MSU researchers enhance original forestry decision-making software

Contact: Carson McFatridge

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State researchers have developed an updated version of a widely used forestry decision-making tool, improving accessibility and usability while maintaining its analytical strength.

Originally created in 1999 by a team of scientists in the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center, the Forest Valuation and Investment Analysis software program, known as FORVAL, helps foresters and other land managers quantify and evaluate complex management decisions.

Steve Bullard, CFR associate dean and FWRC associate director, who helped create the program, led the development of FORVAL-XL, the new version built specifically for Microsoft Excel.

“This is the most user-friendly version yet,” Bullard said. “We maintain the ability to make complex calculations, including varied costs and revenues over time, but new features include discounted cash-flow results, sensitivity analyses and easy-to-read tables and graphs to support informed forest management decisions. The final product can also be easily exported as a PDF for sharing.”

Jagadish Dosapati, a master’s student in data science from India, helped develop the code for the updated version. Thomas Straka, professor emeritus at Clemson University, and Robert Grala, MSU’s George L. Switzer Professor of Forestry, also played key roles in the project. Grala incorporated forestry students from his forest resource economics course as beta testers, providing real-world feedback during development. He said the approach served two purposes.

“Our students and natural resource students throughout the country are users of this product,” he said. “We were able to identify issues and troubleshoot in real time, tailoring the program to the needs and abilities of future consultants, land managers and real estate investors.”

Together, the team’s work ensures FORVAL remains a practical, classroom-tested tool capable of supporting real-world forestry investment decisions, from small private landholdings to large timber operations. By combining rigorous economic analysis with an intuitive interface, the updated program is designed for both experienced professionals and those new to forest management.

FORVAL-XL and an accompanying user’s manual are free to download at www.fwrc.msstate.edu/software.php.

Learn more about MSU’s College of Forest Resources and Forest and Wildlife Research Center at www.cfr.msstate.edu and www.fwrc.msstate.edu.

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