Evaluating Alternative Prescribed Burning Policies to Reduce Net Economic Damages from Wildfire

We estimate a wildfire risk model with a new measure of wildfire output, intensity-weighted risk and use it in Monte Carlo simulations to estimate welfare changes from alternative prescribed burning policies. Using Volusia County, Florida as a case study, an annual prescribed burning rate of 13% of all forest lands maximizes net welfare; ignoring the effects on wildfire intensity may underestimate optimal rates of prescribed burning. Our estimated supply function for prescribed fire services is inelastic, suggesting that increasing contract prescribed fire services on public lands may produce rapidly escalating costs for private landowners and unintended distributional and "leakage" effects.     

林农公益林补偿收益权质押贷款可得性研究

基于双变量Probit模型从需求和供给两个角度对浙江省丽水市公益林补偿收益权质押贷款试点地区255个林农的贷款可得性、内在联系及影响因素进行研究。结果表明:60.39%的林农对公益林补偿收益权质押贷款有需求,11.76%的林农成功获得贷款;丽水试验区公益林补偿收益权质押贷款存在供给范围较窄、公益林小户和大额资金需求得不到有效满足等问题;户主受教育程度、家庭人口负担、公益林面积、贷款期限是影响林农收益权质押贷款需求决策的因素;在需求约束下,年龄小、受教育程度高、公益林面积大、优质存量客户的贷款可得性更高,并且公益林补偿收益权质押贷款的可得性更依赖于林农家庭经济状况。     

福建省森林生态效益补偿制度的改进及其法律评价

我国的森林生态效益补偿制度在法理上存在明显的法律冲突问题。在这种情况下,地方如何因地制宜完善森林生态效益补偿制度是一个值得研究的问题。介绍福建省在完善森林生态效益补偿制度方面的一些具体做法,如下游补上游的创新,超前的分级保护,补偿类别的细分。对这些做法进行法律评价:下游补上游是市县政府履行一部分补偿基金筹集职责的好办法;比国家早四年多提出对公益林的保护分三个等级;分析存在的不足,如没有补偿标准的增长机制,补偿标准大幅落后于相邻省份;模仿中央财政管护补偿的模式,使得征用补偿落空;国有公益林得到了不应得的征用补偿(即产权损失补偿);没有专门的公益林补偿管理机构;公益林补偿基金管理办法的位阶不合法。     

林权抵押贷款的金融风险与防范策略——基于银行信贷风险视角

基于金融机构信贷风险的视角,从林权抵押贷款的法规制度风险、资产保全风险、资产处置风险、资产评估风险、信誉风险的角度分析林权抵押贷款存在的金融风险,从金融生态环境的优劣直接影响到银行贷款的积极性、林业信息不对称引发借款人的故意违约、价值补偿机制缺失导致借款人的理性违约方面分析银行惜贷现象的成因,提出健全林权抵押贷款的法律法规、提高林权贷款尽职调查水平、积极开展森林保险业务、完善森林资源资产评估制度、建立林权抵押登记管理制度、加快林权管理服务平台建设等林权抵押贷款的金融风险防范策略。     

浙江省公益林补偿资金成效与优化策略研究

通过对浙江省公益林补偿资金的来源结构、使用特征、使用效益及合理性评价研究基础上,提出了公益林补偿机制的完善策略。研究表明:现有公益林补偿资金的各级财政分摊原则,在一定程度上体现了公平性,但由于公益林分布与经济发展的不一致,导致经济落后地区财政负担过重;按面积补偿方法虽然简单且易于操作,但按林分质量实行差额补偿则更显合理;现行公益林补偿标准低,对多数农户的收入影响甚微,并且补偿基金包含损失性补偿和建设成本,模糊了补偿概念,应该将公益林补偿基金明确分成建设基金和补偿基金,补偿标准应基本满足公益林建设需要和弥补经营者的实际损失。     

森林生态效益补偿制度中的利益失衡与均衡

基于对森林生态效益补偿制度逻辑基础的分析结论,评述森林生态效益补偿制度的实施现状以及存在的问题。现行森林生态补偿制度在公益林区划与管护环节倾向于保障生态利益,补偿标准偏低导致农户经济利益受损,并未有效实现外部经济性的内化及森林生态公益与私益的均衡,提出了应当在公益林区划、管护及补偿等环节进行改进的进建议。     

黑龙江省林权抵押贷款现状调研

通过问卷调查与实地调研相结合的方法,对黑龙江省近年来林权抵押贷款的基本情况进行了全面的调查研究。调研结果表明:服务配套要素市场建设不完善、金融机构积极性有待提高、缺少风险转移补偿机制、金融产品创新相对滞后是黑龙江省林权抵押贷款发展的主要制约因素。因此,站在金融支持的视角提出了加快打造完善的林权抵押贷款运行环境、完善林业保险及风险补偿制度、进一步创新林权抵押贷款运行模式、搭建综合服务平台等促进黑龙江省林权抵押贷款发展的政策建议。     

Inducing private wildfire risk mitigation: Experimental investigation of measures on adjacent public lands

Increasing private wildfire risk mitigation is an important part of the larger forest restoration policy challenge. Data from an economic experiment are used to evaluate the effectiveness of providing fuel reductions on public land adjacent to private land to induce private wildfire risk mitigation. Results show evidence of “crowding out” where public spending can decrease the level of private risk mitigation. Findings also indicate that spending on private mitigation efforts increase when information about individual expenditures are made available and spending on public land fuel reductions are conditional upon a threshold level of private mitigation effort being achieved.     

New environmental policy instruments to realize forest expansion in Flanders (northern Belgium): A base for smart regulation?

This paper evaluates the current instrument mix, designs options for smart regulation and estimates the support base of new instruments for the forest expansion policy in Flanders (northern Belgium). The framework applied is a combination of theories on instrument choice (ICT), policy transfer and legitimacy. The ICT points out that there is a need for new environmental policy instruments (NEPI) oriented to private actors that inform them or create win–win situations for all involved parties. The need is especially high for farmers, who are key actors. The policy transfer analysis suggested instruments currently in use in the Netherlands, England and Denmark that can fulfill these needs. However, the acceptability – or legitimacy – of the suggested instruments in Flanders is only high for three of these, notably the carbon fund, flexible grant scheme and expert advice (especially by forest groups). This largely fills some smart regulation gaps, like the need for information (expert advice), the involvement of other institutional actors (certifiers, forest groups) and the higher involvement of the private sector (all). However, some gaps, such as flexible land purchase through cooperation with real estate agents or other private agents and opportunities for win–win outcomes with farmers, remain. Thus, it is not possible to fully optimize the instrument mix in accordance with the smart regulation requirements in Flanders’ forest expansion policy at this moment. However, as continuity or incremental change is characteristic of most public policy, this does not mean that the suggested changes will be impossible in the near future, especially with the changing character of the rural space.     

森林生态补偿方式运行实践探讨

现阶段建立长久有效的森林生态效益经济补偿机制已成为推进中国林业向纵深发展的关键性措施,并受到政府及广大学者的高度关注。文章阐述了中国森林生态补偿方式的运行现状,重点分析了现阶段国内森林生态补偿方式在实践中存在的问题,并认为完善政府财政支付体系、制定科学的补偿标准、明晰产权机制以及与市场化补偿相结合是未来森林生态补偿的发展方向。     

遂昌县推进公益林补偿收益权质押融资的措施及对策

为持续深化集体林权制度改革、农村金融改革和林权融资创新机制,遂昌县制订了推进公益林补偿收益权质押融资工作的意见,探索推广公益林补偿收益权质押融资模式,大力创新公益林收益权管理机制,有效缓解了"三农"融资难题,支持林农创业,促进林业经济发展,拓宽农村集体经济组织与农户融资渠道,助推"三农"发展。     

关于江西省集体林权制度改革的调查

对江西集体林权制度改革的做法、成效与存在问题进行了全面调查。改革内容:明晰产权,减轻税费,放活经营,规范流转,统分结合、配套改革;主要做法:高位推动,尊重民意,让利于民,精心操作,做好配套改革;成效:促进了农民就业增收与农村和谐。但改革后县乡村收入减少,维持运行困难,公益林补足标准低,管护难度大;改革后林业发展后劲仍然不足,农村基础建设薄弱。针对问题提出了从财政上支持林业长远发展、适当补助林改工作经费、提高公益林补偿标准、合理利用公益林资源、建立多层次、多渠道的公益林补偿机制等建议。     

Valuing high altitude spruce-fir forest improvements: importance of forest condition and recreation activity

High altitude spruce fir forests are typical around the world and are often subjected to multiple forms of recreational use. In this paper, we use household and recreation group data for a spruce fir forest high in the Appalachian Mountains of the U. S. to evaluate the benefits from forest protection (i. e., from improving the forest condition). Our benefits estimation procedures use the referendum-type, contingent valuation (CV) approach of Cameron (1988). We modify the usual practice of obtaining a single willingness-to-pay (WTP) value by using alternative questionnaire scenarios and conducting tests to examine i) household and recreation group value sensitivity to forest condition, and ii) recreation group differences in WTP for forest protection. A first sample of southeastern U. S. households was asked to value a forest protection program for a spruce-fir forest showing no impact from insect disturbance or atmospheric deposition. The second sample was asked to value a protection program for a forest already experiencing impact from insect infestation and air pollution. Logit analysis of the two samples revealed no statistically significant difference in household WTP between the two forest protection programs. Further analysis indicated that consumptive forest users (i. e., hunters and anglers) held forest protection values that were sensitive to a change forest condition, while nonconsumptive forest users (i. e., campers and hikers) held values that were insensitive to the same condition change. Recreation group comparisons revealed that consumptive forest users also held lower values for forest protection than nonconsumptive recreationists. These results demonstrate the importance of estimating public values for forest protection in terms of heterogeneous groups rather than as a homogeneous whole.     

中国森林保险高质量发展路径研究

通过探讨森林保险高质量发展的内涵,对全国森林保险发展情况深入分析,提出参保率进一步提升难度较大、风险保障水平总体偏低、费率厘定缺乏差异化和动态调整、险种创新推广力度不足、财政补贴机制不够完善等发展不平衡、不充分问题是制约森林保险高质量发展的主要瓶颈。从提高风险保障水平、加大险种创新力度、科学厘定保险费率、推进管理服务数字化改革、完善财政补贴机制这5个方面提出森林保险高质量发展路径。     

Public–Private Partnerships for Biosecurity: An Opportunity for Risk Sharing

Private efforts to prevent and control biological pests and infectious diseases can be a public good, and so incentivising private biosecurity management actions is both desirable and problematic. Compensation contracts can encourage biosecurity efforts, provide support against the collapse of economic sectors, and create an insurance network. We conceptualise a novel biosecurity instrument relying on formal compensation private–public partnerships using contract theory. Our framework explains how the public sector can harness increased private biosecurity measures by making payments to agents which depend both on their performance and that of the other stakeholders. Doing so allows the government to spread the risk across signatory agents. The framework also improves our understanding of government involvement due to public effects of biosecurity, influenced by the private agents’ capacity to derive private benefit from their own efforts on monitoring and control. Lastly, these theoretical results provide a foundation for further study of contractual responsibility sharing for pest management.     

中国森林生态效益市场化补偿途径探析

目前,中国采取单一的公共财政途径对森林生态效益进行补偿,显得过于单纯化,应积极探索引入市场机制,寻求一些利用市场手段实现森林生态效益补偿的有效途径。本研究试图通过对森林碳汇项目、森林水文流域补偿、森林生物多样性交易、森林生态旅游、提高森林的综合效益的介绍,探讨中国森林生态效益补偿的市场化途径。     

福州国家森林公园森林景观游憩效益评价

本文针对森林景观具有部分公共商品的特性 ,将TCM法 (即旅行费用法 )的基本原理与方法引入到森林景观游憩效益的评价中来 ,对福州国家森林公园的森林景观的游憩效益进行评价 ,得到其景观游憩效益为 3 .92 0 6 1 4亿元。     

公众对森林火灾的态度

利用里克特量表试图评估公众、消防战士和受森林火灾影响的村民等3个人群对森林火灾的看法。3组所有受访者一致认为,森林火灾会造成空气污染、土壤侵蚀、温室效应和浓雾,间接导致哮喘、呼吸系统感染、皮肤感染等疾病。受森林火灾危害的村民支持森林防火灭火,认为森林火灾是大问题。然而,市民和消防战士不同意这种看法,研究结果将帮助有关当局制订防火决策和教育活动。     

Extension,advice and knowledge systems for private forestry: Understanding diversity and change across Europe

The decisions and actions of private forest owners are important for the delivery of forest goods and services. Both forest ownership, and policies related to forest owners, are changing. Traditionally in most countries, government extension officers have advised and instructed forest owners, but this is evolving, with greater importance given to a range of actors, objectives, and knowledge types. Drawing on literature and mixed data from 10 countries in Europe, this paper explores how forestry advisory systems can be conceptualized, and describes their current situation in Europe. Drawing parallels with the concept of AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems), we propose the term FOKIS (FOrestry Knowledge and Information Systems), as both a system (a purposeful and interdependent group of bodies) and a method for understanding such systems. We define four dimensions for describing FOKIS: owners, policy goals, advice providers, and tools. We find different roles for extension in countries with centrally controlled, highly regulated forest management, and advisors in regions where forest owners have more freedom to choose how to manage their forest. We find five trends across Europe: increasing flexibility, openness and participation of owners as sources of information; increasing reliance on information and persuasion rather than enforced compliance; a shift of attention from timber to a wider range of ecosystem services such as biodiversity and recreation; a shift of funding and providers from public to private sector; emergence of new virtual communication tools. The approach provides a way to make sense of comparisons and change in FOKIS, and opens up an important research field.     

林业融资问题研究综述

国内学者对林业融资中所存在的资金投入不足,融资渠道狭窄,法规不健全,贴息贷款难等问题进行综述。对产生诸多问题的原因归纳为:公益林主要是市场失灵和政府失灵;商品林业是银行贷款风险高,资源配置不完善,信息不对称,融资成本高等。对策,公益林要完善政府投资行为与生态效益补偿制度、生态效益交易服务市场体系等;商品林应加快推进林业信用体系建设及完善担保体系,规范民间融资和发展林业合作组织等。