SUMFOREST: Decision Making Support for Forest Ecosystem Services in Europe: Value Assessment, Synergy Effects and Trade-offs

This project constitutes one workpackage (WP3) of the large ERA-Net SUMFOREST project POLYFORES. The main objectives of WP3 is to assess economic and non-economic values of FES, taking into consideration main trade-offs and synergies between them. This relates to the following sub-objectives: (a) Conduct a systematic review of existing studies and methods used for valuing FES, and identify gaps and improvement possibilities of these and possibly new methods; (b) assess, in specific case studies, the economic values of marketed and non-marketed FES and their trade-offs; (c) assess societal values of FES from social science perspectives; (d) assess the possibilities for integrating multiple perspectives of values into a coherent framework that is accessible for decision makers. WP3 has been financed by the Norwegian Research Council, and started in June 2017 with a research input corresponding to approximately 15 person-months per year for 3 years. MAIN RESULTS 8 research articles have been published. Regarding sub-objectives a and b it is found that - Rather few empirical studies on economic valuation of forest ecosystem services (FES) exist - Their estimates of economic values related to forests are nearly all dealing with either water supply, recreation or climate mitigation in forests - Their economic estimates are rather uncertain and very regional specific ? it is difficult to transfer the estimated values from one region to another - Often one does not distinguish between total and marginal values. Sub-objectives c and d have been given the highest attention in WP3. Among interesting results are the estimates of carbon leakage caused by trade of timber to be in the order of 60 to 80 %. Another interesting result is the article showing how to quantify in economic terms the relative trade-offs between biodiversity, carbon sequestration and income from timber harvest, done at property level. Other analyses published in WG3 (regarding timber supply behaviour, using forest fiber for bioenergy and salmon feed, demand elasticities for sawnwood, impacts of EUs Forest Reference Level policy regarding how to include forests in climate mitigation, and analysis of the reliability of international forest harvest statistics) have improved the quantitative forestry- and forest sector models applied in WG3, and also contribute with new scientific knowledge of potential interest for the future use of forest resources in the new bioeconomy.

I tillegg til framtidig potensiell nytte har prosjektet vært gunstig for deltakerne og samfunnet forøvrig på flere måter. Forskerne og beslutningsfatterne involvert i prosjektet har måttet arbeide og bidra i tverrfaglige team, og vært med å diskutere og analysere skogbruk (inklusive vern) i et tverrfaglig perspektiv. Dette har medført økt forståelse for hvordan ulike fagdisipliner ser på bærekraftig skogbruk, og økt innsikt i styrke og svakheter i ulike analysemetoder og forutsetninger. De kvantitative analysemodellene som er blitt benyttet og videreutviklet i prosjektet (Gaya-J, Norfor, Formit-M, Euforia og EFI-GTM), trekker inn økologi, klima og økonomi i helhetlige analyser, og ligger i den internasjonale forskningsfronten. Dette modellapparatet muliggjør bedre analyser enn tidligere av avveiningen mellom ulike hensyn i skogforvaltningen, og hvordan skogbruket i Norge kan bli påvirket av endringer i nasjonale og internasjonale skogpolitiske virkemidler og klimahensyn.

This project constitutes one workpackage (WP3) of the large SUMFOREST project POLYFORES, which has the following three main aims: (1) Map ecological impacts including trade-offs and synergies between different FES (Forest Ecosystem Services) of variable forest management scenarios at different spatial and temporal scales; (2) provide a holistic approach of value assessment taking into account different valuations across multiple levels of decision-making and diverse sectoral perspectives contributing to appraisal of trade-offs and synergies between different FES; and (3) support decision-making processes of FES at different (Pan-European and EU, national and sub-national) levels through a transdisciplinary approach involving decision makers in a continuous participatory learning process. The main objectives of WP3 is to assess economic and non-economic values of FES, taking into consideration the trade-offs and synergies between them. This relates to the following sub-objectives: a) To conduct a systematic review of existing value assessment methods and approaches for FES and identify gaps in these methods; b) to assess, in specific case studies, the economic values of marketed and non-marketed FES and their trade-offs; c) to assess societal values of FES from social science perspectives; and d) to assess the possibilities for integrating multiple perspectives of values into a coherent framework that is accessible for decision makers WP3 starts in June 2017 and lasts three years, with a research input corresponding to approximately 15 person-months per year.