JOHN F. DWYER DAVID J. NOWAK, MARY HEATHER NOBLE, AND SUSAN M. SISINNIU.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICERANDALL S. ROSENBERGER AND JOHN B. LOOMISBenefit Transfer of OutdoorRecreation Use ValuesBenefit Transfer of OutdoorRecreation Use ValuesA Technical Document Supporting theForest Service Strategic Plan (2000 Revision)A Technical Document Supporting theForest Service Strategic Plan (2000 Revision)AbstractRosenberger, Randall S.; Loomis, John B. 2001. Benefit transfer of outdoor recreation usevalues: A technical document supporting the Forest Service Strategic Plan (2000 revision).Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-72. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,Rocky Mountain Research Station. 59 p.We present an annotated bibliography that provides information on and reference to the literature onoutdoor recreation use valuation studies. This information is presented by study source, benefitmeasures, recreation activity, valuation methodology, and USDA Forest Service region. Tables areprovided that reference the bibliography for each activity, enabling easy location of studies. Theliterature review spans 1967 to 1998 and covers 21 recreation activities plus a category for wildernessrecreation. There are 163 individual studies referenced, providing 760 benefit measures. Guidelines areprovided for applying the various benefit transfer methods. Benefit transfer is the use of past empiricalbenefit estimates to assess and analyze current management and policy actions. Several theoreticaland empirical issues to applying benefit transfers are identified for use in judging the relevance andcredibility of transferring specific measures. Four benefit transfer models are discussed, including valuetransfers (single point estimates, average values) and function transfers (demand and benefit functionsand meta analysis benefit function). A simple example application is followed throughout the discussionof the various benefit transfer methods. A decision tree is provided as a framework for determining howto obtain benefit measures for recreation activities.Keywords: Benefit transfer, meta-analysis, outdoor recreation use valuesFinal Report for the USDA Forest Service under Research Joint Venture Agreement #RMRS-98132-RJVA, “Theories and methods for measuring environmental values and modelingconsumer and policy decision processes”: Objective #4, “Benefit transfer.”AuthorsRandall S. Rosenberger is Assistant Professor, Regional Research Institute and Division of ResourceManagement, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506.John B. Loomis is Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado StateUniversity, Fort Collins, CO 80523.You may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailinginformation in label form through one of the following media. Please specify thepublication title and number.Telephone (970) 498-1392FAX (970) 498-1396E-mail [email protected] on the Web http://www.fs.fed.us/rmMailing Address Publications DistributionRocky Mountain Research Station240 West Prospect RoadFort Collins, CO 80526Benefit Transfer of Outdoor Recreation UseValues: A Technical Document Supportingthe Forest Service Strategic Plan (2000Revision)Randall S. RosenbergerJohn B. LoomisContentsExecutive Summary ......................................................................................... 1Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ 1Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2Data ............................................................................................................ 2Literature Review Efforts, Past and Present.............................................. 2Data Sources and Coding Procedures ...................................................... 3Benefit Transfer: Issues ................................................................................... 3What Is a Benefit Transfer? ....................................................................... 3Conditions for Performing Benefit Transfers ............................................. 4Potential Limitations of Benefit Transfers .................................................. 5Validity and Reliability of Benefit Transfers ............................................... 6Benefit Transfer Methods .......................................................................... 6Benefit Estimates ............................................................................................. 7What Are They and What Do They Mean?................................................ 7How Are the Study Site Values Estimated? .............................................. 8Benefit Transfer: Methods and Application ...................................................... 9Value Transfers ......................................................................................... 9Benefit Function Transfers ...................................................................... 14Recommendations and Guidance to Field Users........................................... 24References Cited ........................................................................................... 26Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography of Outdoor RecreationUse Valuation Studies, 1967 to 1998 ................................................. 28Appendix B: Summary of Multi-Estimate Studies in Appendix A,Annotated Bibliography ...................................................................... 44Appendix C: References to Appendix A Annotated BibliographyEntries by Recreation Activity............................................................. 55Executive Summary1USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-72. 2001Executive SummaryThis document serves four purposes: (1) it pro-vides access to the literature on recreation use val-ues; (2) it provides guidelines for conducting benefittransfers; (3) it provides a review of benefit transferapproaches; and (4) it provides a meta analysis ofthe recreation use value literature for use in benefittransfers. Benefit transfer is the application of datafrom a study site to a policy site. A study site is aplace for which we have recreation value data col-lected through primary research. Primary researchprovides content- and context-specific estimates ofrecreation value for a site. A policy site is a place forwhich