Canadian Forest Service Publications
Measuring community forest-sector dependence: does method matter? 2007. Stedman, R.C.; White, W.A.; Patriquin, M.N.; Watson, D.O. Society and Natural Resources 20(7): 629-646.
Year: 2007
Issued by: Northern Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 27398
Language: English
Availability: Order paper copy (free), PDF (request by e-mail)
Abstract
This study compares four community forest-sector dependence indices available to identify the degree of forest-sector dependence: proportions of employment and income earned in the sector, and economic base calculations that use employment and total income measures. For all four approaches, we use the most recent census data for all census subdivisions in Canada. The findings suggest that the choice of methodology matters in terms of the communities that each index identifies as dependent (based on size, region, and sector differences). The choice of methodology thus has important implications for those studying the well-being of resource-dependent places, as any conclusions drawn about the relationship between forest reliance and well-being are to a degree method dependent.