THE EVALUATION OF SOME FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF RAW MATERIALS IN MICRO-SCALED FOREST INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES

Forest industry enterprises that process round industrial wood are the biggest consumers of the forestry sector. In this study, micro-scale forest industry enterprises that process round industrial wood are investigated. Questionnaires based on face-to-face interviews were utilized as a data collection tool. The raw material storage areas of 48 enterprises, visited during the study, were subjected to direct observation and examination in terms of storage methods, conditions and damages in logs. The ratio of the enterprises participating in the total number of enterprises in the study area occurred as 64%. The relationships between the defined variables were analyzed with the Chi-square independence test. The analysis of variance was used to determine the relationship between independent variables. The results showed that raw material supply methods of enterprises differ, and they vary as the enterprise size grows. The annual average revenue was a variable that caused statically significant differentiation (p<0.05) in the raw material supply methods between enterprises. The results proved that the supply of raw materials with the stumpage sale method increased the risk of bark beetle damage in logs. Improper storage methods and conditions were identified as causes of significant blue discoloration damage in coniferous tree logs.