Eco-Nomics: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Across the nation, states hold small proportions of both forest and timber land in comparison to the federal government. This new legislation intends for local communities to create good-paying jobs to and empowers local counties to generate revenue by managing federal forests in the state of Idaho. This management includes increased harvests and de-forestation. Our research analyzes the economic and environmental impact of Idaho’s House Bill (H.R 6009) The Self Sufficient Community Lands Act of 2012. Using economic tools and evaluation techniques, our research indicates that the socially optimal level of harvest lies in between but closer to the current Federal regulation cost curve than of the proposed cost schedule of H.R. Bill 6009. Therefore, we recommend policy makers should not significantly adjust the rules to encourage greater de-forestation of Idaho’