Oak woodland economics: a contingent valuation of conversion alternatives

Richard P. Thompson; Jay E. Noel; Sarah P. Cross

Treesearch

Oak woodland economics: a contingent valuation of conversion alternatives

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Richard P. Thompson, Jay E. Noel, Sarah P. Cross

Year:

2002

Type:

General Technical Report

Station:

Pacific Southwest Research Station

Source:

In: Standiford, Richard B., et al, tech. editor. Proceedings of the Fifth Symposium on Oak Woodlands: Oaks in California's Challenging Landscape. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-184, Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: 501-510

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Abstract

Decisions on how much land should be devoted to oak woodland preservation is ultimately determined by society's valuation of its benefits and relative scarcity. Scarcity value can be measured by people's willingness-to-pay (WTP) to prevent oak woodland conversion to higher value land uses. In this study, we used the contingent valuation (CV) method to estimate WTP for oak woodland preservation in San Luis Obispo County (over 700,000 acres). Estimates ranged between $75 and $83 per voter, providing only about $12 million for land or easement purchases.

Parent Publication

Proceedings of the fifth symposium on oak woodlands: oaks in California’s changing landscape. 2001 October 22-25; San Diego, CA.

Citation

Thompson, Richard P.; Noel, Jay E.; Cross, Sarah P. 2002. Oak woodland economics: a contingent valuation of conversion alternatives. In: Standiford, Richard B., et al, tech. editor. Proceedings of the Fifth Symposium on Oak Woodlands: Oaks in California''s Challenging Landscape. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-184, Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: 501-510