Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Consequences for land use arising from different dollar incentives for grassland maintenance or cropland development
Examples of recent projects include:
Evaluating how Market and Policy Affect Cellulosic Biofuel Feedstock Production in Marginal Land of Upper Midwest and its Consequences on Water Sustainability in a Changing Climate: Researchers from UND and NDSU are assessing the impact of cultivating cellulosic bioenergy crops driven by the crop market/bioenergy policy on water quality and quantity. The project develops a coupled economic-hydrology model with inputs derived from both satellite and field observations.
Managing a Sustainable Landscape to Support Pollination and Other Ecosystem Services in the Northern Plains: A collaboration with researchers from the USGS and University of Minnesota, the overall goal of this study is to study the impact on honey bee health and mortality, pollination services, and multiple Northern Plain ecosystem services such as carbon storage, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat of economic land-use decisions. The outcome from this interdisciplinary approach can help to determine better practices in managing agricultural landscapes for pollination function within the matrix of more conventional and develop land-management protocols targeting for both economic efficiency and environmental sustainability.