Abstract
We estimated Colorado households’ nonmarket values for two forest management options for reducing intensity of future wildfires and associated nonmarket environmental effects wildfires. The first policy is the traditional harvesting of pine beetle-killed trees and burning of the slash piles of residual materials on-site. The second involves harvesting but moving the residual material off-site and converting it into biochar, thus reducing some of the risk and environmental effects associated with burning on-site. A contingent valuation method mail survey was used to evaluate these two management options. The survey achieved a 47% response rate. We used a nonparametric Turnbull estimator to calculate the willingness to pay (WTP) for burn on-site and off-site biochar conversion. The calculated WTP for burn on-site and off-site biochar conversion options (beyond the cost of the status quo level of forest treatment) is $411 and $470 per household per year, respectively.