Non-industrial private forest owners' preferences for fuel reduction cost-share programs in the southeastern U.S.

Abstract

In the southeastern United States, effective large-scale management of wildfire risk, encompassing both fire occurrence and damage to property or assets, requires the participation of non-industrial private forest landowners (NIPFL) to reduce fuel loads on their land. This research utilizes a survey to assess NIPFL's current management practices, history of wildfire on their property, and willingness to participate in a cost-share program to reduce wildfire risk with a choice experiment. We find 80% of NIPFL have already engaged in some type of fuel reduction practices on their property. When offered a cost-share program to conduct prescribed burns and/or create defensible space, landowners selected to enroll 66% of the time. Results indicate that NIPFL prefer cost-share programs administered by government agencies over those administered by non-governmental agencies. They also prefer programs that require the creation of defensible space instead of the use of prescribed fire. These results provide insights into possible incentive programs to increase wildfire risk management and highlight barriers to participation.