Ecological Economics, including regional economic impact analysis, nonmarket valuation, biomass utilization

What you always wanted to know about Economics but were afraid to ask!

My main research interest is asking those questions that you may have been afraid to ask. Can we account for economic returns of our environmental investments? Can we manage our natural resources for ecological sustainability while promoting economic and social sustainability of rural communities?

To answer the first question, I have been working on measuring the economic benefits of nonmarket goods and services from wildland ecosystems, especially with the hedonic price model. Recently, we applied the hedonic price model in the Flagstaff housing market and estimated the monetary value of forest density reduction treatments reflected in housing price.

Currently, my research focus is regional economic impact analysis. I am interested in understanding the relationships between socioeconomic conditions of rural communities in the West and wildfire management. I am working on estimating potential economic impacts of forest thinning projects on rural communities in the West and trying to find a way to promote social and economic sustainability of human communities as well as the ecological sustainability of natural resources.

Contact Information

Education

B.S., Seoul National University, Korea, 1992
M.S. Seoul National University, Korea, 1994
Ph.D., Oregon State University, 1998

Selected Publications

Evan E. Hjerpe and Yeon-Su Kim (2008). Economic Impacts of Southwestern National Forest Fuels Reductions Journal of Forestry 106(6): 311-316

Gustavo Perez-Verdin, Yeon-Su Kim, Denver Hospodarsky, and Aregai Tecle (2008) Factors Driving Deforestation in Common-Pool Resources in Northern Mexico. Journal of Environmental Management (Article in press, Available online 20 February 2008)

Yeon-Su Kim, Steve Dewhurst, and Denver Hospodarsky (2007) The 2005 Planning Rule as a Teaching Tool. Journal of Forestry 105(6): 320-325

Adcharaporn Pagdee, Yeon-Su Kim and P.J. Daugherty (2007). A response to Bradshaw's commentary paper: On definitions of "success" and contingencies affecting success in Community Forestry. Society and Natural Resources 20:8, 759 - 760

Evan E. Hjerpe and Yeon-Su Kim (2007). Regional economic impacts of Grand Canyon river runners. Journal of Environmental Management 85 (2007) 137-149

Adcharaporn Pagdee, Yeon-Su Kim and P.J. Daugherty (2006). What Makes Community Forest Management Successful: A meta-study from community forestry throughout the world. Society and Natural Resources V19(1):33-52

Yeon-Su Kim and Aaron Wells (2005) The Impacts of Forest Density on Property Values. Journal of Forestry 103 (3): 146-151

Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 May 2009 )