My research examines the intersection of ecosystem services, land and marine conservation, climate change, and environmental policy. I use economic tools to understand how people value environmental benefits and how limited resources can be allocated to achieve conservation and public policy goals. My work combines methodological research with applications developed in collaboration with communities, public agencies, conservation organizations, and researchers from other disciplines.

My main methods include choice experiment surveys, spatial optimization and mathematical programming, experimental economics, and carbon accounting. Students are involved throughout this work, from designing surveys and developing models to analyzing data, presenting findings, and coauthoring publications.

Recent and Ongoing Research

Post-Wildfire Land Management and Water Quality

I am leading a U.S. Forest Service-funded research project to develop a spatial decision-support tool for post-wildfire land management. Working with Forest Service researchers, hydrologists, and ecologists, we combine outputs from the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) with an integer programming model to identify where post-fire treatments can most effectively reduce erosion and protect water quality.

The model evaluates trade-offs between treatment costs and watershed protection goals, helping land managers prioritize sites when resources are limited. This work connects watershed science with economic optimization to support practical decisions about post-fire recovery and water security.

Urban Greenspace Access and Environmental Justice

With Randy Bluffstone, Jake Kennedy, and Jeffrey Kline, I study how people use urban greenspaces, which amenities they value, and what barriers limit their access. Our Portland research examines how these experiences vary across demographic and socioeconomic groups, with the goal of informing more equitable planning and management of parks, forests, and other natural areas.

This work was supported by the U.S. Forest Service, Portland State University, and the Institute for Sustainable Solutions. Our article, Urban greenspace and environmental justice: A conceptual framework and analysis of use, preferred amenities, and barriers in Portland, Oregon, was published in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening in 2026. Read the article.

Nature Prescriptions and Health

I contribute to a research collaboration led by Randy Bluffstone, with colleagues at Oregon Health & Science University and the U.S. Forest Service, examining nature prescriptions: recommendations from clinicians that patients spend time or exercise in natural settings. Pilot randomized controlled trials in Oregon compare nature-based exercise recommendations with conventional exercise recommendations.

The research examines both potential health outcomes and the practical challenges of implementing and evaluating these programs. Findings and lessons from the pilot study were published in Forests in 2025. Read the article.

Cultural and Spiritual Values in Wildlife Conservation

In collaboration with colleagues at the American University of Sharjah and the University of Illinois, I study the cultural and spiritual dimensions of biodiversity conservation among Rabari agro-pastoral communities in Rajasthan, India. The project focuses on relationships between people and leopards, using focus groups and a choice experiment survey to examine preferences for conservation and coexistence with wildlife.

This work brings together economics, ecology, and insights from anthropology to better understand environmental values that are often overlooked in conventional policy analysis. It examines how cultural relationships with wildlife can inform conservation programs and the evaluation of ecosystem services.

National Values for Grassland Restoration

I am part of a collaborative project with researchers at the University of Illinois and the USDA Economic Research Service that uses a nationally representative household survey to estimate preferences and values for grassland restoration. The research is designed to inform conservation policy, including programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program.

This project builds on my earlier research with Amy Ando on grassland restoration in Illinois. That study examined trade-offs among restoration attributes and how the availability of substitute sites affects willingness to pay. The findings were published in Land Economics in 2014. Read the Illinois grassland study.

Valuing Oregon’s Ecosystems

This project estimates the economic value of ecosystem services across Oregon by combining habitat maps from the Institute for Natural Resources with evidence from the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database. Using benefit transfer methods, we examine how ecosystem service values vary across land-cover types and regions of the state.

The research began through an interdisciplinary student honors thesis and provides a starting point for considering ecosystem services in land-use planning, conservation, and environmental management. It also examines the substantial uncertainty involved in transferring values across ecological and geographic settings.

Coastal Climate Adaptation and Conservation

My coastal research examines both public preferences for climate adaptation and the allocation of conservation resources under uncertainty. As a co-principal investigator on a NOAA-funded project, I studied trust and community acceptance of coastal flood mitigation in Oregon.

In related work with Payal Shah, I apply portfolio optimization methods to coastal land conservation in New England. This approach considers how conservation investments can be distributed across sites when future conditions are uncertain. It builds on earlier work with student collaborator Meagan Hennessey examining conservation choices under sea-level rise in Maine, published in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review in 2017.

Carbon Accounting and Industrial Decarbonization

I work with Randy Bluffstone, Beth Gilden, and colleagues at PSU’s Center for Public Service to support the City of Portland’s industrial decarbonization efforts. This research applies carbon accounting and program evaluation methods to track emissions and assess the impacts and benefits of investments in cleaner industrial activity.

Other carbon accounting projects have examined the Oregon Country Fair and industrial hemp. Working with the Institute for Sustainable Solutions and student researchers, we assessed emissions associated with the Fair’s travel, energy, water, and waste activities to identify opportunities for reduction. Our hemp research evaluates carbon storage and emissions across production and use, including the potential role of hemp-based building materials as alternatives to conventional materials.

Climate Risk, Insurance, and Conservation Incentives

With Arnab Mitra and Forrest Williams, I use experimental economics to study how drought risk, insurance, and inspections affect compliance with payments for ecosystem services (PES) contracts. This work grew out of research on forest conservation programs and classroom exercises exploring the incentives faced by participating landholders.

Our experiments examine how conservation programs can function under environmental uncertainty and how enforcement and insurance affect participants’ decisions. Findings from this work were published in Behavioural Economics and the Environment in 2023. Related collaboration through the Environment for Development network examines insurance and conservation incentives in Tanzania.

Local Economic Impacts of Hemp and Shale Gas Development

With student collaborator K. Nester and Grace Arnold, I examine the local economic impacts of industrial hemp cultivation using policy changes associated with the 2018 Farm Bill. This research uses a natural experiment to investigate how changes in agricultural opportunities affect local economies.

Earlier work with Brendan Cosgrove, Dan LaFave, and Michael Donihue studied shale gas development along the New York–Pennsylvania border. Using differences in regulation following New York’s moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, we examined effects on employment and wages. The study found gains in some sectors alongside offsetting changes elsewhere, with no statistically significant effects on total local employment or wages. The findings were published in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review in 2015.

Conservation and Ecosystem Service Research

Forest Conservation, REDD+, and Improved Cookstoves

In collaboration with Randy Bluffstone and researchers in Nepal, Ethiopia, and other partner institutions, I use choice experiment surveys to study preferences for forest conservation contracts and payments to reduce deforestation. This work examines the opportunity costs of participation, trade-offs among program requirements, and the role of community-managed forestry.

Related research examines preferences for improved cookstoves, their potential contribution to climate mitigation, and the health effects of adoption. Outputs include an article on community-managed forests in Nepal, multiple World Bank working papers and policy briefs, and a study of the health impacts of improved biomass cookstoves published in World Development in 2021.

Additional work examines how preferences change with experience and how respondents attend to different attributes in choice experiments. See selected working papers.

Indigenous Land Rights in the Peruvian Amazon

With Allen Blackman, Adan Martinez-Cruz, Leonardo Corral, and Maja Schling, I use a choice experiment with leaders of Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon to examine preferences for land titles. The research considers the value of secure land rights, the inclusion of culturally important land, and the role of Indigenous representatives in the titling process.

The study provides evidence on the benefits of titling and on how the design of titling programs affects community preferences. The article was published in Land Economics in 2024. Read the article.

Restoring Ancient Irrigation Systems in Sri Lanka

With Shamen Vidanage and IUCN-Sri Lanka, I study the restoration of small tank cascade systems: interconnected irrigation reservoirs that have supported agriculture and communities in Sri Lanka for centuries. These systems provide benefits extending beyond irrigation, including water security, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services.

Our research uses choice experiments to understand preferences for restoration and to compare monetary payments with contributions of labor. This comparison addresses an important challenge in environmental valuation where household income may not fully reflect people’s ability or willingness to contribute to conservation.

The research has informed cost-benefit analysis of restoration and resulted in a chapter in Agricultural Policy Analysis in 2022 and an article in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review in 2023. Read the book chapter.

Green Roofs, Riparian Restoration, and Urban Connectivity

My green infrastructure research examines environmental benefits that are often missing from market prices. With Noelwah Netusil, Amy Ando, and student collaborators, I have used choice experiments to estimate the public benefits of green roofs, including stormwater management, urban cooling, and support for pollinators. This work was published in Landscape and Urban Planning in 2022.

A related study examined whether presenting images alongside text in choice experiments changes respondents’ choices and estimated values. Published in Q Open in 2023, it contributes to the design of stated-preference surveys and the interpretation of their results.

With Clean Water Services and colleagues at PSU, I also study the ecosystem service benefits of riparian tree planting in Oregon’s Tualatin watershed. The research examines public willingness to pay for benefits associated with restoring streamside forests, including improvements in water quality. Student collaborators Rondi Schei and Gilbert Kiggundu contributed to this work.

In interdisciplinary collaborations on urban connectivity, I have contributed to frameworks linking habitat, geophysical, and social connections to more resilient urban landscapes. This research was published in Landscape Ecology and Ecology and Society in 2022.

Marine Conservation and Sustainable Seafood

With Payal Shah and collaborators, I study preferences for coral reef conservation and marine protected areas in Okinawa, Japan. This research examines how management arrangements, including community involvement, influence public support for conservation. Outputs include a book chapter on marine protection and a PLOS ONE article published in 2019.

Related research examines how changing perceptions of environmental baselines affect willingness to pay for conservation, as well as visitor preferences for conservation and facilities at Hikkaduwa Marine National Park in Sri Lanka.

With Loren McClenachan and student collaborators Taylor Witkin and Jackie Chen, I have also studied consumer preferences for underutilized seafood and seafood labels that incorporate social as well as environmental sustainability. These projects resulted in publications in Fisheries Research in 2015 and Fish and Fisheries in 2016.

Spatial Conservation Planning and Reserve Design

My spatial conservation research develops optimization models that account for ecological processes, land costs, competing land uses, and management constraints. With Hayri Önal and collaborators, I have examined conservation planning within military installations, species relocation, compact and connected reserve design, and the protection of multiple species that share habitat.

One strand of this work considers how conservation decisions can change nearby land values and therefore affect the cost of acquiring additional sites. Our dynamic reserve design model was published in Ecological Economics in 2011. Read the article.

Other studies incorporate functional connectivity into conservation planning, with applications published in PLOS ONE in 2020 and Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution in 2021. In an interdisciplinary collaboration, I also helped develop a framework that accounts for human threats and enforcement when selecting protected areas. That study was published in Conservation Biology. Read the protected-areas study.

Public Preferences for National Parks

Working with the Natural Resources Council of Maine and student collaborators, I studied preferences for a proposed national park in Maine’s North Woods. The research examined how potential visitors valued different features of the proposed park and informed discussions surrounding the designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

A study of out-of-state visitor preferences was published in Maine Policy Review in 2016.

Other Applications of Economic Modeling

My broader modeling work has explored environmental taxation, spatially targeted renewable energy subsidies, externalities affecting hydropower, and optimal school districting. Research with Hector Núñez examines land conservation and taxation when environmental benefits and externalities interact. These projects extend the resource allocation and policy tools used in my conservation research to other public decision-making problems.

Research on Teaching and Student Engagement

Games and Simulation Models for Environmental Economics

I develop and study teaching tools that allow students to explore environmental policy through decisions, trade-offs, and interaction. These include classroom games on land conservation, payments for ecosystem services and tropical deforestation, fisheries bycatch, and ecosystem-based adaptation. I have also published research on using STELLA simulation models to teach natural resource economics.

This work connects teaching with research on incentives, uncertainty, enforcement, and resource management. Publications have appeared in the Journal of Economic Education, Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, and Applied Economics Teaching Resources. With Sarah Jacobson, I also examined lessons from Thomas Tietenberg’s teaching and mentoring in an article published in the International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics in 2023.

Students as Research Collaborators

Working with students is a central part of my research program. Undergraduate and graduate students have helped design surveys, develop models, analyze data, and communicate findings to academic and practitioner audiences. Many projects have grown from class assignments, honors theses, or master’s research and developed into conference presentations and coauthored publications.

I value these collaborations both for their contributions to research and for the opportunities they create for students to develop skills, explore new questions, and prepare for graduate study and professional work. Read more about student research.

For additional publications and professional information, please see my bio and CV or selected working papers.