Delphin, S., Escobedo, F. J., Abd-Elrahman, A., & Cropper, W. P. (2016). Urbanization as a land use change driver of forest ecosystem services. Land Use Policy, 54, 188–199.
Abstract: Land use change in the form of urbanization is a direct driver affecting the provision of ecosystem services from forests. To better understand this driver, we modeled the effects of urbanization on three regulating and provisioning ecosystem services in two disparate watersheds in Florida, USA. The study integrated available geospatial and plot-level forest inventory data to assess future changes in carbon storage, timber volume and water yield during a period of 57 years. A 2003-2060 urbanization and land use change scenario was developed using land cover data and a population distribution model. The Integrated Valuation and Ecosystem Services Tradeoffs model was then used to quantify changes in ecosystem services. Carbon storage was reduced by 16% and 26% in the urbanized 2060 scenario in both the rural Lower Suwannee and urban Pensacola Bay watersheds, respectively. Timber volume was reduced by 11% in the Lower Suwannee and 21% in the Pensacola Bay watershed. Water yield, however, increased in both watersheds by 4%. Specific sub-watersheds that were most susceptible to urbanization were identified and mapped and ecosystem service interactions, or trade-offs and synergies, are discussed. Findings reveal how urbanization drives the spatio-temporal dynamics of ecosystem services and their trade-offs. This study provides policy makers and planners an approach to better develop integrated modeling scenarios as well as designing mapping and monitoring protocols for land use change and ecosystem service assessments.
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Susaeta, A., & Gong, P. (2019). Economic viability of longleaf pine management in the Southeastern United States. Forest Policy and Economics, 100, 14–23.
Abstract: The lack of economic information for management of longleaf pine, a forest type that once dominated the landscape in the southeastern United States, can be a major barrier to landowners to planting this species. This study compares the economic performance of even-aged longleaf pine with loblolly pine. We assume that a longleaf pine stand produces timber, water yield, wildlife habitats and pinestraw raking, while a loblolly pine stand is managed exclusively for timber production. For both species, future timber prices are uncertain and harvest decisions will be made following an optimal adaptive harvest strategy. Our findings show that investing in longleaf pine plantations is not generally an economically attractive option compared to loblolly pine for landowners. On average, the land expectation value for loblolly pine is $4610 ha(-1) higher than the land expectation value of longleaf pine. Stronger markets for water yield ($0.04-$0.073 k-liter(-1)) can favor the competitiveness of longleaf over loblolly pine. In the absence of increased payments for water production, landowners require financial incentives between $235-$642 ha(-1) over 15 years, to switch from planting loblolly to longleaf pine. When water payments are included ($0.03-$0.0 k-liter(-1)), incentives between $173-320 ha(-1) are required to plant longleaf instead of loblolly pine.
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Susaeta, A., Adams, D., Gonzalez-Benecke, C., & Soto, J. (2017). Economic Feasibility of Managing Loblolly Pine Forests for Water Production under Climate Change in the Southeastern United States. Forests, 8(3), 83.
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