Cost-efficiency analysis of multiple ecosystem services across forest management regimes

Area of Science:

• Forestry Science
• Ecology
• Environmental Economics

Background:

• Boreal forests in Fennoscandia face trade-offs between economic timber production and environmental goals like biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation.
• Intensive historical forest management for timber has led to environmental shifts and conflicts with conservation policies.
• Current management practices, especially with increased harvests, threaten biodiversity and carbon stocks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare the cost-efficiency of rotation forestry (RF) and continuous cover forestry (CCF) in boreal forests.
• To evaluate the impact of these regimes on economic output, biodiversity conservation, and carbon stocks.
• To explore how forest attributes (soil type, site type, stand age) influence management regime performance.

Main Methods:

• Simulated 45,559 forest stands over 100 years in Northern boreal forests of Finland.
• Developed two cost-efficiency indices (CEI) to assess economic output, biodiversity (six vertebrate species), and carbon stock.
• Analyzed the influence of soil type, site type, and stand age on management regime outcomes.

Main Results:

• Continuous cover forestry (CCF) generally demonstrated higher cost-efficiency for ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation than rotation forestry (RF).
• The performance of both RF and CCF was contingent on initial stand characteristics, influenced by prior management.
• CCF is not universally optimal, necessitating alternative strategies for specific stand conditions.

Conclusions:

• Continuous cover forestry shows promise for sustainable boreal forest management, balancing economic, biodiversity, and carbon goals.
• Diverse forest management strategies are crucial for creating multifunctional landscapes that accommodate varied stand characteristics.
• The proposed cost-efficiency indices can serve as practical tools for informed forest management decision-making.