Open source forest data

Forests play a crucial role in biosphere, but human activity has disrupted that balance. OpenForest is an open-access database featuring 86 forest datasets, including inventories and aerial, satellite, and ground-based recordings. The initiative hopes to inspire further forest biology research, while encouraging global collaboration and data sharing, to improve large-scale forest monitoring efforts.

Measuring the value of ecosystem services

This NOAA factsheet lays out the basic approaches to ecosystem service valuation, including: (marginal) input valuation, revealed and stated preferences (hedonic value, willingness-to-pay), avoided or replacement costs, and benefit transfer methods (BTM). My team’s work is cited as a Best Practice for BTM.

Sediment and nutrient retention in floodplains

Floodplains can accumulate upstream sediment and nutrients and export them downstream. Researches used a Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation to model Virginia’s Difficult Run suburban watershed. Floodplain sediment retention was offset by headwater bank erosion, but floodplain nutrient retention (nitrogen, phosphorus) exceeded erosion losses. Net benefits were estimated at $901.8K per year across the watershed, or $17.71-$30.62 per acre, per year (2023$).

Biodiversity and the limits of lifecycle assessment

Lifecycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly used to estimate biodiversity impacts. Yet uncertainties are tied to modeling, the definition and measurement of biodiversity and key variables, and natural variation and randomness. Where these can be mitigated, LCAs can still help with prioritization, but researchers recommend more robust testing (e.g. Monte Carlo methods), conservative assumptions (e.g. “do no harm”), and applying multiple modeling and measurement approaches.

Forests and human health

Research on the psychological and physical effects of forest-human interactions has shown moderate support for benefits to cardiovascular and immune system health, as well as reductions in stress, depression, anxiety, and other negative emotions. The researchers recommend several methodological improvements for future research.

Dam removal improves nearby home values

From 2002-2019, five dams were removed from Town Brook in Plymouth, MA. Subsequent restoration projects improved downstream safety, fish passage, and water quality. These actions prompted concerns that the value of homes no longer classified as waterfront properties might decline. A study of 1997-2021 sale prices found no negative effects on homes within a mile of restoration sites. Instead, the value of homes within 5 miles of these sites increased.