ECON371/UBCO2024WT1/NewsWiki/group1week6

Source:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/nuns-island-urban-forest-trees-domaine-saint-paul-1.7365215

Problem:

Domaine St. Paul urban forest is facing a natural issue of an invasive beetle species eating at the trees, and due to this matter the borough and mayor's office has decided to immediately fell all the trees, which some residents have an issue with due to the potential negative environmental effects it would have on the forest.

Summary:

This article by the CBC talks about an issue in the borough of Verdun where almost 1000 trees will be cut down due to an infestation of an invasive beetle species. Although the trees might be better off to be trimmed or cut down, the problem the residents of the area have with the decision is that the trees are to be cut down simultaneously, which one resident believes could have a negative impact on the area, such as causing it to turn into a wetland. He does believe that the trees should be cut down but overtime, as the article specifies that 986 trees are planned to be taken down. This would allow the trees and as such the forest to recover properly over time. This idea is supported by some biologists that those who oppose the sudden felling of the trees brought in as a second opinion, as the mayor and those involved in the borough say that they must do it immediately as to "disturb the ground as little as possible".

Economic Concepts:

1. unintended consequences: The potential consequences that might occur when harvesting a natural resource. For example, the act of harvesting a large quantity of trees in the forest may disturb the wildlife there, as well as take away from their habitat. While these effects are undesired, they are often ignored or decided to not be worth the costs/effort to mitigate. If unintended consequences want to be prevented, which is especially important in situations where an entire ecosystem hangs in the balance or a species in the area is endangered, policy makes can put regulations in place which dictate how harvests of that resource must be enacted and what restrictions apply to them.
2. Cost-benefit analysis: A cost-benefit analysis is a tool used to compare the benefits and costs of a potential action. It enables decision-makers to assess whether the action’s benefits justify its costs. In environmental contexts, a cost-benefit analysis goes beyond financial impacts to consider environmental consequences, which influence the overall decision.

Application of Concepts:

1. This article covers both points of view on the proposal to cut down ~1000 trees on Nuns' Island in Montreal. While the borough is arguing that cutting down all the trees at once would cause the least disturbances, Bossé and others are warning that if the trees are all cut at once, the new tree seedlings would struggle growing against phragmite and buckthorn (that would then thrive with no shade created by the trees), which would be an unintended consequence. If the trees were removed at a slower rate, this situation could be prevented. Despite this, the borough has still decided to go through with cutting the trees, which means that to them, the risks of an unintended consequence do not outweigh their proposal.
2. The borough of Verdun argues that removing the trees all at once minimizes the immediate risks and reduces ground disturbance, as heavy machinery would need to be used less frequently. They believe that these benefits, which include increased public safety and reduced beetle spread, outweigh the potential costs. Residents from Les Amis du Domaine Saint-Paul warn that felling all the trees at once may have unintended, long-term consequences. They argue that immediate removal could lead to an environment more susceptible to invasive species like phragmites and buckthorn. These invasive plants may hinder native tree seedlings, impacting the forest's natural regrowth and altering the ecosystem. Bossé and others advocate for a gradual course of action, believing the environmental costs of a single felling operation are too high.

Conclusion:

The environmental impacts on the habitat and the surrounding area are strong enough to illicit a more in depth analysis on what the correct course of action should be concerning the invasive species and its effects on the park. There are too many unintended consequences with the original plan and as such could have too many negative externalities on the habitat.

Prof: We can work more systematically through a cost benefit analysis. There are two projects here that would be compared, cutting all the dead and dying trees at once, or cutting them more slowly over multiple years. To do a CBA, we would need to figure out what the impacts are of these two alternatives.

If the trees are all removed at once, then the impact on the land is expected to be less from heavy equipment, and the risk of a tree falling and injuring someone is less. Doing it all at once would also likely be less costly, as there are fixed costs related to bringing in the heavy equipment that are incurred no matter how many trees are cut.

If the trees are cut more slowly, then the forest floor continues to be at least partially shaded, which reduces the likelihood that sun loving plants invasive plants will take over. This point implies that the value of the services provided by the ecosystem is greater if the trees are cut more slowly.

The CBA would compare the costs of these to options. I suspect that the costs directly related to tree removal, and any cost saving attributed to the risk reduction would mean that cutting the trees all at once is cheaper, if the operations are considered. The question then is how large are the ecosystem benefits. From the perspective of economics, we would seek to know what the WTP for people who use or might use the park is for increasing the likelihood of sustaining a more native ecosystem. We've talked about ways we might measure this.