Family Forest Owners Research Articles

Potentials of Forestry Extension Encounters: A Conversation Analysis Approach

This article assesses co-operative features of forestry advising encounters with an emphasis on their pedagogical positioning. The study argues that only an in-depth analysis can reveal the multifaceted nature of the advisory interaction and provide systematic justifications for extension service enhancement. Authentic video recordings of advisory encounters between a forestry extension advisor (FEA) and family forest owners (FFOs) are scrutinized using the qualitative approach of conversation analysis and the initiation–response–evaluation pedagogical sequence model. Although the actual interplay of the participants was founded on a distinct role differentiation (i.e. teacher–student), situational and contingent variations between formal and informal positioning emerged. The FFOs proved active in making initiatives (e.g. posing questions) and thus influencing the agenda of the meetings, whereas the FEA’s speech turns were mostly used to restore the conventional hierarchical positioning. However, the results show that expert-directed service and customer-orientated services are not mutually exclusive. Effective forestry advisory practice is a rather socially motivated action embodied with talk and other means of communication. Thus the current emphasis on Internet-based services provides only halfway solutions, because virtual guidance lacks many of the interactive elements provided in face-to-face advisory encounters.

Variations in the Social Networks of Forest Owners: The Effect of Management Activity, Resource Professionals, and Ownership Size

Social networks play an important role in the communication of information among forest owners and how owners process that information in making land management decisions. This article examines variations in the social network characteristics of family forest owners using survey data and interviews with 42 owners in south-central Indiana. We examine how network structure and content vary by harvesting activity, information sources, ownership attributes, sociodemographic characteristics, and location. Quantitative measures of network size and diversity, along with a qualitative understanding of network content and function are discussed and compared for active and passive forest managers. We find that active managers (people who had a recent timber harvest) had at least twice as many social ties related to forest management compared to passive managers, particularly after accounting for parcel ownership size, forest area, and total landholding size. Learning and service were the main functions of these networks, with learning being the most frequently cited reason for talking to others regardless of the management profile of forest owners. The study contributes to a growing interest in mixed-methods approaches to network studies and research on social networks in private forestry.

Extension Forestry in the United States: Master Volunteer and Other Peer-Learning Programs

Extension Forestry has long acted as a medium for landowner education and engagement through a variety of programs that encourage peer learning. We describe recent trends and innovations in Extension Forestry programming by reporting the results of surveys and focus groups with the managers of 39 (of 42 identified) Extension Forestry master volunteer and other peer-learning programs. These programs combine instruction from experts with peer learning and volunteerism to provide nonformal adult education for family forest owners. Results indicate that Extension Forestry peer-learning programs are evolving to address emerging issues and to use recent developments in communication and educational technologies, such as online programming and social media. With median annual budgets of just over $10,000, several programs target small and often underserved segments of the landowner population, such as women and absentee landowners. Although program outputs and demands for service are increasing, many program managers face reduced budgets and a variety of challenges to program sustainability.

Family forest owners and federal taxes

Focus groups were conducted with family forest owners to investigate the effect of government tax policies on their decisions regarding their land. Two groups each were held in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Washington, USA, one with owners enrolled in the state preferential property tax program for forested land and one with owners who were not so enrolled. Each focus group consisted of 8–10 owners and lasted approximately 2h. Overall, only two beneficial federal income tax provisions (treatment of timber income as a long-term capital gain and timber depletion deductions) and five federal estate tax provisions (the effective exemption for estates, the annual exclusion for gifts, use of a will, the step-up in basis for inherited assets, and the effective exemption for gifts) were brought up in over half of the groups. Groups composed of tax program enrollees tended to discuss federal income tax provisions more distinct times than those composed of tax program non-enrollees, and tended to be familiar with more federal estate tax provisions; otherwise, there was little difference between them. Misconceptions about tax provisions were common. As well, groups in every region noted the negative effects of tax uncertainty and that not all professionals are knowledgeable about federal taxes as they apply to family forest owners.

West Virginia Woodland Welcome Wagon: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation in Three Priority Areas

The majority of West Virginia's forested land is owned by private family forest owners. It is essential that natural resources professionals work with and support these individuals as they establish their ideal woodlands and sustain ecosystem services, which are at risk from parcelization and fragmentation. The West Virginia Woodland Welcome Wagon was carried out in three priority areas to connect new landowners with natural resources professionals. Over the course of 6 months, absentee landowners, landowners with fewer than 50 acres, and those interested in socializing with other woodland owners were found to be more likely to participate in the project.

Learning from Landowners: Examining the Role of Peer Exchange in Private Landowner Outreach through Landowner Networks

More than one-third of forested land in the United States is owned by individuals or families, making these lands a significant source of the nation's forest resources and services. Yet investments in traditional expert-led outreach efforts, including financial incentive programs and technical assistance for management plan development, have failed to engage the vast majority of U.S. forest landowners. Through case studies of five diverse landowner networks, this study explored peer exchange among landowners as an alternative means of fostering engagement. Sixty-one in-depth interviews revealed common themes across cases that contributed to landowner participation and learning, including maintaining an atmosphere conducive to social learning, emphasis on local information and hands-on learning, and access to rich networks that include both practical peer-derived information and trusted technical expert-derived information. These findings enrich existing landowner engagement theory by offering insight into landowner networks as an avenue for serving an ever-growing population of family forest owners.

Private landowner intent to supply woody feedstock for bioenergy production

In this research, we evaluated the intent of engaged private forest landowners to supply woody biomass for bioenergy production. The study was conducted in a U.S. state (Kentucky) where private individuals own a majority (78%) of the state's forest resources. Intent of family forest owners was measured using a mail-based survey. We used the Theory of Planned Behavior to model factors that affect landowner intention, and we tested the effect of educational materials on participates' reported intent. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that they intend to include energy wood in future harvests, but the educational material treatment did not affect intentions. Respondents' attitudes, perceived subjective norms, and perceived control each had a significant effect on intent to harvest. No demographic or land ownership characteristics had an effect on behavioral intent. The only prior harvest activity that significantly increased intent was whether the subject had harvested pulpwood from their forest in the past. Respondents identified barriers that may prevent them from harvesting energy wood, providing forestry professionals with a list of challenges to overcome if supply is to be maximized. Lack of bioenergy markets and woodland access issues were the most frequently reported barriers.

The Size of Forest Holding/Parcelization Problem in Forestry: A Literature Review

In the early nonindustrial private forest (family forest) research literature, size of forest holding was identified as a critical variable impacting the propensity of family forest owners to invest in and manage small forest properties. This literature discusses relationships between size of forest holding and variables like forest owners’ financial and asset positions, forest management objectives, use of a forest management plan and professional forestry advice, and use of forestry cost-share funding. Since then, the literature has expanded and now relates to the major problem of forest parcelization. We reviewed this literature for historical themes, technical considerations, and continuing ownership problems, emphasizing the current circumstances of forest parcelization and its historical roots in the size of forest holding problem. Many of the sociological, economic, financial, and technical relationships identified earlier as foundations of the size of forest holding problem are shown to be also fundamental to the parcelization problem in forestry. We suggest that today’s parcelization issues are partially a continuation of the size of forest holding problem and that earlier research may be relevant to parcelization problems. We provide a detailed literature review that relates parcelization to the size of forest holding problem.

Family Forest Owners and Climate Change: Understanding, Attitudes, and Educational Needs

Twenty-four focus groups were held throughout the Pacific Northwest to assess family forest owners’ perceptions, understanding, and educational needs related to climate change and its potential impacts on family-owned forests. Participants cited many information sources and often referenced personal observations and connections. Perceptions of climate science were mixed, but skepticism was common, particularly regarding the extent to which research is driven by politics, money, or ideology. Participants were uncertain about possible climate change impacts but expressed concern about both biophysical and sociopolitical dimensions. Most participants did not expect to make significant changes to their management in anticipation of climate change. However, many participants wanted to learn more about climate change and how it might affect their forests. Results of these focus groups should provide insights for integrating climate science into extension programming in a variety of contexts, and suggestions for future extension programming are presented.

Family Forest Owners’ Motivation to Control Understory Vegetation: Implications for Consulting Forestry

Forest vegetation management has evolved as a recognized component of intensive forest management practice. It involves the management of competing vegetation necessary to obtain the high yields expected in modern forest plantations via control of interfering plants that influence regeneration outcome, impact timber stand development, and limit native plant and wildlife diversity. It includes cultural control, fire control, mechanical control, biological control, and chemical control. The public perception of forest vegetation management, especially chemical control, is sometimes negative due to health and environmental concerns. It is an important tool in the forest management alternatives available to consulting foresters managing family forest lands (the vast majority of private forest land in the United States). We report on a study that addresses the motivations of family forest owners that implement forest vegetation management practices and the motivation of those who chose not to implement after forester recommendations to do so. For those who do implement forest vegetation management, improvement of wildlife habitat and increased timber growth was the main motivation. For those who did not, cost was the main concern. Size of forest holding plays a major role in determining who will practice intensive forestry.

An assessment of forest landowner interest in selling forest carbon credits in the Lake States, USA

The nation's family forest lands can be an important contributor to carbon sequestration efforts. Yet very little is known about how family forest landowners view programs that enable them to sell carbon credits generated from the growth of their forest and the compensation that would be required to encourage a meaningful level of participation. To address this information gap, we conducted a study to identify and quantify family forest landowner interest in participating in a voluntary carbon market trading program in the Lake States, USA. A mail survey was administered to 2,200 randomly selected family forest owners in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The questionnaire assessed landowner interest in participating in a hypothetical carbon credit trading program and sought information on landowner objectives and practices, perspectives on carbon credit programs and forest land characteristics. A total of 850 usable responses were received. A logistic regression model was developed to examine the factors affecting participation in a forest carbon offset project by family forest owners and estimate landowner participation probability. Results show that carbon program characteristics alongside landowner and parcel characteristics are associated with the decision to participate in a carbon credit program. Specifically, carbon credit payment amount, contract length, gender, value placed on other non-market forest amenities, need for additional income, attitude towards climate change, absentee status, land tenure and total acres owned were found to be significant determinants. Our findings indicate that carbon sequestration management may align with the ownership goals of many family forest owners in the Lake States.

Taxing Family Forest Owners: Implications of Federal and State Policies in the United States

Taxes are a prominent policy tool and one of a number of factors that have the potential to influence the decisions of the millions of family forest owners across the United States. After a literature review, tax policies most relevant to family forest owners were catalogued, preferential property tax program administrators were surveyed, focus groups with family forest owners and forestry/conservation professionals were held, and results were synthesized with the aid of experts. The results suggest that tax policies, in and of themselves, are not causing forest owners to take unplanned actions such as prematurely selling their land or harvesting trees. However, in combination with other factors, tax policies, especially property tax policies, can influence ownership and forest management decisions. Preferential forest property tax policies exist across the United States, but a general lack of awareness, confusion, and misinformation about these programs and their often complicated and/or restrictive requirements are preventing them from reaching their full potential.

Diffusion of voluntary protection among family forest owners: Decision process and success factors

The ongoing forest biodiversity protection programme in Finland (METSO) relies on voluntary participation of family forest owners. Even though the programme has gained wide acceptability among owners, compared to traditional conservation such as land acquisition, more owners need to be engaged. In this study, we examined how the new protection measures have diffused among forest owners. This analysis will help find means to promote the protection among owners who could but have not yet participated. The theoretical background is innovation diffusion. We focused on the communication channels and attributes of innovation that would be important for the rest of the adopters. Data were gathered from owners who have protected their forests in the eastern part of Finland. The results showed that the idea of protection has reached forest owners mainly via certain advisors of a regional Forestry Centre or via forestry magazines and newspapers. In the future, it is important that the advisors of local Forest Management Associations and employees of timber buying companies promote the programme more, since they are the most familiar forestry experts for many owners. In addition, it would be necessary to increase the role of peer forest owners and enhance the visibility of protected areas. Highlighting the rationality and ease of protection to potential adopters is important.

A National Assessment of Public Recreational Access on Family Forestlands in the United States

Private forestlands in the United States are important for public recreation, but access to them may be threatened. Using the US Forest Service's National Woodland Owner Survey, we examined the following questions: (1) How prevalent is public recreational access on family forestland? (2) What influences whether a family forest owner allows public access? (3) Are there regional differences in the supply of public access? We found the provision of public access was modest, with 15% of respondents allowing it. Factors positively correlated with public access provision included owning more forestland, being a resident owner, owning an associated farm/ranch, participating in leasing or timber management activities, possessing a management plan, and allowing private recreational access. Negative factors included posting one's land, having privacy concerns, owning land for hunting, and being an older or more educated owner. Compared with landowners in the North, Southern landowners were less likely and Rocky Mountain landowners more likely to provide public access. Our results raise the question of whether family forest landowners are responsive to public access incentive programs.

Reimagining Family Forest Conservation: Estimating Landowner Awareness and Their Preparedness to Act with the Conservation Awareness Index

land between 1982 and 2007 (USDA 2009a). As average parcel size shrinks and development pressure increases land values, timber harvesting revenues alone can not keep up with the costs (i.e., property taxes) of family forest ownership (D’Amato et al. 2010) and selling all or part of one’s land becomes the primary way to generate income from it (Finley and Kittredge 2006). Forty-four percent of family forests are owned by people 65 years of age or older and 23% of family forests are owned by people who say they intend to sell or transfer their land in the next 5 years (Butler 2008). With a significant proportion of forestland poised to change hands in the near future, a growing number of family forest owners will decide whether or not it stays forested. Conventional Metrics of Private Forest Conservation Commonly, private forest conservation progress is estimated by tracking the number of acres and landowners with forest management plans (USDA 2009b) because it is assumed that owners with plans for their properties are prepared to make informed land decisions. Despite decades of program promotion, only 4% of US family forest owners have written forest management plans (Butler 2008) and the Forest Service reports that just 2% of the 130 million ac of private forests in the northern United States have plans (USDA 2009b). At this rate of adoption it will take 144 years for all private forest owners in this region to have plans (Kittredge 2009). Such low participation suggests a disconnect between formal management programs and most landowners’ interests, raising doubts about the effectiveness of management plans at informing most landowner decisions and estimating broadscale conservation progress. Survey research indicates that for most landowners, their land meets their needs by providing privacy, scenery, and recreation, without active planning or management (Jones et al. 1995, Finley and Kittredge 2006, Bengston et al. 2009). Plans that include or emphasize active management are misaligned with these nonconsumptive values. Most family forest owners choose to forgo formal land planning because of its perceived irrelevance to their interests and instead only think about their land reactively when a decision needs to be made (Kittredge 2004). Consequently, these decisions are often made without adequate information or professional advice. In Massachusetts, e.g., 85% of landowners owning 79% of private forests are making critical land decisions without the guidance of management plans (Kittredge et al. 2008). We have developed a new tool for assessing landowners’ awareness of land options that offers an alternative way to measure forest conservation progress. Foundations of a New Forest Conservation Metric The Conservation Awareness Index (CAI), measures family forest owner familiarity with land options and estimates their preparedness to make informed decisions about their land. Other research has focused on landowner attitudes and motivations to predict participation in conservation programs (Mercker and Hodges 2007, Fletcher et al. 2009) and policies (Janota and Broussard 2008), but no prior research has quantified private landowner awareness of available conservation tools, practices, and sources of information. The CAI is designed to measure awareness as a behavioral precursor rather than to directly report or predict proconservation behavior. Behavioral theory supports the role of awareness and knowledge in producing behavioral change. According to the theory of bounded rationality (Simon 1991) and knowledge deficit theory (Schultz 2002), behavioral decisions are limited by information and knowledge. Consequently, acquiring knowledge about why or how to do something may compel behavioral change. Although most researchers agree that other factors influence behavior, such as intention, self-efficacy, emotion, and social context (Schneider and Cheslock 2003), awareness and knowledge remain foundational to decisionmaking. The awareness, knowledge, attitude, and practice behavioral change ladder (Anyaegbunam et al. 2004) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen 1991) outline how basic awareness of a behavior leads to acquiring more knowledge about it, which may improve one’s attitude toward it and ultimately lead to its adoption. Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations theory explains how new ideas and technologies spread through society when individuals first gain knowledge of the innovation, and then gather information about it, evaluate its merits, and finally implement and confirm it. Importantly, this theory stresses the influence of social norms and opinion leaders on innovation adoption. By assessing different components of conservation awareness, including elements of peer influence, the CAI is constructed to discern meaningful intermediate steps toward proconservation behavior and serves as an indicator of decisionmaking preparedness.

Customer Segments Among Family Forest Owners: Combining Ownership Objectives and Decision-Making Styles

Empirical forest owner classifications typically distinguish groups based on owners’ behaviour or motivations. Typologies are used to inform forest and environmental policies and market-based service provision. However, single typologies may be weak in discerning owner groups that would bring new insights for policymakers or service providers. The present study aims to put together two previously documented owner classification frameworks to form and analyse customer segments for decision-support services. The first grouping is based on owners’ objectives for forest ownership, while the second grouping focuses on owners’ decision-making styles. These two typologies deal with subjects of interest and motivations for communication, respectively. The study uses a subsample of the Finnish Forest Owner 2010 survey data, collected in 2009 (n = 2,106). Via cross-tabulation of the two groupings, the four largest and potentially most interesting combined owner groups are discerned: multiobjective learners (13 %), multiobjective thinkers (9 %), learning recreationists (8 %) and learning investors (7 %), while the other 16 combined groups each account for less than 6 % of owners. The result thus reveals the need for learning-oriented services for three differing principal subjects of interest as well as multiobjective services for deliberate thinkers, i.e. comparative information about forest management alternatives. The message for policymakers and service providers is that the majority of forest owners may be served with educative interactive services. Learning-oriented indifferent owners need special services to recognize their latent goals. Delegators need ready-made services for outsourced decision making and self-reliant owners need information packages of varying contents. Combinations of groups prove feasible for producing policy advice.

Parcelization and Land Use: A Case Study in the New York City Watershed

Over 75% of the New York City Watershed is forested, and the majority of the land is owned by family forest owners. Ownership fragmentation and development may impact both the working forested landscape and water quality. We surveyed the owners of intact and subdivided family forest parcels across various parcel sizes to gauge their awareness of forest management practices and to assess the potential property-level impacts of their activities on water quality. To support the landowner survey, we used field data on forest stocking and timber quality gathered at each property. Results indicate that owners of large parcels (>50 ac) had significantly higher water quality awareness scores than did owners of small parcels and were more likely to have a written forest management plan. Full-time resident owners were more likely to engage in practices that may negatively impact water quality more directly, such as adding structures and a driveway, which increases impervious surface area and associated runoff, and using additives on their lawns, which can add nutrients and chemicals to surface water.

Customer value of decision support services among Finnish family forest owners – a discrete choice experiment

Customer value of decision support services among Finnish family forest owners – a discrete choice experiment

Certification of family forests: What influences owners’ awareness and participation?

In the United States, 35% of the forestland is owned by family forest owners with approximately 0.2% of this land reported to be enrolled in a forest certification system. The current study was conducted to provide insights into factors influencing family forest owners’ decisions to certify their lands. The bivariate probit model with sample selection results suggests that receiving professional advice regarding the forestlands and having a written management or stewardship plan had the highest positive marginal effects on awareness of certification programs and participation in these programs. Non-timber objectives had negative marginal effects on awareness of certification programs.

Factors affecting enlargement of family forest holdings

This study contributes to the research of enlargement – a counterforce of parcelization – of forest holdings. To help planning policy measures aiming at increased average size of forest holdings, we study the characteristics of family forest owners who acquired additional forestland area during the years 2004–2008. Increases of forestland area due to purchases on the open market, purchases from parents or other relatives, inheritance or gift are studied. Survey data, containing information of 6318 forest owners, are analyzed with logistic regression analysis in order to establish a relationship between the probability of increasing the forestland area and the characteristics of landowners. The results indicate that young male owners, who appreciate economic values of the ownership and are active users of their forest estates, most often expand their forest property. This can be considered as an encouraging result from the point of view of the political objective to boost forest management activity through enlarging family forest holdings.