Forest bioenergy as a land and wildfire management tool: Economic valuation under different informational contexts

Abstract

Forest biomass use for energy production is not only an increasingly popular renewable source of energy, but has also been proposed as a tool for forest management, which can help reduce the incidence of forest fires. Similarly, an adequate management of biomass is a cornerstone of a more circular economy. Acknowledging this triple advantage of using forest biomass for energy production, the present paper studies the public acceptability of promoting the production, management and use of this resource, using a non-market valuation methodology and controlled information exposure. We test the sensitivity of the stated willingness-to-pay by randomly exposing respondents to information about the potential advantages and disadvantages of forest biomass energy. A questionnaire was developed and implemented in Portugal in September 2019. We find that respondents value the increase in the use of forest biomass for energy production and that, when exposed to the information scenarios relating to national benefits as well as fire prevention benefits, increase their valuation. Information on local benefits does not significantly increase stated willingness to pay, but on local costs decreases the amounts stated. Overall, there is public support for forest bioenergy and scope to improve it through policies exploring these dimensions of public support.