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Forests
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Ecosystem Services and the Forest Economy
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Ecosystem Services and the Forest Economy

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Economics, Policy, and Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 November 2023) | Viewed by 7080

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Melissa Kreye

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16802, USA
Interests: forest policy; ecosystem services; forest economics; cultural values of forest landowners
Dr. Damian C. Adams

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Natural Resource Economics & Policy, School of Forest Resources & Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: forest policy; ecosystem services; forest economics; natural resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are routinely valued for the limited number of market commodities they provide—mostly timber. A growing recognition of the vital role that forests play in sustaining life and well-being, as well as the economy, is driving many changes to policy, ownership, and management of forests. The focus of this Special Issue of Forests is the forest economy and its connection to ecosystem services. We welcome submissions that broadly engage with the question of forests and the value of ecosystem services. Examples include understanding the effectiveness of policy and programmatic initiatives, the role of market forces, and the assessment of economic–ecological tradeoffs in a working forest context.

Dr. Melissa Kreye
Dr. Damian C. Adams
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecosystem services
  • economic value
  • policy
  • management

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1094 KiB  
Article
Quantification of Expected Return of Investment in Wood Processing Sectors in Slovakia
by Martina Kánová, Josef Drábek, Petar Ćurić and Andreja Pirc Barčić
Forests 2024, 15(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010075 - 29 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1183
Abstract
The study focuses on the selected aspects of investment measurement and management for the support of financial and economic decision-making of investors in wood-processing sectors. The aim of the study was to analyze the indicators for the structure and cost of capital of [...] Read more.
The study focuses on the selected aspects of investment measurement and management for the support of financial and economic decision-making of investors in wood-processing sectors. The aim of the study was to analyze the indicators for the structure and cost of capital of furniture and paper/forest branches in Slovakia, quantify the actual expected return on investment based on the selected methodology, and consequently find out the fundamental differences resulting from the specific conditions of given sectors. Methodologically, the study uses procedures for the weighted average cost of capital (WACC), capital asset pricing model (CAPM) for determining the cost of equity, and calculation of the beta coefficient considering the risk premium. The results of the study demonstrated a similar levered beta in both analyzed sectors (1.17 in furniture, 1.20 in paper/forest), but in each sector for a different reason. The expected rate of return is higher in furniture (7.84%) compared to paper/forest products at the level of 6.04%. The findings provide the possibility of comparing the required and expected rate of return on invested capital and making the appropriate long-term investment decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and the Forest Economy)
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28 pages, 27122 KiB  
Article
Export Growth and Quality Determination of Wood Forest Products: Evidence from China
by Lu Wan, Nannan Ban, Yizhong Fu and Luyao Yuan
Forests 2023, 14(12), 2451; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14122451 - 15 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2316
Abstract
The rapid-developed scale of China’s trade in wood forest products has undergone a considerable uptick. Concomitant with the evolution of high-quality development paradigms, product quality within trade frameworks has gained escalating scrutiny. Based on the statistical analysis of the export characteristics of China’s [...] Read more.
The rapid-developed scale of China’s trade in wood forest products has undergone a considerable uptick. Concomitant with the evolution of high-quality development paradigms, product quality within trade frameworks has gained escalating scrutiny. Based on the statistical analysis of the export characteristics of China’s wood forest products, this study leverages BACI data spanning from 1998 to 2017. Utilizing regression-based inverse methods, the study quantifies the quality attributes of these export products, dissects fluctuations in quality, and places particular emphasis on the markets within “Belt and Road Initiative” economies to elucidate dynamic trends and spatial distribution characteristics of export quality in this geoeconomic domain. Based on this, the fixed effect model, random effect model, and system GMM are used to empirically examine the influencing factors of China’s wood forest product export quality. This study found that wood-based panel products have the highest quality, followed by paper products and wood furniture among the three major categories of wood forest products. Besides, the overall quality levels of the three products exported to countries participating in the Belt and Road initiative haven’t significantly changed, while notable changes are evident across divergent export destination markets. In addition, an empirical study on the influencing factors of the export product quality of wood forest products is conducted, which indicates that total factor productivity, R&D investment, capital intensity, labor costs, and foreign direct investment are influencing factors. Finally, based on the research conclusions, suggestions are provided on how to improve the export quality of wood forest products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and the Forest Economy)
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24 pages, 4996 KiB  
Article
Identifying the Relationships between Landscape Pattern and Ecosystem Service Value from a Spatiotemporal Variation Perspective in a Mountain–Hill–Plain Region
by Qing Han, Ling Li, Hejie Wei and Xiaoli Wu
Forests 2023, 14(12), 2446; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14122446 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1393
Abstract
Identifying the changes in landscape pattern and ecosystem service value (ESV) and clarifying their relationship in temporal changes and spatial variations can provide insight into regional landscape features and scientific support for regional landscape planning. Leveraging land use data from the Yihe River [...] Read more.
Identifying the changes in landscape pattern and ecosystem service value (ESV) and clarifying their relationship in temporal changes and spatial variations can provide insight into regional landscape features and scientific support for regional landscape planning. Leveraging land use data from the Yihe River Basin, we quantitatively assessed the landscape pattern and ESV shifts spanning from 2000 to 2018 using the landscape pattern indexes and the equivalence factor method. We employed Pearson correlation metrics and the geographically weighted regression model to explore the interrelation of their spatiotemporal variations. Our results show the following: (1) Forestland represents the most expansive land cover category. Apart from construction land, all other types experienced a decline in area. The most notable change occurred in the area of construction land. (2) The aggregation of the overall landscape shows a downward trend. The levels of fragmentation, landscape diversity, and richness increased. (3) Throughout the entire study period, the overall ESV gradually decreased, and the land cover type with the greatest contribution to the ESV was forestland. (4) In terms of temporal changes, the patch density and edge density of the overall area are significantly negatively correlated with total ESVs. The largest values for the patch index, perimeter–area fractal dimension (PAFRAC), and aggregation are significantly positively correlated with total ESVs. (5) In terms of spatial variation, the contagion index (CONTAG), PAFRAC, and the Shannon diversity index (SHDI) were noticeably correlated with ESVs. The CONTAG is positively correlated with ESVs upstream, but negatively midstream and downstream. The SHDI is negatively correlated with ESVs upstream, but positively midstream and downstream. The PAFRAC exhibits a positive correlation with ESVs for the most part. The association between the landscape pattern indexes and ESVs exhibits temporal and spatial inconsistencies in most instances, suggesting a spatiotemporal scale effect in their relationship. This study recommends that the local government devises a long-term strategy for urban development and exercises stringent control over the unregulated expansion of construction land. Through reasonable territorial spatial planning, government departments could enhance the connectivity of the overall landscape pattern of the Yihe River Basin to achieve the reasonable allocation and sustainable development of regional resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and the Forest Economy)
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16 pages, 1423 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Degree of the Value Realization of Ecological Products of the Forest Ecological Bank in Shunchang County
by Ding Xu, Yajun Wang, Lianbei Wu and Weimin Zhang
Forests 2023, 14(11), 2269; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14112269 - 19 Nov 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1541
Abstract
The forest ecological bank (FEB) plays a vital role in the transformation of ecological assets into ecological capital. The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of Shunchang County’s FEB in promoting the realization of the value of forest ecological products [...] Read more.
The forest ecological bank (FEB) plays a vital role in the transformation of ecological assets into ecological capital. The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of Shunchang County’s FEB in promoting the realization of the value of forest ecological products and the degree of the value realization of FEB ecological products so as to provide data support and policy reference for sustainable forest management and an ecological product value realization model. The ratio of the sum of the material supply value and the forest premium benefit of the forest ecosystem of the state-owned forest land to the total production value of the forest ecosystem of the state-owned forest land in Shunchang County is taken as a quantitative index of the realization degree of the ecological product value of the FEB in Shunchang County. (1) The difference in the production value of the forest ecosystem per unit area between state-owned forest land and non-state-owned forest land is USD 340.17, and the production value of the ecosystem brought about by the scientific cultivation of the FEB has increased by USD 25.92 million. (2) The base price of state-owned forest land in Shunchang County is USD 378.30, the base price of non-state-owned forest land is USD 247.23, and the value-added premium value of forest land is USD 30.19 million. (3) The realization degree of the ecological product value of the FEB in Shunchang County is 85.51%. These results show that the FEB can accelerate the progress of forest ecological products and play an important role in the construction of the ecological civilization proposed by China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and the Forest Economy)
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