The present study employs a normalized restricted quadratic profit function approach to estimate lumber and plywood supply and Marshallian factor demand elasticities for four region-product combinations in Oregon for the period 1970-2010. The four log demand functions will be employed as the "demand side" of the log market model of...
The objectives of this paper are to: (1) describe the structure and output of SHRUB and RMS8O, (2) evaluate their respective ability to satisfy the needs of a state level timber assessment, and (3) demonstrate their application to forest planning using the state of California as the focus of a...
Two econometric models were developed to forecast consumption,
production, and price of hardwood lumber, and removals and price
of hardwood sawlog stumpage. Four eastern U.S. regions were represented
in the models. Hardwood lumber consumption by manufacturing,
shipping, residential construction, and nonresidential construction
industries was recognized. Hardwood sawlog stumpage removals from...
To facilitate policy making and improve understanding of issues facing the New Zealand forest sector, a spatial equilibrium model was developed for log and lumber trade in the Pacific Rim. Regions included in the model were New Zealand, Chile, Australia, Japan, Eastern Canada, British Columbia: Coast and Interior, and the...
The objective of this study was to develop a system based on
economic criteria for projecting changes in land use areas. The total
land base was partitioned among three classes of private forest owners
and crop, pasture/range, and urban/other uses in the southeastern
United States. The fraction of the land...
Management restrictions are simulated on streamside acres owned by private interests in western Oregon to assess forest inventory and log market implications. A dynamic, nonlinear optimization model of western Oregon's softwood log market simulates the resource and economic impacts of set-aside and minimum harvest age restrictions on forest acreage within...
Forest Service projections of the long-term supply and demand
for forest products indicate that increasing importance will be
placed on the supply behavior of nonindustrial private forest owners
in the South. The inventory model on which these projections are
based may produce biased estimates of southern timber production,
however, as...
This dissertation used land rent theory and an economic model of land-use conversion to examine the main drivers of the deforestation occurred in Antioquia,Colombia, between 1980 and 2000. Land-cover information at a semi-fine scale (1:25,000)
obtained largely from aerial photography was employed to calculate deforestation. In addition, free international databases...
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DariusM. Adams
This dissertation used land rent theory and an economic model of land-use
Subregional log market differences are defined and analyzed. Seven demand and seven supply centers are initially specified. Log demand factors inspected are mill capacity, processed wood species, cost and profitability conditions distinguished by product and subregion.
They are preliminarily linked to a regional market model through product price transmission. An...
This study utilizes the Timber Assessment Market Model (TAMM) to examine the differences in Canadian softwood lumber market forecasts arising from econometric versus activity analysis supply curves. A restricted profit function approach is applied to three lumber producing regions using the most recent data available on costs, prices, and output...
The Philippines relies heavily on timber product exports for its foreign exchange requirements. In recent years, however, it adopted log export restrictions as a hedge against the rapid depletion of its timber resources. Although conducted independently, its ASEAN partners (Malaysia and Indonesia), have likewise instituted similar restrictions on their own...
Past afforestation programs launched to promote private and community woodlots in rural Ethiopia have not been based on clear understanding of the incentives and constraints of smallholder farmers. This study investigated the characteristic differences between tree-growing and non-tree-growing farm households and identified factors influencing farmers’ tree-growing decisions from a farming...
This thesis is comprised of two manuscripts that relate to forest-based management strategies in the context of market-based climate change mitigation policies. The work questions the appropriateness of a singular focus on carbon sequestration given the albedo effect and its possible countervailing climatic impacts. Through a review of salient literature...
Although one of the most common problems facing the forest manager is the determination of management regime, there has been little effort to explicitly recognize the effect of harvesting technology and topography in the analysis. This study introduces a unified theory in harvesting in mountainous terrain which brings together silvicultural...
This study considers trade-offs between timber harvest and carbon
sequestration on National Forest and other public lands by contemporaneously linking
a model of public harvest and inventory to a carbon accounting system. The public
harvest model treats three harvest scenarios. The first minimizes the cost of meeting
harvest requests that...
This study considered regional forest policies for sequestering carbon in existing
forests in western Oregon. A model of log markets in western Oregon was employed to
examine the impacts of forest policy changes on future carbon stock, harvests, and
management activities. A carbon tax program, as a mitigation option for...
The objective of this project was to investigate technical efficiency and productivity growth in the Pacific Northwest sawmilling industry over the period 1968-2002. Productivity growth was decomposed into three components: technical change, efficiency change, and scale efficiency change. In addition, using econometric methods, changes in output elasticities and input substitution...
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DariusM. Adams
The objective of this project was to investigate technical efficiency and
The growing demand for water in the arid regions of the West
increases the need for optimal allocation of water among competing
uses. An efficient allocation of water between instream and out-of-stream
uses has been impeded by institutional constraints and the
scarcity of information regarding instream flow benefits. The
objectives...
The overall objective of the research reported here is to
empirically measure the ability of farmers to mitigate the impact of
rising electricity prices by substituting relatively inexpensive
alternative inputs. A dual cost methodology is employed because it
allows theoretically consistent derivation of own price and factor
substitution elasticities, conditional...
The overall objective of the study is to measure changes in agricultural production and water use patterns under various water supply and allocation mechanisms. The methodology nests an economic model of on-farm decisions in a basin-wide hydrologic model. The economic model forecasts the use of applied water, technology and crop...
Agricultural water supplies are becoming increasingly uncertain in the western United States due to rising demand from competing water users, environmental restrictions on surface water withdrawals due to water quality and endangered species concerns, and, potentially, climate-induced hydrological changes. Since many rural areas in the West depend economically upon irrigated...
In- stream water temperature is one of the most important environmental
factors associated with the decline in salmonid populations and their habitats in the
Pacific Northwest. Most ecological restoration practices that attempt to reduce instream
temperatures center on replanting or reestablishing riparian vegetation and
increasing flows. However, in a large...
Changes in the structure of the U.S. agricultural
industry since World War II have transformed it into a
highly productive component of the domestic economy. But
these changes have not occurred without indirect costs. For
example, the reliance on agricultural chemicals has produced
environmental effects causing growing concern. In addition,...
This thesis focuses on the economic efficiency of alternative habitat, streamfiow, and land use
allocations within a major drainage of the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, productivity of present habitat
and streamfiow conditions is evaluated with respect to anadromous fish species (chinook salmon and
steelhead trout) in the John Day River Basin,...
Wetlands play an important role in our social and economic well being. Many
services wetlands provide, such as wildlife habitat, recreation, and aesthetics, are
collective goods. Because these services are not represented in a market, an over supply
of wetlands converted to other uses and an under supply of protected...
Competition for water both from within the irrigation community and from
outside interests has been a major source of conflict in the West. In the Umatilla Basin of
central Oregon, Umatilla River water is diverted to irrigate a variety of crops, while
instream flows have value in salmonid production. Historically,...
The management options chosen by decision makers in
managing wildlife and fisheries have different effects for
diverse user groups. As a result, natural resource management
agencies often seek information to evaluate the effects of
alternative policies on the benefits provided to different
constituencies. Over the past decade, economists have
developed...
The spatial and dynamic pattern of landscape changes has a profound effect on the supply of environmental services, including the provision of habitat for fish and wildlife. Spatial heterogeneity is a common feature of landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, most notably in areas important to the production of salmonid fish...
Despite several decades of research developments, the survey-based contingent
valuation (CV) method remains one of the most controversial topics in environmental
economics. As the procedure matures and more applied studies are completed, there
is increasing pressure to make the results policy relevant. This research is composed
of three distinct yet...
Public agencies need information on the value of
recreational activities to assist in managing fish and
wildlife species. Over the past two decades economists have
developed and applied techniques to measure the value of such
non-marketed commodities.
The contingent valuation method (CVM) is one technique
used by economists to measure...
Non-point agricultural contaminants, such as nitrogen, may lower groundwater quality and thereby impose health and environmental risks. The objective of this study is to evaluate tax policies to control agricultural pollutants in a spatially heterogeneous and dynamic setting. The focus of the study is non-point source nitrate contamination of groundwater...
Technological advances in agricultural production over the past 40
years have contributed to the high standard of living enjoyed by many in
the United States. Extensive use of chemicals to enhance yield and
improve crop quality has played a major role in creating this highly
productive U.S. agricultural system. Increased...
Waterfowl and the places they inhabit provide numerous economic benefits to society. The financial and other resources provided by waterfowl hunters to secure and protect waterfowl habitat are a major force for wetland protection, as guided under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. However, the habitat and population objectives established...
The impact of recent severe droughts throughout the United States, the potential for climate change to intensify the frequency and severity of drought, and discussion about the future of government assistance in agriculture highlight the need for a transition from drought as ‘disaster’ to drought as ‘managed risk’. However, guidance...
Wildlife managers are on the front lines of the effort to conserve wildlife and
are required to do so cost-effectively. This dissertation consists of three manuscripts
that integrate economics and ecology to inform cost-effective wildlife management.
The first and second manuscripts focus on identifying cost-effective wildlife
management plans. The third...
To protect and restore environmental quality, efficient and effective conservation policies are needed. Designing policies require a sound understanding of the contributions of natural endowments to economic vitality, and the performance and impacts of conservation programs. This dissertation consists of three essays, and addresses several issues relevant to these two...