texas forest ecosystem services valuation
DESCRIPTION
Texas Forest Ecosystem Services Valuation. Forest Ecosystem Services. Provisioning Services. Timber, wood fiber, fuel wood Gas regulation and climate control Carbon sequestration Watershed services (water supply and quality ) Clean air Soil stabilization and erosion control - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Texas Forest Ecosystem Services Valuation
Timber, wood fiber, fuel wood Gas regulation and climate control Carbon sequestration Watershed services (water supply and quality) Clean air Soil stabilization and erosion control Recreational opportunities Aesthetic, cultural, and existence uses Wildlife habitat and biodiversity Soil formation
Forest Ecosystem ServicesProvisioning Services
Regulating Services
Cultural Services
Supporting Services
Forest Ecosystem Services (Why value?) Most are traditionally viewed as free benefit to society,
or “public good” Overlooked or undervalued in decision-making
Decision Making
Timber values
Land values
Carbon
Water
Air
Wildlife
Soil
Cultural Values
Quantify and assess the values of the various non-market ecosystem services provided by the Texas forests
Compare the values of forest ecosystem services under various forest management scenarios
Objectives
All forest in Texas — 63 million acres of rural forestland (defined by FIA, public and private), and more than 1.2 million acres of urban forest
Scope
Types of non-market ecosystem services valued:o Carbon storage and sequestration o Water supply and filtrationo Biodiversity and wildlife habitat o Cultural values
One time snap-shot
Scope
Valuation Framework
Forest Ecosystem
Provisioning Services
Regulating
Services
Supporting
Services
Cultural Services
Direct Use
Values
Indirect Use
Values
Option Values
Non-useValues
Total Values
Step 1. Specification the scope of the system to be valued
Step 1. Specification the scope of the system to be valued
Step 2. Assessment of ecosystem services in bio-physical terms
Step 3. Valuation using monetary terms
Step 4. Aggregation of the values from various services
Landscape classification (forest type, riparian status, watershed, biodiversity index…)
Multiple GIS layers
Methodology―Quantifying Ecosystem Services
Forest Resource Analysis (FIA)
Hydrography, Watershed
Biodiversity
Urban forest Canopy
Benefit transfer (adapting valuation estimates from previous studies to a similar area)
Original survey & econometric modeling (cultural value, asking Texans carefully designed questions to determine their willingness to pay for cultural value of the Texas forests)
Methodology ―Valuing Ecosystem Services
Valuation question (Stated Choice Method):
Suppose there was a ballot proposal that would result in changes
in the area of forest coverage in Texas and additional costs to you
in terms of higher wood products prices. Option A and B are
possible alternatives, and Status-quo is the current situation.
Given a choice between the three, how would you vote?
Texas Forest Cultural Value Survey
Most States
Virginia (2005)
Georgia (2011) Texas
Forest Products Values Yes Yes Yes Yes
Hunting/Tourism No Yes No Yes
Non-market Ecosystem Services Values
Private Forest No No Yes Yes
Public Forest No No No Yes
Comparison With Other Forest Impact Studies
Note: Black-studies already done Red-Impacts will be estimated in the current study
Values of the various ecosystem services provided by the Texas forests and their aggregated value
Spatial distribution of the forest ecosystem services in Texas (GIS map)
Identify forest management scenarios that result in higher values of ecosystem services
Expected Results
Raise awareness of the general public and policy makers about the importance of the Texas forests and encourage conservation of forests
Encourage decision makers to make better land use policy decisions by considering the total values of forests
Complement current economic impact report of the Texas forest sector for a more comprehensive assessment
Results Could Be Used to:
Identify “hot-spots” with high values of ecosystem services and encourage conservation
Encourage forest management practices that increase total values of the forests
Provide a more comprehensive assessment of the impacts of natural disasters
Results Could Be Used to:
Fire damage assessmentSince Nov. 15, 2010, more than 4.0 million acres of forestland have been burned in Texas.
― East TexasWithin 4 days of fire containment, we were able to estimate the values of timber damaged and the total impacts in terms of the loss of potential forest products. Ecosystem services were addressed descriptively.― West Texas
Results Could Be Used to:
Designed and conducted the survey on Texan’s opinion on forest ecosystem services− Mail survey (3,000)− Email survey (75,000)− 376 returned so far by mail
Estimated carbon stock and sequestration by the Texas forests, assessed the values
Estimated water originated from the Texas forests and their values
Estimated values of water filtration by the forests
Project Progress
Working on estimating values of wildlife habitat and biodiversityTexas Ecological Assessment Protocol (TEAP) by TPWD and EPA
Working on estimating value of urban forestsNowak (2010), USFS Northern Research Station, i-Tree model
Project Progress
Texas Forest Service: Burl Carraway (Department Head) Yanshu Li (Forest Economist) Chris Edgar (Resource Specialist) Brad Barber (GIS Manager)
Texas A&M AgriLife: Eric Taylor (Associate Professor, Forestry)
Team Member