Abstract
Recreation in the Pacific Northwest is a valuable resource. A method is described that translates recreation on USDA Forest Service and U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management lands in northern California, western Oregon, and western Washington into economic value. By assigning recreation to land use type (using the Forest Service recreation opportunity spectrum classification), the economic value associated with various land use changes can be identified. Results indicated that those land use changes resulting in more nonroaded recreational opportunities provide the greatest economic benefits. This is encouraging given the move toward ecosystem management that many agencies are making because, more nonroaded opportunities will become available. The paper also considers values associated with maintaining old-growth and wildlife and fisheries resources regardless of current or future recreation use existence values.
Keywords
Recreation,
nonmarket economic values,
benefit-cost
Citation
Swanson, Cindy Sorg; Loomis, John B. 1996. Role of nonmarket economic values in benefit-cost analysis of public forest management. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-361. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p
