Economic impact of a large-scale, collaborative forest health project: A model for making a difference

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension, and the Mississippi Forestry Commission partnered on the Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Project, a collaboration on forest health. MSU Extension provided educational outreach to a wide audience of forest landowners and screened applications for the project's tree-thinning cost-share program. From 2006 to 2016, the collaboration spent $4.5 million on educational outreach and cost sharing. Using IMPLAN, we estimated the project's economic contribution to the state at $60.2 million, a value representing a benefit-cost ratio of 13:1. Collaboration is an effective means for agencies to leverage resources, and impact analysis is a useful tool for evaluating Extension program effectiveness.