Backcountry hiking and optimal timber rotation

This paper examines the effect of backcountry hiking on the optimal rotation periods of several species of trees. The paper begins by showing how theoretical models of timber rotation in the presence of externalities can be used to describe this situation. Following this, empirical rules for harvesting timber based on common forest data are computed for five species of trees. The paper proceeds by simulating the optimal social forest management regime when both timber and amenity values can substantially alter the rotation period of timber.