Research

Peer-Reviewed Publications

"Substitutability of U.S. and Canadian Softwood Lumber: A Threshold Modeling Approach," with Barry Goodwin, Accepted at Forest Policy and Economics [Link]

An important aspect of the U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Trade Dispute is the substitutability of lumber products between the two countries. Canadian lumber imports are detrimental to the U.S. industry only when the products are substitutes. In such a scenario, the imposition of trade restrictions would have a significant influence on the domestic market. Motivated by this consideration, we investigate dynamic relationships between prices for Spruce-Pine-Fir, a softwood species primarily imported from Canada, and Southern Yellow Pine, one of the most popular softwood species domestically produced in the U.S. We apply threshold models in an evaluation of the degree of substitutability. Our empirical findings indicate that within the +/-$3.4 price differential band, the two lumber products demonstrate a higher degree of substitutability.

"Medium-Term Economic Impacts of Cover Crop Adoption in Maryland," with Yuyuan Che, Roderick Rejesus, Michel Cavigelli, Kathryn White, Serkan Aglasan, Lynn Knight, Curt Dell, David Hollinger, Erin Lane, and Steven Mirsky, Accepted at Soil Security [Link]

This study investigates the medium-term (5-7 years) economic impact of cover crop adoption using plot-level data from field experiments in the state of Maryland. Our results show that cover crops do not have a statistically significant effect on crop yield, fertilizer costs, or pesticide costs, but we find that cover crop use statistically increases field operation and seed expenses. As a result, the private net return from cover crop adoption in the medium term is generally negative based on the Maryland field trial data used in the analysis. This empirical finding suggests that public support through incentive payments may help further incentivize cover crop adoption in the US, which can then provide environmental and ecosystem services that is of benefit to the general public.