A cost-benefit analysis of long-term management options for forests following contamination with (CS)-C-137

This paper provides a description of a cost-benefit analysis applied to det ermine the cost effectiveness, or otherwise, of nine management strategies potentially applicable to forests contaminated with Cs-137. Th management s trategies were considered singly and in a number of likely combinations. A management strategy was considered to be cost-effective if it resulted in a lower overall monetary detriment than was incurred if use of the contamina ted forest was continued on a 'business as usual' basis. Only the banning o f mushroom collection and restriction of public access proved to be cost-ef fective management strategies on the basis of this definition. However, eve n these strategies only proved cost-effective at high levels of Cs-137 cont amination, at which net savings in detriment in the form of public dose wer e achieved. Cost-effective savings of doses to forest workers were never ac hieved at any of the contamination levels considered in this study. It is s uggested that novel alternative uses of contaminated forests are required w hich could provide added value to the standing crop in return for small inc reases in public and worker doses. One such use might be biofuel production . (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.