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Economics Unit

A Comparison of Stakeholder Preferences for Market and Nonmarket Goods and Services from National Forests

Investigators:

Thomas Holmes, Southern Research Station
Robert C. Abt, North Carolina State University
Rex H. Schaberg, North Carolina State University

Description:

Public values play an important role in National Forest planning. Citizens demonstrate a broad range of preferences for environmental goods and services, and expectations for resource allocations among incompatible uses can lead to significant conflicts or litigation. Understanding the mix of public preferences for forest goods and services, and understanding which benefits are considered to be of critical importance by subsets of the public (stakeholder groups), is a significant step in a viable resource allocation process.

A mail survey was conducted to determine the preferences of North Carolina citizens for an array of market and non-market benefits available from the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in western North Carolina. Preference data for three stakeholder groups (timber, hunting and fishing, and environmental advocates) and a random control are compared and contrasted using quantitative methods such as conjoint analysis and principal components analysis.

Problem Area(s): Public involvement
Status: Ongoing

Products:

Schaberg, Rex H.; Holmes, Thomas P.; Abt, Robert C. 1998. A comparison of stakeholder preferences for market and nonmarket goods and services from two forests in Western North Carolina. In: Kluender, Richard A., ed. Valuing Non-timber Forest Resources: Timber Primacy is Pass‚: Proceedings of the 27th annual Southern Forest Economics Workshop; 1997 March 19-21: Little Rock, AR.

Schaberg, Rex H.; Holmes, Thomas P.; Abt, Robert C. 1997. Exploring stakeholder preferences for national forest goods, services, and functions. In: Greene, John L., ed. Redefining roles in forest economics research: Proceedings of the 26th annual Southern Forest Economics Workshop; 1996 March 27-29: Gatlinburg, TN. [Knoxville, TN]: [University of Tennessee]: 299-307.

modified: 13-MAR-2000
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