LESSONS FOR THE RECOVERY: EVALUATING THE IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE FOREST-BASED RURAL ECONOMY IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

The overall goal of this integrated project is to evaluate the impacts of the Pandemic on forestry and the forest product industry throughout the supply chain, and identify, develop, and disseminate the strategies to revitalize the southern forest-based rural economy in the post-pandemic era. Using the advanced causal inference approaches, this project intends to quantify the pandemic impacts on standing timber markets and forest-based workforce. Furthermore, using various social science tools and techniques, this project will also evaluate the Pandemic impacts on forest landowners, forest management, seasonal migrant workers, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts of the forest product companies in the wake of the Pandemic. The specific objectives are:Evaluate the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on standing roundwood markets, forest landowners, and forest management in the U.S. SouthEstimate the welfare impacts of the Pandemic on local timber markets in the southern statesExamine the pandemic impact on landowners and explore the issues and opportunities in post-pandemic forest management in the U.S. SouthExamine the impacts of the pandemic on forest-based employment and workforce involved in the forestry supply chain in rural southern statesExamine the impacts of the Pandemic on the employment in forest related industries in rural countiesEvaluate the impacts of the Pandemic on seasonal migrant workers (H-2B) involved in forestry operationsInvestigate the impact of the Pandemic on the forest product industry in the U.S. South and their corporate social responsibility (CSR) contribution to local communities during the PandemicTo develop and deliver an Extension program in post-pandemic forest management strategies and rural economic development to promote rural prosperity in forested counties in the U.S. South