Kent Kovacs
University of Minnesota
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Publication
Featured researches published by Kent Kovacs.
PLOS ONE | 2011
Juliann E. Aukema; Brian Leung; Kent Kovacs; Corey Chivers; Kerry O. Britton; Jeffrey Englin; Susan J. Frankel; Robert G. Haight; Thomas P. Holmes; Andrew M. Liebhold; Deborah G. McCullough; Betsy Von Holle
Reliable estimates of the impacts and costs of biological invasions are critical to developing credible management, trade and regulatory policies. Worldwide, forests and urban trees provide important ecosystem services as well as economic and social benefits, but are threatened by non-native insects. More than 450 non-native forest insects are established in the United States but estimates of broad-scale economic impacts associated with these species are largely unavailable. We developed a novel modeling approach that maximizes the use of available data, accounts for multiple sources of uncertainty, and provides cost estimates for three major feeding guilds of non-native forest insects. For each guild, we calculated the economic damages for five cost categories and we estimated the probability of future introductions of damaging pests. We found that costs are largely borne by homeowners and municipal governments. Wood- and phloem-boring insects are anticipated to cause the largest economic impacts by annually inducing nearly
Journal of Environmental Management | 2011
Kent Kovacs; Rodrigo J. Mercader; Robert G. Haight; Nathan W. Siegert; Deborah G. McCullough; Andrew M. Liebhold
1.7 billion in local government expenditures and approximately
Journal of Environmental Management | 2011
Kent Kovacs; Tomáš Václavík; Robert G. Haight; Arwin Pang; Nik J. Cunniffe; Christopher A. Gilligan; Ross K. Meentemeyer
830 million in lost residential property values. Given observations of new species, there is a 32% chance that another highly destructive borer species will invade the U.S. in the next 10 years. Our damage estimates provide a crucial but previously missing component of cost-benefit analyses to evaluate policies and management options intended to reduce species introductions. The modeling approach we developed is highly flexible and could be similarly employed to estimate damages in other countries or natural resource sectors.
Ecological Economics | 2010
Kent Kovacs; Robert G. Haight; Deborah G. McCullough; Rodrigo J. Mercader; Nathan W. Siegert; Andrew M. Liebhold
The invasion spread of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is characterized by the formation of satellite populations that expand and coalesce with the continuously invading population front. As of January 2010, satellite infestations have been detected in 13 states and two Canadian provinces. Understanding how newly established satellite populations may affect economic costs can help program managers to justify and design prevention and control strategies. We estimate the economic costs caused by EAB for the 10-yr period from 2010 to 2020 for scenarios of fewer EAB satellite populations than those found from 2005 to 2010 and slower expansion of satellite populations found in 2009. We measure the projected discounted cost of treatment, removal, and replacement of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) growing in managed landscapes in U.S. communities. Estimated costs for the base scenario with the full complement of satellites in 2005-2010 and no program to mitigate spread is
In: Michler, Charles H.; Ginzel, Matthew D., eds. 2010. Proceedings of symposium on ash in North America; 2010 March 9-11; West Lafayette, IN. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-72. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 12. | 2010
Kent Kovacs; Robert G. Haight; Andrew M. Liebhold; Deborah G. McCullough; Rodrigo J. Mercader; Nathan W. Siegert
12.5 billion. Fewer EAB satellites from 2005 to 2010 delay economic costs of
Oxford Review of Economic Policy | 2012
Stephen Polasky; Kris Johnson; Bonnie L. Keeler; Kent Kovacs; Erik Nelson; Derric Pennington; Andrew J. Plantinga; John C. Withey
1.0 to 7.4 billion. Slower expansion of 2009 satellite populations delays economic costs of
Resource and Energy Economics | 2014
Kent Kovacs; Robert G. Haight; Rodrigo J. Mercader; Deborah G. McCullough
0.1 to 0.7 billion. Satellite populations that are both distant from the core EAB infestation and close to large urban areas caused more economic costs in our simulations than did other satellites. Our estimates of delayed economic costs suggest that spending on activities that prevent establishment of new satellite EAB populations or slow expansion of existing populations can be cost-effective and that continued research on the cost and effectiveness of prevention and control activities is warranted.
Environmental and Resource Economics | 2011
Kent Kovacs; Thomas P. Holmes; Jeffrey Englin; Janice Alexander
Phytophthora ramorum, cause of sudden oak death, is a quarantined, non-native, invasive forest pathogen resulting in substantial mortality in coastal live oak (Quercus agrifolia) and several other related tree species on the Pacific Coast of the United States. We estimate the discounted cost of oak treatment, removal, and replacement on developed land in California communities using simulations of P. ramorum spread and infection risk over the next decade (2010-2020). An estimated 734 thousand oak trees occur on developed land in communities in the analysis area. The simulations predict an expanding sudden oak death (SOD) infestation that will likely encompass most of northwestern California and warrant treatment, removal, and replacement of more than 10 thousand oak trees with discounted cost of
Ecological Economics | 2010
Thomas P. Holmes; Andrew M. Liebhold; Kent Kovacs; Betsy Von Holle
7.5 million. In addition, we estimate the discounted property losses to single family homes of
In: Handbook of Forest Resource Economics, Earthscan (Routledge): New York. P. 369-386 | 2014
Thomas P. Holmes; Juliann E. Aukema; Jeffrey Englin; Robert G. Haight; Kent Kovacs; Brian Leung
135 million. Expanding the land base to include developed land outside as well as inside communities doubles the estimates of the number of oak trees killed and the associated costs and losses. The predicted costs and property value losses are substantial, but many of the damages in urban areas (e.g. potential losses from increased fire and safety risks of the dead trees and the loss of ecosystem service values) are not included.