Paola Gatto

Economic assessment of managing processionary moth in pine forests: A case-study in Portugal

This paper assesses the private and social profitability of current strategies for managing processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) in Portuguese pine forests, looking at economic and environmental costs and benefits. Costs include the expenses for forest treatment and the social costs of threats to human health (dermatitis amongst others); benefits are assessed in terms of both revenue and social benefits such as carbon fixation and recreation. The evaluation was done using Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) as an analytical framework. While this tool is currently applied to forest and environmental assessment and specific applications to pest management strategies are to be found in agricultural economics, rather few attempts have been made in the field of forest pest management. In order to assess and compare with--without options, a case-study was analysed for the Setúbal Peninsula, south of Lisbon, an area where extensive stands of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) grow. The exercise has shown that CBA can be a valuable tool for assessing the economic and social profitability of pest management. The results demonstrate that the loss of revenues in the no-management option is not sufficient to make pest management profitable for private forest owners in the short-term. Conversely, a social profit is gained as pest management minimizes health risks for humans and avoids possible recreational losses.

Exploring the willingness to pay for forest ecosystem services by residents of the Veneto Region

Forests produce a wide array of goods, both private and public. The demand for forest ecosystem services is increasing in many European countries, yet there is still a scarcity of data on values at regional scale for Alpine areas. A Choice Experiment survey has been conducted in order to explore preferences, uses and the willingness of the Veneto population to pay for ecosystem services produced by regional mountain forests. The results show that willingness to pay is significant for recreation and C-sequestration but not for biodiversity conservation, landscape and other ecosystem services. These findings question the feasibility of developing market-based mechanisms in Veneto at present and cast light on the possible role of public institutions in promoting policy actions to increase the general awareness of forest-related ecosystem services.

Sanitation Felling and Helicopter Harvesting of Bark Beetle–Infested Trees in Alpine Forests: An Assessment of the Economic Costs

Since 2004, an outbreak of Ips acuminatus killed thousands of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the southeast Alps. In autumn 2007, all infested trees were cut and the timber was harvested by helicopter. The aims of this article are to provide detailed information on total stump-to-truck costs and to analyze the single components of those costs. The felling of 4,519 trees, about 970 m3, needed about 2,417 working hours. The overall cost for tree felling amounted to €35,100, which included €24,600 for labor, €8,300 for coordination and management, and €1,800 for machinery, with a mean cost of about €7.8 per tree. Timber harvesting by helicopter required 73 hours, with an hourly production rate of 13.3 m3. Timber harvesting cost about €56,000, with a mean of €58/m3. The total cost for tree felling and timber harvesting amounted to about €91,000, with a mean cost of €20.1 per tree, i.e., €94/m3. The main results are discussed by comparing our data with those published in similar studies or with costs of a...

The Global Warming Potential of Building Materials: An Application of Life Cycle Analysis in Nepal

This paper analyzes the global-warming potential of materials used to construct the walls of 3 building types—traditional, semimodern, and modern—in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone in Nepal, using the life-cycle assessment approach. Traditional buildings use local materials, mainly wood and stone, while semimodern and modern buildings use different amounts of commercial materials, such as cement and glass wool. A comparison of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the 3 building types, using as the functional unit 1 m2 of wall, found that traditional buildings release about one-fourth of the greenhouse gas emissions released by semimodern buildings and less than one-fifth of the emissions of modern buildings. However, the use of thermal insulation in the modern building walls helps to reduce the energy consumption for space heating and consequently to reduce the global warming potential. In 25 years, the total global warming potential of a traditional building will be 20% higher than that of a modern building. If local materials, such as wood, are used in building construction, the emissions from production and transportation could be dramatically reduced.

New insights into the psychological dimension of wood–human interaction

The effect a wooden-built environment exerts on the physical and psychological well-being of people has mostly been investigated by evaluation, through a limited number of sensory modalities, of small size stimuli. In this research, two real-size wooden and plaster indoor settings were used to examine the influence of wood on people’s emotions and perceptions. Three questionnaires assessed participants’ multimodal sensory, affective, and cognitive responses to the settings (Semantic Differential questionnaire), their emotional state (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), and their environmental behaviour and biophilia degree (Nature Relatedness Scale). The results revealed that wood induces more positive emotions than plaster, and that individual biophilia degree appears to influence the tactile, auditory, and olfactory evaluation of the settings. It furthermore indicates how wood used in real buildings positively influences human psychological well-being and highlights the importance of considering multiple sensory modalities when investigating wood–human interaction.

Forests in Common and Their Contribution to Local Development

In this chapter, we look at the role that a forest held in common can play in supporting local development and promoting the livelihood of the local community. Four dissimilar cases in Italy, Slovenia, Sweden and UK are described and analysed by applying the Sustainable Livelihood Framework. Despite very different pre-requisites and local conditions, our results show that all cases contain rules to maintain the extent and function of natural assets, and they contributed to the mobilisation of different types of capital. In each case there is evidence of interaction with higher governance levels, which protects the group’s room for action. The provision of access to natural and physical resources for rural people in a broader sense illustrates the cases’ orientation towards public good.