Une méthode cartographique d’évaluation qualitative de la valeur globale des forêts de montagne

A MAPPING METHOD FOR QUALITATIVELY ASSESSING THE OVERALL VALUE OF MOUNTAIN FORESTS The purpose of the mapping method for qualitatively assessing the overall value of mountain forests is to offset the limitations of traditional economic evaluation techniques that fail to consider non-monetary factors and externalities. It consists in attributing an overall score that measures the “economic quality of wooded spaces” derived from a scoring system for the various contributors to the quality, i.e., wood production, protective capacity against soil erosion and esthetic contribution to the landscape. This technique for qualitative economic valuation is applied, by way of illustration, to mountain forests in the province of Turin. A series of maps are presented and commented on in succession. Future improvements to the method are suggested to account for other functions of wooded mountain areas, compute all its benefits in monetary terms and model the effects of spatial planning policies.