Economic Realities in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests (2.2MB) January 2003.
By Thomas M. Power and Philip J. Ruder for the Tillamook Rainforest Coalition. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) plans to log more than 85% of the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests over the next century, harvesting trees that have grown since massive fires burned area in the first half of the 20th century. Power and Ruder analyzed the economic ramifications of a 50% reserve-based forest plan and compared it to ODF's current management plan. The authors concluded that a 50% reserve plan is more likely to lead to increased economic growth than the ODF's current plan. They argue that ODF's assumptions led to inflated positive impacts on local economies associated with increased commercial timber harvests, while a 50% reserve plan would protect drinking water supplies and fish and wildlife habitat, and provide a variety of recreational opportunities.

National Forests and Mill Closures: An Assessment of the Pending Mill Closure in Republic, WA (176K) January 2003.
By Ernie Niemi and Kristin Lee of ECONorthwest. ECONorthwest analyzed a pending mill closure in northeastern Washington. The report found that increasing logging on the nearby national forests almost certainly will not save jobs at the mill because, in fact, inadequate log supply from federal lands is not the real cause of the mill's pending closure. The study also found that rescinding environmental protections for the Colville National Forest probably would have serious, adverse impacts on the local economy's long-run future, reducing both the number of jobs and the levels of income.

The Potential Economic Benefits of Protecting Natural Resources in the Sonoran Desert (536K) April 2002.
By Ernie Niemi and Kristin Lee of ECONorthwest. A variety of initiatives have been brought forward in Pima County, Arizona in the last few years regarding conservation of Sonoran Desert lands. The most recent, and by far the most comprehensive, is the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, the planning process for which was begun in late 1998. In this report we explain the role that the environment plays in the economy of the western states and why the environment-vs.-economy view of things represents a false choice.

The Economic Implications of Protecting the Natural Landscapes of the Sourthern Selkirk Region in the US and Canada (448K) February 2002.
By Thomas M. Power. This report explores the past and future economic trends for the rural communities in the southern Selkirk Mountains of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and southeastern British Columbia. Historically, the region has been dependent on commercial extraction activities such as logging, mining, grazing, and agriculture. In recent years, these activities have declined and an economic transition is occurring. This report finds that the decline in resource extraction industries does not mean that the rural economies are failing. Instead, they are transitioning to a more diversified economy based on new sources of economic vitality: tourism and commercial recreation, retiree income, and new residents drawn to the area's natural landscapes.

Wildfire and Poverty: An Overview of the Interactions Among Wildfires, Fire-Related Programs, and Poverty in the Western States (1.4MB) December 2001.
By Ernie Niemi and Kristin Lee of ECONorthwest. The authors found that the connection between wildfires and poverty goes largely unnoticed and unaddressed. Fire-management programs target hazardous fuel in forests, though most fires occur elsewhere. In addition, fire agencies have not identified populations most vulnerable to fire risks, and they lack strategies for building long-run sustainable interactions between wildlands and communities. The authors recommend a major western initiative to address the dual issues of poverty and fire management. The report was written for the Center for Watershed and Community Health at Portland State University.

Bridge Over Troubled Water: A Plan for a Sustainable Future in the Klamath Basin (704K) Winter 2001.
By Ernie Niemi and Ed Whitelaw. This article addresses the competition for scarce water resources in the Klamath Basin and offers some sustainable alternatives to the current patterns of use. This article originally appeared in the Winter 2001 edition of the Oregon Quarterly, a publication of the University of Oregon. The authors are economists with ECONorthwest.

Coping with Competition for Water: Irrigation, Economic Growth, and the Ecosystem in the Upper Klamath Basin (770K) November 2001.
By Ernie Niemi, Ed Whitelaw, and Anne Fifield. Events during the drought of 2001 in the Klamath Basin made the competition for water front-page news, with farmers denied use of federal facilities to obtain water for irrigation, so that water would flow to support endangered fish populations. Many have characterized these events as unexpected and imposed by federal bureaucrats enforcing the Endangered Species Act. The economic analysis in this report places recent events in the Klamath Basin in a larger context and explains that the events are not surprising, but an outgrowth of powerful forces underlying the long-standing competition for water.

The Economic Impact of the Proposed Maine Woods National Park and Preserve (1.6MB) September 2001.
By Thomas M. Power. This study analyzes the potential economic impacts of the creation of a Maine Woods National Park in northern Maine. The author concludes that establishing such a park could contribute significantly to the transition to a more diverse and sustainable northern Maine economy. This new source of economic development could help to offset the unavoidable declines in jobs and wages in the traditional forest products sector.

Protecting Roadless Areas And Idaho's Economy: An Assessment of the Forest Service Roadless Initiative (216K) March 2001.

Protecting Roadless Areas And Montana's Economy: An Assessment of the Forest Service Roadless Initiative (148K) January 2001.
By ECONorthwest. The U.S. Forest Service's 'Roadless Initiative' will prevent commercial logging in the roadless areas of the national forests throughout the U.S. In these reports for the Wilderness Society, ECONorthwest analyzed the economic impacts of the Roadless Initiative in Idaho and Montana. The authors found that new policy will have many positive impacts on the overall economy in these states, such as sources of clean water supply and amenities for the region's quality of life. The policy will have a negative impact on jobs in the timber industry, albeit very small. Both states stand to gain many more jobs from newly funded forest restoration and fire management activities.

Seeing the Forests for their Green: Economic Benefits of Forest Protection, Recreation and Restoration (1.2MB) August 2000.
By Ernie Niemi and Anne Fifield. The Sierra Club commissioned this report to assess the value of U.S. National Forests. The authors analyzed how logging on federal lands contributes to economic development. They found that the value of goods and services produced by the National Forests, such as clean water, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat, is much greater than the value of extractive activities, such as logging and mining. They also describe the potential economic impacts of implementing a restoration program for public lands. The authors are economists at ECONorthwest.

The Economic Impact of Preserving Washington's Roadless National Forests June 2000.
By Thomas M. Power. The inventoried roadless areas in the U.S. National Forests provide healthy watersheds for fish and wildlife, clean drinking water, recreational opportunities, open space, and climate stabilization. In this report, the author evaluates the economic impacts of the Clinton Administration's initiative to protect the roadless lands in Washington state. He focuses on the rural areas and small towns that lie in counties that contain substantial tracts of National Forest land. The author is Chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Montana in Missoula.

The Economic Impacts of the Proposed Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Monument (488 K) June 2000.
By ECONorthwest. The proposed Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Monument would protect an area recognized internationally for its outstanding natural beauty and biological significance. The area includes some of the most ecologically valuable anadromous fish habitat in the Pacific Northwest. This report illustrates the major economic impacts associated with the proposed National Monument designation, and shows that the designation provides an opportunity to support economic sectors that are growing and are expected to continue growing in the future.

The Sky Did NOT Fall: The Pacific Northwest's Response to Logging Reductions (372K) April 1999.
By Ernie Niemi, Ed Whitelaw and Andrew Johnston. Although many predicted economic ruin in the Pacific Northwest in response to much-reduced timber harvests on federal land, the economy has proven to be robust and growing. The authors explain why the predictions were wrong, and why the economy has grown instead of collapsing. This report is not specifically related to salmon issues, but it illustrates how the economy responded to a sweeping change in resource management and, hence, provides insights into how the economy probably would respond to similar, salmon-related changes. The authors are economists at ECONorthwest.

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