16A.43
P, N - Determining the Willingness to Pay for Clear Alaskan Birch
Geoffrey Donovan, USDA Forest Service, Sitka, AK
Dichotomous choice survey techniques are used to generate willingness to pay estimates for clear and character marked Alaskan birch cabinet doors.
The existence of price premiums for clear wood at the wholesale level is well established. However, little work has been done to quantify consumer preferences for clear wood, and to identify demographic factors that influence them. To quantify these preferences we have constructed four cabinet doors from Alaskan birch, one from clear wood, one form knotty wood, one from flecked wood and one from spalted wood. Dichotomous choice surveying techniques will be used to collect consumer preference data at two home shows in Anchorage and Fairbanks. These data will be analyzed using a LOGIT model to estimate the willingness to pay for clear wood. This project will give secondary forest product manufacturers a clearer picture of the market for clear versus character wood. In particular, it will provide information on which segments to the population are most amenable to the use of character wood.
New Knowledge, skills, or insights that participants will gain from this session: 1. Quantitative data on consumer preferences for clear versus character wood in furniture manufacturing, 2. An insight into the use of dichotomous choice surveying techniques for quantifying consumer preferences, 3. Information on possible market opportunities for character wood.
Session 16A, Other
Wednesday, 9 October 2002, 1:30 PM-1:30 AM
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