Costs of Water Pollution Abatement in Forestry

Several research projects have found that forest management practices cause changes in water hydrology and quality. To reduce the negative effects of forestry on water-based values, various actions have been suggested for water pollution abatement. In this study the private costs and social profitability of abatement were evaluated in Finland. Adjustment costs for a representative private forest holding were determined by MELA simulation and linear programming system. The length of various shoreline types on forest land was assessed by stratified random sampling. The results suggest regional and local variation in the extent to which abatement actions should be adopted.