Value of Forest Ecosystem Natural Potential in the Areal Regional Richness Structure

Abstract

Value of forest ecosystems’ natural potential is examined as composition of forest resources (timber and non-timber forest products) as natural capital. Also, value is examined as composition of environment-forming and social functions of forest objects as part of ecological potential of forest areas. Regional (national) richness includes all natural resources, all tangible and intangible assets made by nature and humanity in this region. By calculation results, value of forest resources (natural capital of forest ecosystems) is about 12-16% of total value of forest site for commercial forests of Middle Ural. Value of ecological potential is about 84-88% of total. It grows to 92-96% for protection forests. Natural potential of forest ecosystems is comparable to production potential of agriculture, mining or power generation.

The potential of Polish forests to provide ecosystem services

“…Our research shows, for instance, that within the broad group of coniferous forests, the overall ES potential is the highest for forests with moderately fertile and moderately moist soils, and clearly lower in less fertile, dry, moist, and swamp forests. Similar relationships were also described in other world regions, e.g., in the Urals (included ES: timber supply, air protection, water protection, climate forming, and soil forming), regardless of whether the dominant coniferous species was pine or spruce (Lebedev et al, 2019). The existence of a similar relationship can also be concluded based on data from Sweden, where it was shown that the provision of many services is higher with greater tree species richness (Gamfeldt et al, 2013).…”

Favourites from the Russian experience in assessing forest plots and resources

“…-making payments for the use of the forest fund taxable; -prescriptive establishment of minimum rates of payment for wood that do not reflect either the forest rent or the standard costs of forest reproduction. Many scientists and authors see the following mechanism for distributing rental income [6,7,8,9,10]. The main value of forest resources can be expressed by discounting the present value of future rents.…”

“…For a full version of the assessment of biodiversity in woodlands, a comprehensive, complete assessment of forest land also requires the inclusion of costs for the study of the values of the environment-forming functions of forests [6,7].…”

“…A number of scientists and authors of the paper rightly believe that when conducting a comprehensive assessment of forest lands, it is also necessary to take into account the social functions of forests [6,7,9] As a result of using the above methods of assessment, the authors carried out through the calculation of comprehensive environmental and economic assessment of phytorecreational potential of the Sverdlovsk region, which showed the following results: the average cost of biodiversity in the region is 10.3 thousand rubles/ha, evaluation of ecological-forming functions of forests is equal to 55.6 thousand rubles/ha, the cost of social functions of forests -63.1 thousand rubles/ha. Thus, the specific value of the phytorecreational potential of a typical forest plot in the Sverdlovsk region is 128.9 thousand rubles/ha.…”