The Economic Impact of Forest Harvest Practices on Washington State Park Visitation

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Cultural and Environmental Resource Management

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Humphries, Tyler

Contributors dc:contributor

• Toni Sipic
• Charles Wassell
• Jennifer Lipton

• Economics
• Forest Economics
• Resource Management
• Agricultural and Resource Economics
• Econometrics
• Nature and Society Relations
• Other Economics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1367

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.cwu.edu:etd-2391