Abstract
In recent years, forest management has moved towards a landscape approach reflecting a mix of social, environmental and economic values. In this paper, we evaluate the effect on harvesting decisions of the spatial attributes of communal forests in Galicia. We first model the forest landscape management problem within a bioeconomic framework, which allows the identification of optimal clear-cutting strategies. This framework makes it possible to model a Faustmann-type rotation at the landscape level. The empirical analysis uses data from communal forests in Galicia, Spain. Under communal ownership, members of a rural community have rights to forest resources, but not rights to the forest itself. The management of communal forests integrates multiple forest uses within the decision making process. Given the communal nature of forest rights, and given these multiple uses, we show that landscape patterns-fragmentation, diversity and clumpiness-determine rotation periods. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 75-91 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Environmental and Resource Economics |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 19 Nov 2009 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2010 |
Keywords
- Bioeconomic model
- Forest management
- Faustmann-Hartman
- Harvesting decisions
- Non-timber benefits
- Multiple use
- Spatial attribute
- Multiple-stand forest
- Land use
- clearcutting