Papers by Janaki Alavalapati
Through integrated and innovative methods, we are able to understand how land degradation due to ... more Through integrated and innovative methods, we are able to understand how land degradation due to erosion can affect not only economic indicators such as GDP, poverty reduction, genuine savings, and unemployment, but also land assets, land use changes, ecosystem service supply, and terrestrial natural capital. Results suggest that investments in productive infrastructure for fruit plantations may not be sufficient to reduce imports and increase food and nutritional security. As a result, gradually expanded irrigated agriculture, land consolidation to increase productivity, and increased fertilizer application following an integrated approach for land asset management and conservation can enhance economic wellbeing, help counter environmental degradation, and increase ecosystem services supply.
The demand for forest biomass for energy production is on the rise. Bioenergy may offset fossil f... more The demand for forest biomass for energy production is on the rise. Bioenergy may offset fossil fuel use, diversify energy sources, reduce emissions, provide additional income for forestland owners, and create new jobs. The southern US, which is known as the 'wood basket of the world' has a huge potential for woody bioenergy. One of the most contentious issues surrounding woody bioenergy markets is biomass availability and market supply. We explored the likely effects of the emergence of a mature bioenergy market in the southern US and assessed how the supply of woody biomass for energy varies with time. We also predicted how these variations can impact traditional forest product industries, landowners, and future of forests in the region. We used a goal programming based regional timber supply model to assess these supply variations. The woody biomass required for energy use scenarios are developed based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change storylines. Our results s...
Forest Policy and Economics, 2016
Woody bioenergy provides an opportunity for new source of revenue, which forestland owners can re... more Woody bioenergy provides an opportunity for new source of revenue, which forestland owners can respond to either by supplying biomass from an existing stand or by establishing feedstock plantations on currently non-forested land. Using survey data sent out to 900 randomly selected participants in Virginia, we assess if forestland owners would allocate parts of their currently non-forested land, such as cropland and pasture/grazing land, to growing loblolly pine for bioenergy production purposes. Using recursive partitioning based logistic regression, we show that the decision to plant pine on non-forested land depends both on economic and non-economic factors, including price, demographic attributes of the forestland owner, mode of land acquisition and their respective threshold values, providing profile types policies encouraging biomass supply can use in tailoring their efforts. Using bid values, expected landowner revenue from growing pine, we also find a mean willingness to accept value of $1,424/acre. Our results also show that the choice among land use types follows economies of scale while the choice among land covers for a given land use type follows species diversification.
BioResources, 2016
Production of bioenergy from cellulosic sources is likely to increase due to mandates, tax incent... more Production of bioenergy from cellulosic sources is likely to increase due to mandates, tax incentives, and subsidies. However, unchecked growth in the bioenergy industry has the potential to adversely influence land use, biodiversity, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water resources. It may have unintended environmental and socioeconomic consequences. Against this backdrop, it is important to develop standards and protocols that ensure sustainable bioenergy production, promote the benefits of biofuels, and avoid or minimize potential adverse outcomes. This paper highlights agronomic information on switchgrass, a high-potential bioenergy feedstock, and the role of specialized certification programs. The existing sustainability standards and protocols were reviewed in order to identify key gaps that justify a certification program specifically for switchgrass-based bioenergy. The criteria and indicators that should be considered for such a certification program are outlined.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2016
Several federal- and state-sponsored programs, including cost-sharing arrangements, tax incentive... more Several federal- and state-sponsored programs, including cost-sharing arrangements, tax incentives, and technical assistance programs, are available to forestland owners, aiming to encourage desired forest management practices and outcomes. However, enrollment rates in such programs are low, and trends of forestland parcelization hint at an even smaller enrollment rate in the future. Therefore, it is important to understand how socioeconomic attributes of forestland owners and past experience with such programs affect the likelihood of enrollment in public incentive programs. Among others, this will help us provide tailored information to forestland owners who are less likely to use these opportunities through extension and outreach programs. Towards this end, we conducted a survey of 1800 forestland owners in Virginia and Texas. Our recursive partitioning, logistic regression, and Cochran–Armitage trend test results suggest that forestland owners who are less likely to enroll in su...
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2003
In this paper, we analyze the consequences of biotechnology innovations in the United States (U.S... more In this paper, we analyze the consequences of biotechnology innovations in the United States (U.S.) forest sector (logging) by modeling technology transfer embodied in trade flows and its absorption. A seven-region, seven-traded-commodity version of a dynamic computable general equilibrium model is used to achieve this task. A 0.63% Hicks-Neutral biotechnological progress in the source region (U.S.) has differential impacts on the productivity of the log-using sectors in the domestic as well as in the recipient regions. Since recipient regions' ability to utilize biotechnology innovations depends on their absorptive capacity (AC) and structural similarity (SS), we construct the AC and SS indices based on multiplicity of factors such as human capital endowments, skill content and social appropriateness of the new innovations. The model results show that biotechnological innovations in the U.S. forest sector result in a significant increase in timber production. Following the productivity improvements and its embodied spillover, wood products and pulp and paper sectors in the U.S. register higher productivity growth. The role of AC and SS in capturing technical change is shown to be evident. In the face of growing regulations on timber production from public forests, increasing productivity through biotechnology may be the most effective way to meet the consumer demand for forest products.
Natural Resource Modeling, 2009
The potential impacts of bioenergy markets on slash pine plantation management on nonindustrial p... more The potential impacts of bioenergy markets on slash pine plantation management on nonindustrial private forestlands in the southeastern United States were analyzed. We developed an integrated Black-Scholes and modified Hartman model to achieve this task. The risk of damage from catastrophic natural disturbances such as wildfires and pest outbreaks associated with the exclusion/incorporation of thinnings and variation in timber salvage rates was also included. Three scenario sets were considered: status quo or no thinning scenario, thinning scenario for pulpwood, and thinning scenario for bioenergy at differing levels of risk and salvage. The results indicated that the incorporation of thinnings either for pulpwood or bioenergy increases the forestland value regardless of the risk when the salvage value of the stand is 0.8. When the two thinning scenarios were compared, the land expectation value for the thinning scenario for bioenergy was greater at any level of risk compared with the thinning scenario for pulpwood, averaging a difference of 11.5% and 11.7% for salvageable portions of 0.8 and 0, respectively.
Forest Policy and Economics, 2005
Aims and scope Forest Policy and Economics is an international journal dealing with policy issues... more Aims and scope Forest Policy and Economics is an international journal dealing with policy issues, including economics and planning, relating the forest and forest industries sector. Its aims are both to publish original papers of a high scientific standard and to enhance communications amongst researchers, legislators, decision-makers and other professionals concerned with fc mutating and implementing policies for the sector.
Ecological Economics, 2002
The longleaf pine ecosystem is one of the most biologically diverse in North America, supporting ... more The longleaf pine ecosystem is one of the most biologically diverse in North America, supporting hundreds of plant and animal species. Because of its timber and many non-timber benefits, there is strong interest among forestry professionals, conservation groups, and the public at large in restoring longleaf pine ecosystems. However, many landowners are reluctant to grow longleaf pine on their lands on a commercial basis because the economic returns from longleaf pine timber production are usually less than those of slash pine. In this study, we develop a model that determines the profitability of longleaf and slash pine timber production after consideration of carbon sequestration, habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, and other amenity benefits. Results suggest that internalizing carbon sequestration benefits and red-cockaded woodpecker habitat benefits alone is not enough for landowners to switch from slash pine to longleaf. Additional payments of $16 to 33 per ha per year, reflecting extra amenity benefits associated with longleaf pine relative to slash pine, make longleaf production financially competitive. Incentives that reflect carbon, biodiversity, and amenity benefits associated with longleaf production may be the optimal way of restoring longleaf pine ecosystems on rural private lands in the US South.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 08941920500248749, Sep 1, 2006
India's Joint Forest Management (JFM) policy, in which government forest agencies and local commu... more India's Joint Forest Management (JFM) policy, in which government forest agencies and local communities jointly manage forests, has been touted as a successful strategy in helping both forests and people. Its efficacy in the field, however, is uneven. Although government forest departments are charged with implementing JFM, very little is known about their perspectives on this policy. Assessment of foresters' perspectives on JFM in Tamil Nadu, India, revealed that despite foresters' motivation toward implementing this policy, uncertain incentives and institutional complexities make the task complex and difficult. While decentralized decision making in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department could help mitigate the situation, the department's culture that limits feedback in the system stands as a strong barrier against organizational adaptation. Hence, pragmatic strategies for promoting participatory forest management should focus first on improving the institutional conditions of foresters' work in order to develop a shared vision and a unified strategy for successful action.
Economics of Ethanol Production Using Feedstock from Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) Plantations in the Southern United States
Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, Apr 30, 2011
... Puneet Dwivedi, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Newins-Zi... more ... Puneet Dwivedi, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611. ... 23, 2008. Weir DN, Greis JG 2002. The Southern Forest Resource Assessment Summary Report. US For. ...
Directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, climate change will affect all sectors and regi... more Directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, climate change will affect all sectors and regions of the United States. The impacts, however, will not be homogenous across regions, sectors, population groups or time. The literature specifically related to how climate change will affect rural communities, their resilience, and adaptive capacity in the United States (U.S.) is scarce. This article bridges this knowledge gap through an extensive review of the current state of knowledge to make inferences about the rural communities vulnerability to climate change based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios. Our analysis shows that rural communities tend to be more vulnerable than their urban counterparts due to factors such as demography, occupations, earnings, literacy, poverty incidence, and dependency on government funds. Climate change impacts on rural communities differs across regions and economic sectors; some will likely benefit while others lose. Rural communities engaged in agricultural and forest related activities in the Northeast might benefit, while those in the Southwest and Southeast could face additional water stress and increased energy cost respectively. Developing adaptation and Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change (2011) 16:819-844
Biodiversity and biofuels RJ Fletcher Jr et al. 162 www.frontiersinecology.org
Forest Landowner Participation in State-Administered Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Cost-Share Programs
Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, Jul 31, 2010
... Frederick J. Rossi; Douglas R. Carter; Janaki RR Alavalapati; John T. Nowak: Frederick J. Ros... more ... Frederick J. Rossi; Douglas R. Carter; Janaki RR Alavalapati; John T. Nowak: Frederick J. Rossi ([email protected]) and Douglas R. Carter, School of ... 2002, outbreaks of the SPB intensified by severe drought killed an estimated 130 million ft 3 of pine timber in Florida (Mayfield et al. ...
Assessing the Impact of Trade Policy and Technology Changes in the U.S. Forestry Sectors
ABSTRACT Increased trade liberalization and globalization of financial markets are influencing bo... more ABSTRACT Increased trade liberalization and globalization of financial markets are influencing both the demand for and supply of forest products in the U.S. Meanwhile, more innovations are introduced into the U.S. forestry sectors to meet the growing demands for forest products. Since the U.S. is the largest producer and consumer of forest products in the world, these changes are expected to have significant implications for forestry sectors across the world. This study aims at (1) estimating the impacts of forest products trade liberalization on the U.S. forestry sectors; (2) examining the effect of technological progress in the U.S. forestry production relative to the rest of the world. A multi-regional multisectoral applied global general equilibrium model is employed to achieve the goal. Results of the study have implications for better production and marketing decisions as well as policy prescriptions related to sustainable forest management in the U.S.
Florida has high potential to produce forest biomass as a source of renewable energy because of i... more Florida has high potential to produce forest biomass as a source of renewable energy because of its favorable climate. The Florida government has developed renewable bioenergy programs and policies to reduce the costs of biofuel and compete with fossil fuels, such as the Florida Renewable Energy Technologies & Energy Efficiency Act. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate the economy-wide and welfare effects of select bioenergy polices in a computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling framework. This study simulated 2 scenarios: (1) implementation of an incentive for the production of second-generation bioenergy (a 10 fuel tax reduction applied to the second-generation bioenergy sector) and (2) a scenario anticipating technological gains in forest bioenergy production. The modeling experiments resulted in increased welfare and gross state product, and land shifting from agriculture to forestry. Results indicated that incentives for the second-generation bioenergy sector and investments in technology would result in overall positive outcomes for Florida's economy and household welfare. Key words: biofuels, computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, economic impacts, Florida, forest bioenergy. Huang MY, Alavalapati JRR, Banerjee O. 2012. Economy-wide impacts of forest bioenergy in Florida: a computable general equilibrium analysis. Taiwan J For Sci 27(1):81-93.
Environmental Management, Feb 1, 2010
This article investigated public preferences for forest biomass based liquid biofuels, particular... more This article investigated public preferences for forest biomass based liquid biofuels, particularly ethanol blends of 10% ( E10) and 85% ( E85). We conducted a choice experiment study in three southern states in the United States: Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia. Reducing atmospheric CO2, decreasing risk of wildfires and pest outbreaks, and enhancing biodiversity were presented to respondents as attributes of using biofuels. Results indicated that individuals had a positive extra willingness to pay (WTP) for both ethanol blends. The extra WTP was greater for higher blends that offered larger environment benefits. The WTPs for E10 were 0.56 gallon-1, 0.58 gallon-1, and 0.48 gallon-1, and for E85 they were 0.82 gallon-1, 1.17 gallon-1, and 1.06 gallon-1 in Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia, respectively. Although differences in WTP for E10 were statistically insignificant among the three states, significant differences were found in the WTP for E85 between AR and FL and between AR and VA. Preferences for the environmental attributes appeared to be heterogeneous, as respondents' were willing to pay a premium for E10 in all three states to facilitate the reduction of CO2 and the improvement of biodiversity but were not willing to pay more for E85 in order to enhance biodiversity.
We used the open-ended contingent valu;ction method to elicit willingness to pay (WTP) for day vi... more We used the open-ended contingent valu;ction method to elicit willingness to pay (WTP) for day visitors and extended visitors on the Ocala National Forest (ONF), Florida. A Tobit model specification was applied to account for the issues involved with censorecl W T P bids. The results reveal that visitors would pay more for improved recreational facilities at the ONF. In particular. our estimates show that visitors would pay $1 million for basic facilities, $1.9 tnillion for moclerate improvements, and $2.5 million for more improvements.
This study investigates the short-run effects of several types of technical change in the agricul... more This study investigates the short-run effects of several types of technical change in the agricultural sector on the economy of Iran. A four-sector computable general equilibrium model is developed to simulate the effects of technical change. Results show that labour-using and capital-saving technical change with an overall increase in productivity appears to be a better option in promoting the self-sufficiency
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Papers by Janaki Alavalapati