Production possibility frontiers and socioecological tradeoffs for restoration of fire adapted forests

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

卷:176

Article

Ager, Alan A.¹  Day, Michelle A.²  Vogler, Kevin³ 

[1] US Forest Serv, USDA, Rocky Mt Res Stn, Missoula Fire Sci Lab, 5775 US Highway 10W, Missoula, MT 59808 USA

[2] Oregon State Univ, Coll Forestry Forest Ecosyst & Soc, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA

[3] Oregon State Univ, Coll Forestry Forest Engn Resources & Management, 043 Peavy Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA

关键词: Forest restoration;    Spatial optimization;    Wildfire;    Restoration prioritization;    Ecosystems services;    Restoration tradeoffs;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.01.033

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

We used spatial optimization to analyze alternative restoration scenarios and quantify tradeoffs for a large, multifaceted restoration program to restore resiliency to forest landscapes in the western US. We specifically examined tradeoffs between provisional ecosystem services, fire protection, and the amelioration of key ecological stressors. The results revealed that attainment of multiple restoration objectives was constrained due to the joint spatial patterns of ecological conditions and socioeconomic values. We also found that current restoration projects are substantially suboptimal, perhaps the result of compromises in the collaborative planning process used by federal planners, or operational constraints on forest management activities. The juxtaposition of ecological settings with human values generated sharp tradeoffs, especially with respect to community wildfire protection versus generating revenue to support restoration and fire protection activities. The analysis and methods can be leveraged by ongoing restoration programs in many ways including: 1) integrated prioritization of restoration activities at multiple scales on public and adjoining private lands, 2) identification and mapping of conflicts between ecological restoration and socioeconomic objectives, 3) measuring the efficiency of ongoing restoration projects compared to the optimal production possibility frontier, 4) consideration of fire transmission among public and private land parcels as a prioritization metric, and 5) finding socially optimal regions along the production frontier as part of collaborative restoration planning. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free