Family Forest Owners’ Perceptions of Landowner Assistance Programs in the USA: A Qualitative Exploration of Program Impacts on Behaviour

• Published in: Small-scale forestry Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 17 - 28
• Main Authors: Andrejczyk, Kyle, Butler, Brett J, Dickinson, Brenton J, Hewes, Jaketon H, Markowski-Lindsay, Marla, Kittredge, David B, Kilgore, Michael A, Snyder, Stephanie A, Catanzaro, Paul F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.03.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural Economics; Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Data collection; education; Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Focus groups; Forest management; Forestry; Forestry Management; forests; Landowners; Life Sciences; Participation; private forestry; Qualitative analysis; Regression analysis; Research methodology; Research Paper; United States; United States > US; USA; Focus groups; Landowner assistance programs; Forest Stewardship Program; Non industrial private forest owners
• ISSN: 1873-7617; 1873-7854
• DOI: 10.1007/s11842-015-9304-z

Using data collected from a series of focus groups, this study examines how landowner assistance programs (which may include management plans, cost-share, technical assistance and advice, and education components) affect family forest owner behaviour in the USA. Not surprisingly, most owners who participated in assistance programs had pre-existing management objectives. Participation in the management plan and cost-share components was found to facilitate the stewardship of private forests by assisting and reinforcing the behaviour of those landowners who already intend to manage their land in some pre-conceived manner. Advice and educational components appeared to do more in terms of introducing owners to new ideas. The mix of components offered as part of a landowner assistance program should consider the goals of the program and which components will be most effective in achieving those goals.