A typology and history of forest sector economic models.

Summary We define forest sector economic models as models representing the aggregate economic behavior of agents in the forestry-wood industry. In particular, we distinguish them from the microeconomic models of individual decisions developed from the 19th century, notably under the impulse of Martin Faustmann (1849), whose approach was resolutely individual and normative. The construction of aggregate models began in the second half of the 20th century. The objective was to explain the determinants of the fluctuation of wood product prices following the oil shocks of the 1970s. Several modelling trends in the forestry-wood sector developed during this period. This article traces their history and examines the general characteristics of the models that emerged. This exercise is a necessary prerequisite to any in-depth study of these models and allows us to better understand their scope and usefulness. First, we analyze the existing models and construct a typology. This typology distinguishes four families according to methodological and theoretical characteristics. Second, we review the historical development of forest sector modeling and show that the models listed in the first part are based on theories and methodologies developed in several disciplinary fields, from environmental economics to nonlinear programming to research on optimal transport.