Post on 23-Mar-2016
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The Public Value of Healthy Forests
Rebecca MooreWarnell Sch. of Forestry & Natural Resources
University of Georgia, Athens, GA
AERC Congressional BriefingOctober 19, 2011
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Forest Ecosystem Services
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PrivateBenefits
ExternalBenefits
Forest Ecosystem Services
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Value of ecosystem
services provided
Ecological processes
Number of affected people
Tastes and preferences of
affected population
What Determines Ecosystem Service Value?
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Example: Georgia’s Private Forests
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We identified seven forest characteristics that describe this variation:Forest type Riparian statusRare species abundance Public land bufferScenic visibility Development statusGeographic region
Per acre value of
ecosystem service
Ecological processes
Number of affected people
Tastes and preferences of
affected population
What Determines Ecosystem Service Value?
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Ecosystem Service $/ac/yr (2009 US$)
Forest characteristics
Gas and climate regulation:
$381$28
• Urban forests• Other
Water regulation and supply:
$8,196 $4,635 $1,728
$7 $0
• Urban and suburban forested wetland• Rural forested wetland• Riparian, non-wetland• Urban non-riparian, non-wetland• Other
Soil formation: $0 All
Pollination: $184$0
• Non-wetland forests• Wetland forests
Habitat/refugia: $251
$223
$28
$0
• Evergreen forests in middle and south Georgia with middle or high rare species abundance
• Other forests with middle and high rare species abundance
• Evergreen forests in middle and south Georgia with low rare species abundance
• Other
Average Per-acre Values, part 1
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Region Charac. $/acre/year
North Georgia
Riparian 4,642Road-buffer 1,882High Wildlife 1,695Other 642
Middle Georgia
Riparian 481Road-buffer 577High Wildlife 617Other 314
South Georgia
Riparian 342Road-buffer 52High Wildlife 371Other 54
Average Per-acre Values, part 2:Aesthetic and non-use value per acre
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Total value of “public” ecosystem services
Ecosystem ServiceTotal Value ($/year)
Gas and Climate Regulation 744,446,192 Water Regulation and Supply 20,306,463,460 Soil Formation N/A Pollination 3,406,289,512 Habitat/refugia 2,042,507,627 Aesthetic and non-use 11,184,013,738 Total 37,683,720,529
Average value per acre: $264 - $13,442 depending on characteristics
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Red Hills Region of Georgia and Florida
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Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS
Photo credit: Earl Cunningham/USFWS
Photo credit: Arrowwood NWR/USFWS
Photo credit: Gary Stolz/USFWS
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Bottom Line…
These “other” ecosystem services are very valuable but potentially left out of land use decisions.
Questions?