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Most studies of wildland fire and residential development have focused on the cost of firefighting and solutions such as fuel reduction and fire-safe home building. Although some studies quantify the number of homes being built near forests, little…
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Woody biomass-usually logging slash, tops and limbs, or trees that cannot be sold as timber-is the lowest valued material removed from the forest and presents economic and logistical challenges. This report brings together 45 case studies of how…
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ANNOTATION: The costs for harvesting timber for forest fire fuel reduction purposes were estimated for 12 states in the West. These simulation inputs were used to estimate average costs for 12,039 Forest inventory and Analysis plots in the West, and…
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This chapter presents a stated preference technique for estimating the public benefits of reducing wildfires to residents of California, Florida, and Montana from two alternative fuel reduction programs: prescribed burning, and mechanical fuels…
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This study examines the use of woody residues, primarily from forest harvesting or wood products manufacturing operations as a feedstock for direct-combustion bioenergy systems for electrical or thermal power applications. Opportunities for…
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Paying our way: thinking strategically to offset the cost of reducing fire hazard in western forests
The fire hazard in many western forests is unacceptably high, posing risks to human health and property, wildlife habitat, and air and water quality. Cost is an inhibiting factor for reducing hazardous fuel, given the amount of acreage needing…
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ANNOTATION: This study looks into increasingly severe fire seasons over the last two decades that have led policymakers to recognize the need for thinning overgrown stands of trees. Thinning presents a financial challenge and the problem is that…
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A contingent valuation method (CVM) study was used to compare survey response rates, protest refusals to pay, and median willingness-to-pay (WTP) of Native American communities in Montana compared to Montana's general population for two…
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Preliminary estimates of harvesting costs for forest fuel reduction treatments in the West are presented. Cost estimates were made for typical stands based on Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots that represented forest stands in 12 western…
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The purpose of this note is to provide a starting point for discussion of fire hazard reduction treatments that meet the full range of management objectives, including budget priorities. Thoughtful design requires an understanding not only of the…
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We use Fuel Treatment Evaluator (FTE) 3.0 to estimate how many acres might be treated near three western communities (Pagosa Springs, Colorado; Hamilton, Montana; Colville, Washington) for which the value of biomass removed covers the treatment cost…
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This report intends to increase the accuracy of cost data available for planning and prioritizing fuel management in national forests. A survey of fire management officers was used to develop regression models that may be used to estimate the cost…
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Economically viable silvicultural options are critical for management activities that provide wood products, reduce forest fuels, improve forest health, and enhance wildlife habitat. The Tenderfoot Research Project was developed in the late 1990s to…
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Administrative planning rules and legal challenges can have significant economic impacts on timber salvage programs on public lands. This paper examines the costs of the delay in salvage caused by planning rules and the costs associated with the…
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The Fuel Treatment Evaluator (FTE) 3.0 is a web-based tool that simulates uneven-aged and even-aged silvicultural treatments on timberland in 12 western states. This tool simulates treatments to reduce forest fire hazard to specific target levels…
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ANNOTATION: This paper presents a model of interrelated timber markets in the U.S. West to assess the impacts of large-scale fuel reduction programs on these markets, and concomitant effects of the market on the fuel reduction programs. The model…
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During the fall of 2005, a study was conducted at Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF) in northern Idaho to investigate the economics of mastication used to treat activity and standing live fuels. In this study, a rotary head masticator was used…
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This report studied the feasibility of using biomass for renewable energy production as an alternative to onsite burning. Due to the relatively low value of biomass, accurate estimates of volumes and costs of collection and transport are necessary…
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Economics research unit explores biomass utilization opportunities on the Bitterroot National Forest
Almost a million tons of biomass left over after thinning designed to reduce hazardous fuels and increase tree vigor, thus decreasing susceptibility to insects and disease, could provide significant small business opportunities in the Bitterroot…
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The equivalency of willingness to pay between the states of California, Florida and Montana is tested. Residents in California, Florida and Montana have an average willingness to pay of $417, $305, and $382 for prescribed burning program, and $403…
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