Washington State receives timber contributions from 34 out of its 39 counties, making it a top producer of timber in the United States. Because of the widespread and abundant number of harvests, many forests that society values are affected via diminished aesthetic appeal. Of these affected areas are Washington State Parks and the areas around them. This study seeks to estimate the economic impact that forest harvest practices have on the visitation of Washington State Parks. Through the use of GIS and fixed effect regression analysis, I estimate the impact that over 100,000 permitted forest cuts have on the visitation of 142 Washington State Parks and find statistically significant negative impacts of both even and uneven timber cutting methods. This study will benefit forest and park managers by evaluating forest harvest techniques with respect to recreation and hopes to inform the policy makers working to ensure the sustainability and prosperity of our Washington State Park System.
","abstract_html":"<p>Washington State receives timber contributions from 34 out of its 39 counties, making it a top producer of timber in the United States. Because of the widespread and abundant number of harvests, many forests that society values are affected via diminished aesthetic appeal. Of these affected areas are Washington State Parks and the areas around them. This study seeks to estimate the economic impact that forest harvest practices have on the visitation of Washington State Parks. Through the use of GIS and fixed effect regression analysis, I estimate the impact that over 100,000 permitted forest cuts have on the visitation of 142 Washington State Parks and find statistically significant negative impacts of both even and uneven timber cutting methods. This study will benefit forest and park managers by evaluating forest harvest techniques with respect to recreation and hopes to inform the policy makers working to ensure the sustainability and prosperity of our Washington State Park System.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Humphries, Tyler"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Cultural and Environmental Resource Management","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Toni Sipic","Charles Wassell","Jennifer Lipton"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:37:48Z","subjects":["Economics","Forest Economics","Resource Management","Agricultural and Resource Economics","Econometrics","Nature and Society Relations","Other Economics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1367","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Toni Sipic","Charles Wassell","Jennifer Lipton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Humphries, Tyler"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-06-23T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Cultural and Environmental Resource Management"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Economics","Forest Economics","Resource Management","Agricultural and Resource Economics","Econometrics","Nature and Society Relations","Other Economics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1367"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Washington State receives timber contributions from 34 out of its 39 counties, making it a top producer of timber in the United States. Because of the widespread and abundant number of harvests, many forests that society values are affected via diminished aesthetic appeal. Of these affected areas are Washington State Parks and the areas around them. This study seeks to estimate the economic impact that forest harvest practices have on the visitation of Washington State Parks. Through the use of GIS and fixed effect regression analysis, I estimate the impact that over 100,000 permitted forest cuts have on the visitation of 142 Washington State Parks and find statistically significant negative impacts of both even and uneven timber cutting methods. This study will benefit forest and park managers by evaluating forest harvest techniques with respect to recreation and hopes to inform the policy makers working to ensure the sustainability and prosperity of our Washington State Park System.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Economic Impact of Forest Harvest Practices on Washington State Park Visitation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Toni Sipic","Charles Wassell","Jennifer Lipton"],"dc:creator":["Humphries, Tyler"],"dc:date.available":["2020-06-23T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Washington State receives timber contributions from 34 out of its 39 counties, making it a top producer of timber in the United States. Because of the widespread and abundant number of harvests, many forests that society values are affected via diminished aesthetic appeal. Of these affected areas are Washington State Parks and the areas around them. This study seeks to estimate the economic impact that forest harvest practices have on the visitation of Washington State Parks. Through the use of GIS and fixed effect regression analysis, I estimate the impact that over 100,000 permitted forest cuts have on the visitation of 142 Washington State Parks and find statistically significant negative impacts of both even and uneven timber cutting methods. This study will benefit forest and park managers by evaluating forest harvest techniques with respect to recreation and hopes to inform the policy makers working to ensure the sustainability and prosperity of our Washington State Park System.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1367"],"dc:subject":["Economics","Forest Economics","Resource Management","Agricultural and Resource Economics","Econometrics","Nature and Society Relations","Other Economics"],"dc:title":["The Economic Impact of Forest Harvest Practices on Washington State Park Visitation"],"dc:type":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Cultural and Environmental Resource Management"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:37:48Z"}