PVF: A scale to measure public values of forests

Abstract

We propose a 12-point scale for measuring the relative importance of national forest resources-both economic and noneconomic-to the American public. With data from the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, the scale supports the existence of three latent factors: protection, amenity, and outputs. The scale had moderate levels of internal reliability and demonstrated predictive validity. Consistent with previous studies of forest values, protection values were significantly higher for women, urban residents, and younger respondents. Future research should investigate the use and nonuse values of both the economic and noneconomic factors, because decisions that fail to include economic nonuse values in benefit-cost analyses may underestimate the total value of forest preservation. By understanding the forest values that people hold, forest planners and managers will be better able to design policies, reduce conflicts among stakeholders, and implement forest plans.