The objective of this work was to determine the most profitable management method, among the variation of age and thinning intensities, site index, interest rates, wood prices and last cutting age. To achieve this goal, data of a thinning experiment established at Empresa Copener Florestal Ltda, Bahia, were used. The prediction system used was developed by Clutter (1963). The economic evaluation method used was the Equivalent Periodic Benefit (BPE). The results showed that the method with thinning was economically better than the method without thinning, but as the thinning intensity increased the BPE values tended to decrease. Also, lower interest rates and higher site indexes were observed to increase the method profits. The method that provided the greatest profit was obtained with thinning at four and last cut at nine years of age. The variables site index, interest rate and establishment cost did not significantly influence the determination of the most profitable method, that is, the most profitable method remained the thinning at four and last cut at nine years of age. On the other hand, the variable thinned wood price influenced the determination of the most profitable method. The increase in price according to the harvesting age resulted in thinning at six and last cut at nine years of age as the most profitable method. Similarly, the increase in wood price of the last cut according to the cutting age resulted in thinning at four and last cut at 12 years of age as the most profitable method. The simulation of increasing the price of thinned and last cut wood, at the same time, generated as the most profitable method thinning at six and last cut at 12 years of age. It was concluded that there was a direct influence of variables prices of thinned and last cut wood on the determination of the most profitable method.
Equivalent periodic benefit; thinning; simulation; eucalypt
