How do Different Forest Management Practices Affect the Non-timber Value of Forests?—an Economic Analysis

Forestry operations heavily affect the forest attributes, which, in turn, are of vital importance for the non-timber value associated with forest recreation, etc. The paper attempts to quantify such external effects of forestry in monetary terms. The empirical data are from a survey focused on the forests in the county of Vنsterbotten in northern Sweden, and a non-timber value function is developed. It is shown that there is a big difference in non-timber value between forest produced by different silvicultural systems and between forests with different compositions of tree species. The total non-timber value of the forests in the county could be increased considerably from the present level. Such an increase would necessitate a decrease in clear cutting with artificial regeneration, in favour of natural regeneration using advance growth or seed trees, as well as a reduction of spruce, in favour of broadleaved trees.