Abstract

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is crucial for maintaining biodiversity in forests but conservation measures to increase CWD must be performed cost efficiently. We estimate least-cost combinations of CWD-increasing measures in a spruce-dominated Swedish forest estate. Specifically, we investigate how using combinations of the measures tree retention, creating high stumps, manual scarification, prolonged rotations, and retention of dying trees impacts the amount of CWD and net present value at the estate level. We found that by combining CWD-increasing measures in an optimal way the amount of CWD on the estate could be increased 322% with a decrease in present value of only 10%. The optimal combination of conservation measures depends on the desired increase in CWD. The analysis thus shows that huge improvements in cost-efficiency of biodiversity-oriented forestry are possible. (C) 2013 Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Dead wood; Forestry; Forest estate; FSC; Picea abies

Published in

Journal of Forest Economics
2013, Volume: 19, number: 3, pages: 267-285
Publisher: ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG

SLU Authors

• Ekvall, Hans

  • Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Jonsson, Mattias

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Bostedt, Göran

  • Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss


UKÄ Subject classification

Economics


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfe.2013.05.002

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/51405