It is obvious from
the results that the prices of spruce timber for main assortments
increased 2.7–3.8 times but the costs of logging,
including transportation to the customer, increased
4.0–5.7 times. It means that the increase in the costs of
logging for nine years of investigation was higher 1.3–
1.9 times than for unit prices of spruce timber assortments.
This fact is very important and simultaneously
very unfavourable for current forestry. The increase in
timber prices and the costs of logging was not the same
for the whole period of investigation. The highest increase
in timber prices was recorded until 1992, when
the prices for most assortments increased about 2.2–
2.7 times, while the prices of saw logs, the most demanded
assortment, increased even 3 times. The costs of logging
for that period increased only 2 times. It means that
the increase in timber prices was slightly greater than the
increase in logging costs. After 1992 the increase in timber
prices slowed down but the costs of logging operations
continued to grow at the same pace as before. It
was caused by the balanced increase especially in wage
tariffs. Though the paper was aimed particularly at the
analysis of the trends of the prices of spruce timber assortments
and logging costs for the years 1988–1997, it
is possible to obtain also more general related information
and to forecast future trends. Though spruce timber
has very good technical and technological properties, it
is very improbable that its price will increase at the same
pace as in the period of 1990–1992. We expect a slight
increase gradually up to the balance with higher prices in
neighbouring countries. The increase in the costs of
spruce timber logging is relatively strong and permanent.
Regarding the continuous increase in the living costs, we
can also expect a permanent pressure on the increase of
wage tariffs and wage costs. Regarding these facts, it is
necessary to take into account not only lower yields of
spruce timber but also the lower rate of return in the
whole forestry.
References
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PETRÁŠ R., MECKO J., HALAJ J., NOCIAR V., PETRÁ-
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pre smrekovec, hrab a brezu. [Závereèná správa.] Zvolen,
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POLENO Z., 1984. Vývojové tendence produkce a spotøeby
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Received 25. November 1999
330 J. FOR. SCI., 47, 2001 (7): 322–330