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?