Valuing the impacts of forest fires on backcountry forest recreation

A discrete choice travel cost model was developed for backcountry forest recreation using 2 yr of backcountry canoe registrations from Nopiming Park, Manitoba. A statistically significant variable explaining choice of route was the amount of forest along the route that was burned in the last 10 yr; virtually all of which occurred in two particularly severe fires during 1983. The current economic welfare loss from these fires was estimated using a discrete choice travel cost model combined with a count model of trip demand. Since the forest grows back following fire, these losses will eventually decrease to zero. A linear intertemporal damage function for one of the fires is estimated, and the present value of damages under alternative discount rate assumptions is presented.