Forest Resource-Based Economic Development in Idaho: Analysis of Concepts, Resource Management Policies, and Community Effects

The future of Idahos rural communities can be viewed two ways, based on two models of how communities use forest resources for economic development. One view is that commodity production drives economic developmentharvesting timber and manufacturing lumber, plywood, paper, and other wood products from it. The other viewpoint relies on amenity values associated with the forestsscenery, wildlife, recreation, etc.to attract people to visit or move to Idaho, bringing money or skills that in turn drive economic development. In this report, we analyze Idahos rural communities for evidence to support the commodity-based and amenity-based models of economic development. The two models may imply two different ways of managing forest lands and the resources that come from them, and they may portend different futures for rural communities in Idaho.Policy Analysis Group Report - University of Idaho College of Natural Resource