Hunters' perceived value of streamside management zones on private industrial forestland in east Texa

Although streamside management zones (SMZs) are purported to enhance wildlife value of intensively managed forestland, hunters' willingness to pay more to lease forestland containing SMZs has not been studied. Also, how willingness to pay affects financial performance of a forest investment has not been investigated. This study deals with both issues.;Eight hunting clubs were visited during the Fall of 1996 and shown a slide show depicting various pine plantation conditions, each containing either no SMZ, or a narrow or wide SMZ. Hunting club members were asked to indicate how much they were willing to pay to lease these tracts of land. Club members also were asked to indicate their hunting location preference on a map of a hypothetical forest.;74.2% of 196 respondents indicated a SMZ was their preferred hunting location. Mean ($pm$SE) willingness to pay (WTP) for tracts with narrow SMZs was $70.51 $ pm$ $3.49, differing significantly (P $<$.05) from tracts with wide SMZs ($rmbar x = $97.50 pm $4.26).$.;Financial analyses were performed to compare net present value (NPV) of timber income on a forest managed without SMZs to ones managed with a narrow or wide SMZ, adding hunter WTP for SMZs as annual income. The NPV of timber income of a forest managed with a narrow SMZ ranged from $59.86 per acre less to $7.02 per acre more than that of a forest managed with no SMZ. The wide-SMZ alternative was never equal to or greater than the narrow SMZ. Establishment of SMZs results in a reduction NPV of timber income as management intensity, site index and volume assumptions increase.