ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF MINNESOTA PEATLAND DEVELOPMENT

Existing peatland development and future uses for peat are described and evaluated in this report. Scenarios for future development of the study area peat industry are described in terms of employment, earnings, capital investment, and value of production. Forecasts of the potential impacts of peatland development on regional industry production, employment, earnings, and population are presented. These impacts are determined by using SIMLAB, an acronym for a regional socio-economic computer model developed at the University of Minnesota for quantitative analysis of the direct, indirect and induced socio-economic effects of events like peatland development.