The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and discuss the evolution of forest management practices in the United States. The paper discusses the trends in forest management that have occurred within the United States in general, and specifically within the western (Oregon) and southern (North Carolina and Florida) United States. The trends discussed include the three (3) to four (4) epochs of management and use that are generally accepted within the forest management literature, with the exception of North Carolina that is in the process of a fifth (5). The comparative analysis within the paper discusses the western model of management which tends to be distinctly different from the southern model in terms of regulatory approaches. The western model (i.e. Oregon) tends to be highly regulated, while the southern model is primarily voluntary, and quasi-regulatory in terms of using alternative mechanisms of regulation (i.e. Best Management Practices that regulate water quality). The paper also discusses the role of professionalism within the various forest services in each state, although the regulatory mechanism is the most important explanatory variable. In general, each state's forest services tend to be highly professional with licensing requirements, educational services and cooperative management. The two models are also distinctly different in terms of ownership, with Oregon being owned (nearly 50%) by the public, whereas the southern states are dominated by Nonindustrial Private Forest Owners (NIPF).

Article 1 As forest ownership continues to change, forestry must change to be relevant to its new constituency and client base. Market segmentation can help in this task. There is no such thing as an average forest owner. This study assessed the motivations and forest practices of 661 new owners of forested lands ranging in size between 2 and 50 acres. The study focused on rapidly growing counties in Virginia. Cluster analysis techniques were used to identify six market segments: Absentee Investors, Young Families, Forest Planners, Preservationists, Farmers, And Professionals. Only the smallest market segment (Absentee Investors, n = 26) reflects motivations and forest management interests that somewhat resemble "traditional" forest landowners. The results suggest that "lifestyle" concerns are the major motivations of these new owners and seemingly determine receptivity to professional forestry advice. This analysis helps understand these differently motivated segments and suggests possible marketing strategies professional foresters can use to "sell" forestry and active forest management. Article 2 Land managers increasingly are seeking to promote management of private forestland that transcends political and ownership boundaries. Descriptive analyses were used to characterize new landowners' intentions to participate in active management, both within individual property boundaries and in cooperation with neighboring landowners. The study also describes obstacles that these new owners perceive constrain their participation in active management. Further analysis explores potential differences in these variables related to amount of land owned, attitudes about private property rights, trust in forestry professionals, and attitudes about clearcutting and harvesting practices. The results suggest that private property rights are not an insurmountable problem to ecosystem management efforts. The forestry profession, however, seems to suffer from an invisibility problem among the population of new landowners. The very audience that ecosystem management programs target (owners of fewer than 20 acres of forestland) perceives itself to be least relevant to the message of cooperation. In fact, the biggest obstacle identified was that these new landowners have never thought about participating in active management, either within or across property boundaries. / Ph. D.

The concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) has been promoted in the past few decades all over the world. Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners play an important role in that aspect in the U.S. because of their number (about 16 millions), the size of forest land under their control (about half of all forest land in the continental US), and the dynamism of their population (increasing number of new owners). This study sought to better understand how NIPF owners come to a decision for adoption (or non-adoption) of SFM practices. We developed a theoretical model combining four theories (the Value-Belief-Norm theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, and the Innovation-Diffusion Process) to explain NIPF's decision making. Using multivariate analyses, we determined which elements of the developed theoretical model were significant in explaining adoption of eight groups of practices. Overall, some of the most significant predictors of adoption we identified were technical assistance, motivations for owning land and the use of a written management plan. Particular attention was also directed toward the eventual relationship between education and adoption of SFM practices and it was found that NIPF owners who attended educational programs tended to be likely adopters compared to those who did not attend any educational program. Since SFM was not limited to the US, we also analyzed the concept of SFM with the same goals as in the US, but under a completely different context (socio-cultural, economic and ecologic) in Africa, through the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) system. We used four case studies and focused on criteria such as participation, equity (both procedural and distributive, power devolution, trust, etc) to analyze how CBNRM works on the field, what lessons to take from the cases to better ensure the goal of sustainability of the resources. / Ph. D.