Membership matters: comparing members and non-members of NIPF owner organizations in southwest Wisconsin, USA

Abstract

Abstract We surveyed members of two nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owner organizations and non-members in southwest Wisconsin to learn their views and experiences on a range of forest ownership and management issues. The two organizations were the Sustainable Woods Cooperative (SWC) and the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA). Our survey yielded 503 completed questionnaires and a useable response rate of 69.5%. Members and non-members differed little in terms of perceived benefits of forest ownership, concerns over potential barriers to management, recent timber harvest activities and confidence in their management skills. However, members were more likely than non-members to have engaged in a variety of management activities during the last 3 years and more willing to consider future cross-boundary arrangements to benefit land stewardship. Between WWOA and SWC members, there were only two discernable differences, but the organizations are philosophically and structurally different. Given the voluntary nature of participation, no single organization can likely appeal to all owners. Yet, as the importance of landscape-scale management and biodiversity conservation increase, NIPF owner organizations could provide a mechanism for promoting and coordinating cross-boundary forest management practices.