Determination of Wages in Forestry Depending on the Occurrence of Natural Disasters

This paper deals with determination of wages in the forestry sector in the Czech Republic for the last 15 years. The relation between wages and the total felling volume or salvage felling volume is explored with the aim to build a model usable in the reforestation simulation study currently being prepared. Results based on the Czech Republic data are validated by analogous analysis using relevant data from the Slovak Republic. Data about wages and the volume of logging are obtained from the Czech Statistical Office and the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. Multiple regression model and vector autoregression model are employed for assessing possible relationships. The results point to significant dependence of wages on total felling. Causality in the sense of Granger is verified for the Czech Republic. Differences between available data and results for the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic as well as limitations of this study are discussed. Finally, it is possible to conclude that the realised model can be incorporated into the prepared reforestation simulation study to ensure realistic costs determination in such situations as an intensive bark beetle attack or occurrence of windstorm.