A bibliography and database on forest benefit valuation studies from Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland – A possible base for a concerted European approach

This article briefly presents the structure and the content of a database on forest valuation studies in France and in the German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland). This database already covers (at least most of) the existing studies in the mentioned countries (presently these are 45 studies from all four countries). The studies are characterised by 46 descriptors for the associated publications, the valuation object, details of the statistical and economic methods applied, the results of the valuation exercise, and some other features of study quality. We propose expanding this database in order to cover further countries, thus developing a comprehensive information base on forest values throughout Europe, and we invite researchers from other countries to contribute to this effort. The database is (and will remain) freely downloadable from the internet in order to ease the access to the existing information. Both decision-making and further research will profit from this information, especially with regard to benefit transfer and meta-analysis approaches.