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Heterogeneity in Preferences for Woody Biomass Energy in the US Mountain West

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  • Campbell, Robert M.
  • Venn, Tyron J.
  • Anderson, Nathaniel M.

Abstract

Millions of acres of public forest in the US Mountain West are substantially degraded and are in need of restoration. Mechanized restoration treatments can improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of severe wildfire. These treatments produce some timber, and substantial amounts of forest residues that can be used to generate renewable energy and displace fossil fuels. Using the choice modeling method, this study investigates social preferences for generation of energy with woody biomass produced by restoration treatments on public forests in the Mountain West. Both multinomial logit and latent class logit (LCL) models are fit to the data and used to estimate marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for increased amounts of woody biomass energy generation and important associated co-benefits and costs. Positive and statistically significant MWTP is found for the number of homes powered with wood, the extent of healthy forests, avoiding increases in the number of large wildfires, and local air quality. Significant heterogeneity was found in respondent preferences for the attributes. The heterogeneity can be explained in part by sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics of respondents. The LCL revealed four classes of respondents with distinct preferences, revealing conflicting viewpoints toward forest management for woody biomass energy generation.

Suggested Citation

  • Campbell, Robert M. & Venn, Tyron J. & Anderson, Nathaniel M., 2018. "Heterogeneity in Preferences for Woody Biomass Energy in the US Mountain West," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 27-37.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:145:y:2018:i:c:p:27-37
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.08.018
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    Cited by:

    1. Voravee Saengavut & Chintana Somswasdi, 2022. "Preference Heterogeneity of Local Participation in Coupling Conservation and Community-Based Entrepreneurship Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    2. Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen & Chamberlin, Jordan & Vanlauwe, Bernard & Vranken, Liesbet & Kamara, Alpha & Craufurd, Peter & Maertens, Miet, 2018. "Farmers' preferences for site-specific extension services: Evidence from a choice experiment in Nigeria," Working Papers 276175, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.
    3. Yanyan Ma & Xueyan Zhao, 2022. "What Affects the Livelihood Risk Coping Preferences of Smallholder Farmers? A Case Study from the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Ugarte Lucas, Paula & Gamborg, Christian & Lund, Thomas Bøker, 2022. "Sustainability concerns are key to understanding public attitudes toward woody biomass for energy: A survey of Danish citizens," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 181-194.
    5. Jesse D. Young & Nathaniel M. Anderson & Helen T. Naughton, 2018. "Influence of Policy, Air Quality, and Local Attitudes toward Renewable Energy on the Adoption of Woody Biomass Heating Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-24, October.
    6. Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen & Chamberlin, Jordan & Vanlauwe, Bernard & Vranken, Liesbet & Kamara, Yaya Alpha & Craufurd, Peter & Maertens, Miet, 2019. "Farmers' preferences for high-input agriculture supported by site-specific extension services: Evidence from a choice experiment in Nigeria," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 12-26.
    7. Pinto, Lígia Costa & Sousa, Sara & Valente, Marieta, 2022. "Forest bioenergy as a land and wildfire management tool: Economic valuation under different informational contexts," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    8. Zhao, Xiaoli & Cai, Qiong & Li, Shujie & Ma, Chunbo, 2018. "Public preferences for biomass electricity in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 242-253.
    9. Oyinbo, O. & Maertens, M. & Chamberlin, J. & Vanlauwe, B. & Craufurd, P. & Kamara, A., 2018. "Maize Farmers Preferences for ICT-based extension services: Evidence from a Choice Experiment in Nigeria," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277328, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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