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The cost of climate change: Ecosystem services and wildland fires

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  • Lee, Christine
  • Schlemme, Claire
  • Murray, Jessica
  • Unsworth, Robert

Abstract

Little research has focused on the economic impact associated with climate-change induced wildland fire on natural ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. We examine changes in wildland fire patterns based on the U.S. Forest Service's MC1 dynamic global vegetation model from 2013 to 2115 under two pre-defined scenarios: a reference (i.e., business-as-usual) and a greenhouse gas mitigation policy scenario. We construct a habitat equivalency model under which fuels management activities, actions commonly undertaken to reduce the frequency and/or severity of wildland fire, are used to compensate for climate change-induced losses in ecosystem services on conservation lands in the contiguous U.S. resulting from wildland fire. The benefit of the greenhouse gas mitigation policy is equal to the difference in fuels management costs between the reference and policy scenarios. Results suggest present value ecosystem service benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation on the average of $3.5 billion (2005 dollars, assuming a three percent discount rate). Our analysis highlights the importance of considering loss of ecosystem services when evaluating the impacts of alternative greenhouse gas mitigation policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee, Christine & Schlemme, Claire & Murray, Jessica & Unsworth, Robert, 2015. "The cost of climate change: Ecosystem services and wildland fires," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 261-269.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:116:y:2015:i:c:p:261-269
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.04.020
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    1. Depietri, Yaella & Orenstein, Daniel E., 2020. "Managing fire risk at the wildland-urban interface requires reconciliation of tradeoffs between regulating and cultural ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    2. Rossi, David & Kuusela, Olli-Pekka & Dunn, Christopher, 2022. "A microeconometric analysis of wildfire suppression decisions in the Western United States," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    3. Desvousges, William H. & Gard, Nicholas & Michael, Holly J. & Chance, Anne D., 2018. "Habitat and Resource Equivalency Analysis: A Critical Assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 74-89.
    4. Warziniack, Travis & Sims, Charles & Haas, Jessica, 2019. "Fire and the joint production of ecosystem services: A spatial-dynamic optimization approach," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-1.
    5. Michalis Skourtos & Dimitris Damigos & Areti Kontogianni & Christos Tourkolias & Alistair Hunt, 2019. "Embedding Preference Uncertainty for Environmental Amenities in Climate Change Economic Assessments: A “Random” Step Forward," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-22, October.
    6. Taboada, Angela & García-Llamas, Paula & Fernández-Guisuraga, José Manuel & Calvo, Leonor, 2021. "Wildfires impact on ecosystem service delivery in fire-prone maritime pine-dominated forests," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    7. André Vizinho & David Avelar & Cristina Branquinho & Tiago Capela Lourenço & Silvia Carvalho & Alice Nunes & Leonor Sucena-Paiva & Hugo Oliveira & Ana Lúcia Fonseca & Filipe Duarte Santos & Maria José, 2021. "Framework for Climate Change Adaptation of Agriculture and Forestry in Mediterranean Climate Regions," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-33, February.
    8. Felix Ratcliff & Sheila Barry & Devii Rao & Rowan Peterson & Theresa Becchetti & Ermias Kebreab & Kaveh Motamed & Minju Jung & Frank Mitloehner, 2023. "Cattle Grazing Moderates Greenhouse Gas and Particulate Matter Emissions from California Grassland Wildfires," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.

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