This doctoral dissertation award will support an economic analysis of riparian wetland forests in the agricultural midwestern United States. The purpose of the project is to test the hypothesis that riparian wetland forests have been undervalued and therefore underproduced in the Corn Belt. This project seeks to examine the benefits of riparian wetland forest to society by developing a model that links floodplain land use with economic values of environmental services. Among the most promising alternatives for reducing the damage to streams and rivers is protection of floodplain lands as riparian wetland forests. This project will have significance for policy regarding nonpoint pollution control and farmland retirement programs. It underlines the need to recognize the importance of the interaction between water quality and agricultural practices.
