AN INDIVIDUAL TRAVEL‐COST METHOD OF EVALUATING FOREST RECREATION

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Abstract
Consumer surplus for outdoor recreation has traditionally been estimated by a Clawson‐Knetsch travel‐cost method. This paper presents zonal consumer‐surplus estimates for visitors to a number of forests and compares these estimates to those derived from individual visitor observations. Both travel‐cost procedures are used to assess the magnitude of recreational benefits and are found to produce widely different consumer‐surplus estimates. This raises questions about research methodology and has implications for the value of recreation associated with forestry and its contribution to the rate of return on forest investment.