How Much Is the Abandonment of Forest Management in Private Forests Worth? A Case of Poland

Piotr Tadeusz Gołos,Joanna Ukalska,Emilia Wysocka-Fijorek,Wojciech Gil

doi:10.3390/f12091138

Piotr Tadeusz Gołos, Joanna Ukalska + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091138

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Abstract

The provision of forest ecosystem services (such as biodiversity, water and soil protection, and recreation) is often associated with a reduction in timber harvesting. In the case of private forests, such a situation requires institutional solutions that allow the economic balance of forest management to be maintained. The aim of the study was to find out the average value of monetary compensation private forest owners would expect in case of timber harvesting restrictions. The study was conducted with a random sample of 1003 forest landowners. The average value of expected compensation ranged from PLN 2300/year/ha (which corresponds to the price of about 12 m3 of wood in Poland) under the condition of no restrictions on timber harvesting but the need to apply indicated of forest management methods, to PLN 4900/year/ha in the model assuming a total ban on harvesting. In general, higher compensation was expected by farmers who stated that they sold timber and those whose agricultural area was larger than the average in Poland. When harvesting restrictions are low, the expected compensation is influenced by the age and gender of the respondent, or the number of people in the household.

Highlights

The main objective of the research was to find out the average value of expected monetary compensation (willingness to accept (WTA)) by a forest owner that could balance the value of losses in forest management caused by timber harvesting restrictions
Sarvašová et al [43,44] noted that the countries with the highest proportion of forest areas in the Natura 2000 protected areas receive the lowest compensation and that policy implementation is obviously not geared to the needs of private forests
The presented results allow us to quantify for the first time the amount of hypothetical monetary compensation accepted by forest owners in Poland for lost benefits in forest management in relation to restrictions on timber harvesting

Summary

Introduction

With the ongoing evolution of multifunctional and sustainable forest management, it is seen as one way to mitigate environmental disturbances, the dynamics of which have been visibly increasing since the beginning of the 21st century [1,2]. Achieving a balance between the expected social and natural value of the forest and the objectives of forest management requires the implementation of well-chosen and diverse forest policy tools, i.e., methods for formulating collective action to ensure the public good [14]. In Europe, owners of private forests, which in all 28 countries of the EU occupy about 60% of the forest area [15], must be involved in the efficient implementation of policies to reach the established goals concerning various aspects of ecosystem services [16,17]. Forest policy solutions, directed at owners, should take into account the fragmentation of the forests, the ownership structure, objectives, and value system of forest owners, and the political, cultural and historical context [18,19]

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