The Commonwealth of Kentucky is taking steps to expand bioenergy production in response to federal policy initiatives as well as environmental and energy security concerns. The success of this industry will be impacted by the supply of feedstock available from private individuals who own a majority (78%) of forest resources in the state. Despite a developing body of bioenergy research, little is known concerning the social availability of forest biomass for energy production. This study measures intent to harvest energy wood among family forest owners using a mail-­‐based survey and tests the effect of educational materials provided to participants. The theory of planned behavior is used to model factors that affect landowner intentions. Two-­‐thirds of respondents reported 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. Respondents also identified barriers that may prevent them from harvesting, providing forestry professionals with a list of challenges to overcome if supply is to be maximized. The results of this study are valuable for all stakeholders involved in the development of a sustainable biomass and bioenergy industry.

Family forests comprise a significant portion of total forest lands in the southern United States and their owners frequently have multiple, competing objectives. This research evaluated the effectiveness of functional zoning based on site index on forest sizes relevant to family forest owners. A total of fifty family forests were randomly selected from counties in the East Texas Pineywoods region. Timber production and quail habitat were used as proxies for competing objectives. It was found that 80% of family forest parcels had sufficient site index heterogeneity to benefit from functional zoning. For forest parcels that could benefit from functional zoning, the benefit in terms of increased land expectation value was not found to be dependent on parcel size. At a 5% discount rate, the average benefit of land expectation value (LEV) was $15.61 per acre. This zoning approach provides multiple objectives while minimizing the economic impact of the non-revenue objectives.

The majority of the forested land in New England is owned by private landowners, a large number of whom are at or above retirement age. In the coming decades these landowners are going to be making decisions about what happens to their land once they no longer own it. Female landowners specifically play a critical role in the long-term planning and decision-making process. Women generally have a longer life expectancy than men and assess their level of confidence and financial stability in ways that differ from men. This difference in perception influences the decisions they make about their land. Despite this, little is known about decisions female landowners are making and barriers they face to formulating informed decisions that are in line with their goals. In order to understand more about female landowners’ estate planning objectives, I conducted a mixed-methods study. Through a mail survey and subsequent qualitative interviews, I found that women were more likely than men to have lower confidence confidence in moving forward with plans for the land, lower certainty that their financial resources were adequate to move forward, and less certainty when it came to future decisions about their land. However, women who were certain about their estate planning objectives were more likely than men to have a conservation-based decision. The results of this mixed-methods study are applied to peer-to-peer network events and outcomes are discussed.

Interest in wood-based bio-energy systems in the United States is increasing and may play a part in future renewable energy initiatives (Dincer 2000). Family forests have potential to play an important role in supplying wood biomass for energy production. However, access depends mostly on the management intentions among family forest owners. Enhanced biomass markets in regions where family forest ownership dominates could increase productivity by reinvigorating the low-value merchandizing required to accomplish silvicultural objectives. Given diverse owner objectives and forest types on family forests, estimates of biomass availability must include both biophysical and social aspects of procurable feedstock. This thesis chronicles a biosocial case study that estimates potential biomass supply from 51 family forests in Virginia and North Carolina. The study occurred within a woodshed centered on the future site of an impending ethanol plant in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. A survey instrument using the theory of planned behavior was used to measure ownership characteristics and intention to harvest. Forest attributes were collected during property visits to estimate potential yields resulting from silvicultural simulations. Results reveal that forest cover-type and tree size significantly affect owner intentions to harvest and owner attitudes toward harvesting partially mediate this relationship. Outputs from silvicultural simulations correspond with those made using Forest Inventory and Analysis data within the study region. Disproportionality was examined by coupling social and biological drivers of sustainable wood biomass availability. Implications of the research include refined estimates of potential supply and demonstrating a multi-scalar, mixed-method approach for assessing wood biomass availability. / Master of Science

Familjeskogsbruket har sällan någon anledning att bekymra sig om grundläggande förändringar av verksamhetens inriktning. I ett slag har dock situationen förändrats för skogsägarna i de stormdrabbade områdena. Den uppkomna situationen gör att många olika beslut måste tas som kommer att forma skogsfastigheten i flera decennier. Det finns därför ett behov av att kunna styra skogsgårdens verksamhet så att varje enskilt beslut bildar ett enhetligt mönster mot ett gemensamt mål. Ett sätt att göra det på är att använda teorierna kring strategisk management och applicera dessa på familjeskogsbruken. Denna rapport har utgått från gängse metodik vid strategiframtagning och målsättningsarbete. Olika metoder och verktyg beskrivs till sitt innehåll och syfte. Därefter samlas ett antal metoder i ett arbetsflöde som passar behoven för skogsgårdens strategiframtagning. Slutligen testas metodiken på en speciell skogsgård i det storm-drabbade området För att få kontinuitet i förändringsarbetet så har en återkommande revidering av strategiarbetet föreslagits. Det är bara genom ett enträget och långsiktigt arbete som gamla vanor och arbetsprocesser kan förändras. / The family forest farms do seldom have any reason to worry about basic changes of the business plan. In an instant, that has been changed for the forest owners in the region that was hardest hit by the storm. The situation at hand calls for a lot of different decisions to be taken that will shape the forest estate for several decades. There is a need for controlling the forest farm business so that each individual decision is forming a uniform pattern against a defined objective. One way of doing just that is to use the theories of strategic management and apply those on the family forest farm business. This report is based on the generic methodology that is used for strategy definition and goal setting. Different methods and tools are described to content and purpose. After that, a couple of methods are used in a work flow that fit the needs when developing the strategies for the forest farm. As a last step, the methodology is tested on a special forest farm that is situated in the storm hit region. To achieve continuity in the change process, a reoccurring assessment of the strategy work has been proposed. It is only by dedicated and consistent work that old habits and working processes can be changed.

<p>Familjeskogsbruket har sällan någon anledning att bekymra sig om grundläggande förändringar av verksamhetens inriktning.</p><p>I ett slag har dock situationen förändrats för skogsägarna i de stormdrabbade områdena. Den uppkomna situationen gör att många olika beslut måste tas som kommer att forma skogsfastigheten i flera decennier. Det finns därför ett behov av att kunna styra skogsgårdens verksamhet så att varje enskilt beslut bildar ett enhetligt mönster mot ett gemensamt mål. Ett sätt att göra det på är att använda teorierna kring strategisk management och applicera dessa på familjeskogsbruken.</p><p>Denna rapport har utgått från gängse metodik vid strategiframtagning och målsättningsarbete. Olika metoder och verktyg beskrivs till sitt innehåll och syfte. Därefter samlas ett antal metoder i ett arbetsflöde som passar behoven för skogsgårdens strategiframtagning. Slutligen testas metodiken på en speciell skogsgård i det storm-drabbade området</p><p>För att få kontinuitet i förändringsarbetet så har en återkommande revidering av strategiarbetet föreslagits. Det är bara genom ett enträget och långsiktigt arbete som gamla vanor och arbetsprocesser kan förändras.</p> / <p>The family forest farms do seldom have any reason to worry about basic changes of the business plan.</p><p>In an instant, that has been changed for the forest owners in the region that was hardest hit by the storm. The situation at hand calls for a lot of different decisions to be taken that will shape the forest estate for several decades. There is a need for controlling the forest farm business so that each individual decision is forming a uniform pattern against a defined objective. One way of doing just that is to use the theories of strategic management and apply those on the family forest farm business.</p><p>This report is based on the generic methodology that is used for strategy definition and goal setting. Different methods and tools are described to content and purpose. After that, a couple of methods are used in a work flow that fit the needs when developing the strategies for the forest farm. As a last step, the methodology is tested on a special forest farm that is situated in the storm hit region.</p><p>To achieve continuity in the change process, a reoccurring assessment of the strategy work has been proposed. It is only by dedicated and consistent work that old habits and working processes can be changed.</p>

The future of Vermont’s 1.8 million hectares (4.5 million acres) of forest habitat will be largely determined by the decisions of family forest owners, who collectively own 60% of the state’s forested land. To promote management for wildlife habitat, government agencies and non-governmental partnerships provide technical and financial support to family forest owners in the form of conservation assistance programs. In Chapter 1, I qualitatively compared the efficacy of two types of conservation assistance programs available in Vermont: traditional programs offered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a simplified, accelerated program offered through a non-governmental partnership called Woods, Wildlife, and Warblers. By conducting interviews with 20 Vermont family forest owners, I identified common motivation and barrier themes and compared these themes across programs using the Transtheoretical Model’s Stages of Change. Most motivations and barriers were described by landowners across all Stages of Change, but two motivations (professional recommendations and straightforward applications) and one barrier (independent forest management values) varied by either Stage of Change, program type, or both. I used the findings from the interviews to develop a mail survey, which was used to quantify patterns regarding motivations and barriers towards three habitat conservation actions: 1) arranging for a forestry professional to walk the land, 2) applying for cost-share funds, and 3) making a patch cut. The results from this survey, which was sent to 2,122 randomly selected Vermont family forest owners and had a cooperation rate of 38%, are presented in Chapter 2. Using logistic regression models, I identified multiple significant motivations or barriers for each of the three actions. Additionally, I used contingency tables to compare respondents’ levels of agreement for these motivations and barriers – as well as their level of trust for various information sources – with their Stage of Change. Overall, levels of agreement varied significantly across one or more Stages of Change for all motivations and barriers, and trustworthiness varied for 13 out of 14 information sources. Across both chapters, I provide recommendations to increase program efficacy with an emphasis on program attributes and tailored messaging.

Collaborative conservation partnership frequency is increasing in natural resources management; however, few successful examples exist in the United States. These groups seek to address land stewardship through cooperative, communicative, bottom-up approaches that engage local stakeholders. A better understanding of member characteristics and successful group characteristics may enhance collaborative conservation partnership outcomes. A survey was conducted to quantify partnership member characteristics and advertising mediums. Results were compared with the National Woodland Owner Survey. Collaborative conservation partnership members tend to be well-educated, middle-aged, upper-middle class individuals with large landholdings. They span previously identified family forest owner clusters but may be classified as earlier adopters by Diffusion of Innovations theory. Word-of-mouth is the most common way members learn about partnership opportunities. Qualitative data was analyzed to identify key features related to the ability to achieve group goals. Multi-disciplinary literature review points to the likely influences of leadership, task type, social capital, resource inputs, processes, and temporal change attributes on collaborative conservation partnership goal achievement. Key informant interviews demonstrate that resource and social capital inputs derive disproportionately from particular actors, partnerships need flexibility to adapt to changes in available resources, leaders establish partnership activity levels, social capital is the foundation of resource access, and groups are diverse in the ways they deal with context-specific tasks, resources, and processes. Overall, collaborative conservation partnerships demonstrate potential to positively influence land stewardship and technology transfer. Growth requires expanding membership, establishing partnerships as a legitimate conservation medium, and maintaining diverse groups tailored to local contexts. / Master of Science

Understanding family forest owners’ (FFOs’) attitudes and behaviors towards climate change will allow for more sustainable forest management practices to be implemented, helping to combat climate change and its impacts. The goals for this research are (1) to begin measuring U.S. FFO attitudes toward climate change, (2) to determine what factors impact these attitudes, and (3) to determine how they influence the FFO’s management practices using the Responsible Environmental Behavior (REB) framework (Hines et al. 1987). Chapter 1 explores the different facets of my thesis project focusing on forests and forests’ ecosystem services, forest ownership in the United States, and exploration of the REB model and serves as a more in-depth introduction section of Chapter 2. I explored past research of climate change attitude and beliefs and found age, political affiliation, education level and income of U.S. forest owners and foresters were significant factors in comparison to their climate change belief or attitude. Chapter 2 follows my research project, in which I measure the climate change attitudes of FFOs in Alabama, Oregon, and Wisconsin and their employment of climate centered forest management practices as well as the factors that influence these practices using mailed surveys. Based on the categories developed by Maibahc et al. (Maibach et al. 2009) to describe the general public’s attitudes towards climate change, I found about 16% of the FFOs in the study area were in the Alarmed segment, 16% in the Concerned, 37% in the Cautious, 2% in the Disengaged, 10% in the Doubtful, and 20% in the Dismissive. FFOs in Oregon and Wisconsin were more likely to be in a higher climate change attitude segment than those in Alabama. FFOs who had a college degree were more likely to be in a higher climate change attitude segment than those and a college degree. Climate change attitude was not a significant factor in determining if the FFO would carry out a climate centered management practice within the REB framework but rather the FFOs who indicated financial objectives were an important reason for owning their forest\land were more likely to carry out the listed management practices. These results indicate climate change belief is not necessary for an FFO to manage their land to mitigate or adapt to future climate impacts, but rather the individual objectives and values determine which management practices are utilized.

The wood products industry is influenced heavily by family ownership along the entire value chain. Although family ownership affects each link of the wood products value chain, there has been little research into the importance of products originating from family forestland. Specific attributes of products, such as origin or environmental certification, have been considered part of a business���s marketing strategies. This study evaluates the relevance of family forest wood product origin and environmental certification for Oregon consumers who participated in this study and Oregon specifiers and industrial customers. Data was collected from consumers, and specifiers and industrial customers in Oregon. Conjoint analysis was employed with softwood lumber as the product and price, wood origin, and environmental certification as the features. Results from this analysis for consumers show that wood origin is the most important factor followed by price and environmental certification. However, for specifiers and industrial customers, price is the most important factor followed by environmental certification and wood origin. "Family" is seen as the most preferred wood origin level for both buyer groups in the study. / Graduation date: 2013