Regional Studies

Deschutes County
For many years, Central Oregon was known for its great tourism, high quality of life, and booming economy. The recent national recession, however, revealed a number of weaknesses in this new economy. The report analyzes the economic and fiscal challenges facing Deschutes County and provides recommendations to improve economic prospects.

The Three Wests
Research shows that there are three distinctly different types of counties in the West, defined by their access to major markets and population centers. This web-based interactive tool will help community leaders learn more about their county, compare it to others, and consider what other counties have done as future policy options.

Clearwater Basin Collaborative
The Clearwater Basin Collaborative is a diverse group of regional interests working together to craft a plan for the protection, use, and management of national forest land within the Clearwater Basin in Idaho. Click here to access resources and information.

Atlas of Bison Conservation
The Atlas of Bison Conservation helps organizations and agencies prioritize where bison restoration might take place. The Atlas also will help users improve their understanding of the economic and demographic conditions in specific areas.

Fiscal Impact of the Montana Legacy Project
New studies review the fiscal impact on Lake and Mineral counties of the Montana Legacy Project, a proposal to purchase 310,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber company land and transfer it to state, federal, and private ownership. Public ownership of working-forest lands in western Montana yields net fiscal benefits, according to the studies.

Sequoia National Forest Workshop
October 15 & 16, 2008
Headwaters Economics conducted a public workshop titled "Know your Social and Economic Situation" for the Sequoia National Forest and members of the public. The following day, we held a training workshop for Forest Service Region 5 staff titled "Working with Socioeconomic Information and Tools". For details about the workshops, discussion notes, and economic analysis, click here.

Land Use Effects of Paving Rural Roads
This report, a first step toward understanding how paving rural roads impacts land use, reviewed eight projects in western Montana and found that—for the majority of the roads studied (six of eight)--road paving was followed by an increase in the rate of residential development on surrounding lands. Headwaters soon expects to conduct a larger study. Click here to download report (3.7MB pdf).

Ranchland Ownership in Okanogan County, WA
This report (1.9MB pdf), Land Ownership Change and the Ranching Ecoconomy in the Okanogan Valley and Eastern Okanogan County, Washington focuses on fragmentation and turnover in large, agricultural properties and the local effects of these trends. The maps in this report will print best at high resolution. Please contact the author for a 22MB high-resolution version.

The Economy of the Gila Region
This report (2 Meg screen-optimized .pdf) explores the question of whether and how rural, isolated communities can benefit from being gateways to large expanses of public lands. The Gila Region in southern New Mexico and Arizona, with 63 percent of the land in public ownership, is selected as a case study.

The Changing Economy of Southeast Alaska
This resource explores the economic conditions of Southeast Alaska, and highlights challenges and opportunities.

The Potential Economic Impacts
of the Badlands Wilderness in Central Oregon
This report explores the question of whether and how designation of the Badlands as Wilderness would benefit the communities and economy of Central Oregon, including Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties.

The Union Pacific Railroad Line,
Timber and Southwest Montana
This report (.pdf) examines the importance of southwest Montana timber to the Union Pacific Railroad line in the state, and the significance of the Union Pacific Railroad as a mode of transportation for lumber and wood products manufacturers in the region.

Timber, Restoration Forestry and Wilderness in Northeast Washington
This report examines northeast Washington's communities and economy to determine the possible impacts of the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition's "Blueprint" proposal for managing National Forest lands in the region.

Atlas of the Northwest
The Atlas of the Northwest shows areas with high ecological importance, regions where the pace and scale of human activities put pressure on natural resources, and places where there are encouraging opportunities to conserve important natural resources.

Santa Fe National Forest Workshop, March 26, 2007
Headwaters Economics hosted a public workshop titled "Know your Social and Economic Situation" for the Santa Fe National Forest. For details about the workshop, discussion notes, and economic analysis, click here.