https://biobus.swst.org/index.php/bpbj <p><em>BioProducts Business</em>, a refereed journal from the Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST), is indexed in:</p> <p>1. <a href="https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21101058047#tabs=1">Scopus</a></p> <p>2. <a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 0.875rem;" href="https://doaj.org/toc/2378-1394">Directory of Open Access Journals</a><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;"> </span><span style="font-size: 0.875rem;">(DOAJ)</span></p> <p>3. <a href="https://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/KanalTidsskriftInfo.action?id=494765">Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers</a></p> <p>We look forward to your submissions. First published in 2016, <em>BioProducts Business</em> is an open access journal that is a continuation of the former Journal of Forest Products Business Research. Published articles can be found here: <a href="https://biobus.swst.org/index.php/bpbj/issue/archive">https://biobus.swst.org/index.php/bpbj/issue/archive</a></p> <p> </p> <div>BioBus is dedicated to advance theoretical and practical understanding of wide ranging business topics related to wood products, bio/renewable products, and non-wood products and services. The journal publishes timely, rigorous, technically sound, and scientific manuscripts. It strives to disseminate new knowledge bridging the scientific and professional communities. By achieving these aims it is the top-tier, high impact journal in the field.</div> en-US BioProducts Business 2378-1394 <p>Manuscripts published in the journal are open access and copyrighted according to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) which requires attribution to the author, but can be readily shared and adapted. BioProducts Business allows the author(s) to retain publishing rights without restrictions.</p> https://biobus.swst.org/index.php/bpbj/article/view/191 <p>The forest sector is undergoing rapid transformation driven by mechanization, automation, and outsourcing, placing financial pressure on contractors who bear the cost of adopting advanced technologies. While the entire forest industry and society at large benefit from improved productivity and safety, contractors face high capital investment and limited support, exacerbated by short-term contracts and low-margin export markets. This conceptual paper explores alternative business models that can rebalance financial risk and reward across the forestry value chain. Drawing on literature review, stakeholder surveys, and exploratory industry workshops, the study identifies via stakeholder engagement three promising alternative business models, outlining how they could be applied to forestry businesses and infrastructure projects: machinery rental schemes, sharelogging (adapted from dairy sharemilking), and alliance partnership bonds. The findings highlight a paradox: contractors are both the primary agents of technological adoption and the most financially vulnerable actors in the value chain. By aligning incentives and enabling more collaborative contracting arrangements, these models present viable solutions for a more resilient and equitable forest sector. We highlight the need for structural reform, improved coordination, and innovative financial instruments to support contractor viability and sector-wide innovation.</p> Karen Bayne Brionny Hooper Oscar Montes de Oca Munguia Copyright (c) 2026 Karen Bayne, Brionny Hooper, Oscar Montes de Oca 2026-03-12 2026-03-12