Economic issues
Évaluation des impacts socio-économiques: cas d’unité forestière d’aménagement de la compagnie forestière Leroy-Gabon (Socio-economic Impact Assessment: The Case of the Leroy-Gabon Forest Management Unit)BackgroundThis article provides a socioeconomic impact assessment of forest operations by the Leory-Gabon forest company. Research Goals & MethodsData were collected in villages and forest-exploitation camps between 2001 and 2002. The study relied on group survey data and selected research villages that experienced direct effects of forestry that were located in the UFA1 forestry zone. Open access copy available |
Drug Policy as Conservation Policy: Narco-DeforestationBackgroundCentral America exploded into prominence as a drug trafficking corridor in the last decade. The authors document that an unprecedented flow of cocaine into Central America “coincided with a period of extensive forest loss”. The authors discuss the evidence that supports the idea that "trafficking of drugs (principally cocaine) has become a crucial—and overlooked—accelerant of forest loss” in Central America. Open access copy available |
Gmelina Boom, Farmers Doom: Tree growers risks, coping strategies and optionsBackgroundThe widespread smallholder tree plantations of Gmelina arborea established in the South Philippines in the 1980s led to price boom and bust cycles rather than the expected economic returns for growers. This study evaluates grower responses to the timber price bubbles of the 1990s and recommends policy responses. Open access copy available |
Carbon sequestration versus bioenergy: A case study from South India exploring the relative land-use efficiency of two options for climate change mitigationbackgroundThis study explores avenues to meet increased rural electricity demand with carbon emissions mitigation. The study compares the option of energy derived from gasification of biomass from forest plantations to energy derived from fossil fuels, with forest plantations used as a carbon sink.The case study uses power demand, land requirements, and management approaches for Hosahalli village, Karnataka, pop. 218. Available with subscription or purchase |
Cost-Effectiveness of Dryland Forest Restoration Evaluated by Spatial Analysis of Ecosystem ServicesbackgroundThis study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of dryland forest restoration through a comparative analysis of four study areas in Latin America. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors model multiple ecosystem services to estimate costs and benefits of restoring dryland forests under a range of economic valuation conditions. Open access copy available |
Economic Analysis of Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria) Community Forest Plantation, a Fast Growing Species in East Java, IndonesiabackgroundThis article examines Paraserianthes falcataria (Sengon) mixed community forest plantations in East Java, Indonesia. The Indonesian government launched a timber / reforestation program in 1990 but only 20% of projected timber supply has come from these plantations, and total reforested area is far below targets. Before 1997, forest resources were held by concession companies, and local access rights were denied. Under reforms however, government decentralization gave local governments more authority to manage their resources, and extensive deforestation (and low levels of reforestation) has followed. Available with subscription or purchase |
Timber Investment Returns for Selected Plantations and Native Forests in South America and the Southern United StatesbackgroundThis study examines the value of timber investments in South America. Exotic Eucalyptus in the southern cone (Argentina + Chile) are the most profitable, with Internal Rate of Return of 13-23%, followed by exotic loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), whereas investments in the southeast USA is less profitable. Available with subscription or purchase |
Effect of Land Prices, Transportation Costs, and Site Productivity on Timber Investment Returns for Pine Plantations in ColombiabackgroundThis study assesses the importance of land costs, site quality, and forest location on financial returns of forestry investments. Goals & MethodsThe factors mentioned above were analyzed using data from pine plantations in the Andean region of Colombia. Researchers determined site quality based on annual growth rates and they calculated comparative return on forest investment based on sales of wood, market prices, wood transport costs, and bare land costs. Available with subscription or purchase |
Suitability of the Taungya System at North Kilimanjaro Forest Plantation, TanzaniabackgroundThis study analyses a taungya system in a north Kilimanjaro plantation forest in Tanzania. This study assesses the costs and revenues resulting from this system and the impacts to agriculture. Research Goals & MethodsField research was conducted to assess survival, food crop yield, financial feasability. Available with subscription or purchase |
Fire Control as a Simple Means of Promoting Tropical Forest RestorationbackgroundThis study investigates whether or not fire exclusion allows grasslands to regenerate to forest in a timeframe suitable for reforestation efforts. The researchers compare tree species richness, dbh, diameter at ground height (DGH), and total woody biomass accumulation in 2 plots that have been protected from fire. They measure the size and amount of above ground biomass in plots that have been protected from fire for 12 and 32 years respectively in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Open access copy available |
