Nonmarket Benefits of Reducing Environmental Effects of Potential Wildfires in Beetle-Killed Trees: A Contingent Valuation Study

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.

KEYWORDS:

• nonparametric Turnbull estimator
• willingness to pay
• contingent valuation
• forest management
• beetle-kill
• fuel treatments
• biochar

Additional information

Funding

This project was partially funded by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Biomass Research and Development Initiative, Competitive Grant No. 2010-05325 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.