COMPARING THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF REDUCING FIRE RISK TO SPOTTED OWL HABITAT IN CALIFORNIA AND OREGON

To increase the range of natural resource Values considered in the USD A Forest Service fire management analysis system, a combined telephone contact-mail booklet-telephone interview of California and New Englan d households regarding their willingness to pay for reducing fire inte nsity and acres burned in California and Oregon's spotted owl habitat located in old growth forests was performed. Using a multiple bounded dichotomous choice format, annual willingness to pay of $79 per Califo rnia household and $46 per New England household was estimated for a 2 0% reduction in acreage burned in California. For the same percentage reduction in fire in Oregon's old growth forest the value is $59 per C alifornia household and $45 per New England household. For a combined California and Oregon Program, California households would pay $95 ann ually, while New England households would pay $61. This illustrates th e importance of national programmatic valuation of the USDA Forest Ser vice's fire control program in old growth forests, rather than state b y state surveys which miss substitution effects, This analysis also de monstrates that households benefit from and support fire protection of old growth forests in states other than their own.