CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A configuraÃÃo territorial do estado do Cearà ocorreu em um primeiro momento a partir da colonizaÃÃo portuguesa e da retirada do indÃgena do territÃrio destinado à pecuÃria. E, em um segundo momento, a partir do desencadeamento de um fluxo comercial e de serviÃos oriundos dos produtos obtidos a partir da criaÃÃo do gado. Com o passar dos anos, diversos distritos conseguiram emancipaÃÃo polÃtica, passando à categoria de municÃpio, tomada, muitas vezes, por interesses polÃticos ligados aos latifundiÃrios, em que nÃo se tinha nenhum critÃrio legal e jurÃdico para a delimitaÃÃo de fronteiras; criando assim, Ãreas de litÃgio entre municÃpios do prÃprio estado quanto com municÃpios de estados vizinhos. Temos como exemplo de Ãrea de litÃgio do Cearà com outros estados do Nordeste, os ocorridos com o Rio Grande do Norte quanto a definiÃÃo do limite da chapada do Apodi; e com o PiauÃ, quanto a definiÃÃo do limite da Chapada da Ibiapaba. Sendo esse Ãltimo o objeto de estudo desse trabalho, na Ãrea de litÃgio entre os municÃpios de Parambu (CE) e Pimenteiras (PI). A criaÃÃo e extinÃÃo de municÃpios por motivos, em sua maioria, polÃticos, que nÃo levavam em consideraÃÃo nenhuma base legal, fez com que fossem criadas diversas Ãreas de litÃgio no territÃrio destes dois estados. Sendo que isso gerou diversos conflitos que se refletem atà os dias atuais, tendo como principais atores envolvidos os posseiros e os latifundiÃrios da regiÃo. Esses conflitos acabam por demonstrar as relaÃÃes de poder existentes no campo, bem como suas contradiÃÃes. A falta de uma soluÃÃo para esses problemas aumenta ainda mais o clima de tensÃo entre os moradores, que sofrem com a falta de polÃticas pÃblicas que supram seus anseios de posse pela terra e melhor qualidade de vida. De acordo com essa conjuntura, o objetivo geral do trabalho à analisar os conflitos territoriais ocorrente da Ãrea de litÃgio entre Cearà e PiauÃ, com destaque para os municÃpios de Parambu e Pimenteiras. Para atingir esse objetivo, buscou-se discutir os processos geogrÃficos, histÃricos, econÃmicos e polÃticos que levaram a formaÃÃo de litÃgio no territÃrio sob influÃncia desses municÃpios; mapear a espacialidade territorial das comunidades envolvidas na Ãrea de litÃgio e analisar as propostas de intervenÃÃo dos dois estados na busca pela resoluÃÃo dessa problemÃtica. Dessa forma, procuramos realizar um trabalho de natureza qualitativa, calcada no mÃtodo dialÃtico. Os procedimentos de trabalho se organizaram em torno de cinco eixos: revisÃo bibliogrÃfica, pesquisa documental, visita a instituiÃÃes que trabalham com o tema, pesquisa de campo, tabulaÃÃo e anÃlise dos dados. Podemos perceber que as questÃes dessa Ãrea de litÃgio sÃo problemas polÃticos, caracterizada, principalmente, por desobediÃncia administrativa, de ambas as partes, que tem nessa Ãrea uma fonte de conquistas de votos por meios lÃcitos e ilÃcitos, sendo necessÃria uma intervenÃÃo imediata do poder pÃblico para solucionar tal questÃo, uma vez que a populaÃÃo encontra-se totalmente desassistida dos seus direitos enquanto cidadÃos. / The territorial configuration of Cearà will take place at first by the Portuguese colonization and the withdrawal of Indian territory for the livestock. And, in a second time from triggering a trade flow and services from the products obtained from cattle raising. Over the years many districts failed political emancipation, going to a municipality, taken often by political interests linked to landowners, which had no legal and judicial criteria for delimitation of borders, creating areas of dispute between the municipalities own state and municipalities with neighboring states. We have an example of Cearà the dispute area with other Northeastern states, that have occurred with the Rio Grande do Norte as the definition of the boundary of the Apodi plateau; and Piaui, as the definition of the limit of the Chapada Ibiapaba. That being last the object of study of this work, but precisely in the dispute area between the towns of Parambu (CE) and Pimenteiras (PI), located in the region of Inhamuns the state of CearÃ. The creation and dissolution of municipalities for reasons mostly politicians, who did not take into account any legal basis, has made several litigation areas were created in the territory of these two states. Generating various conflicts that are reflected to this day, with the main actors involved squatters and landowners in the region. These conflicts eventually demonstrate the power relations in the field as well as its contradictions. The lack of a solution to these problems further increases the tension among residents, who suffer from the lack of public policies that meet their aspirations possession of the land and better quality of life. According to this scenario, the general objective is to analyze the territorial conflicts occurring the dispute area between Cearà and PiauÃ, highlighting the municipalities of Parambu and Pimenteiras. To achieve this goal we tried to discuss the geographical, historical, economic and political processes that led to litigation training in the territory under the influence of these municipalities; map the territorial spatiality of the communities involved in the litigation area; analyzing the intervention proposals of both governments in the search for resolution of this problem. Thus we seek to carry out a qualitative work, based on the dialectical method. The working procedures were organized around five areas: literature review, document search, visit the institutions that work with the topic, fieldwork, tabulation and analysis of data. We can see that the issues of this dispute area are political problems, mainly characterized by administrative disobedience, on both sides, which has in this area a source of votes of achievements through licit and illicit, requiring immediate intervention of the government to solve this question, since the population is totally unassisted their rights as citizens.

Private land conservation provides an opportunity to address problems of habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss caused by an increase in the development and parcelization of private land. Conservation easements (CEs) are an innovative tool used by land trusts to protect significant natural qualities of private land in perpetuity, while also allowing the land to remain in private ownership. Traditionally, property represents an individualistic relationship, however, CEs redefine this relationship by seeking to maximize the overlap in private and public goods in property. In this study, I explore the relationship between the common good and private property through an analysis of landowner attitudes and interest in conveying CEs. To address my research objectives I implemented a mixed-mode survey to 664 private landowners in the Whychus Creek Watershed in Deschutes County, OR. I received 257 survey responses, yielding a response rate of 41%. The first layer of this study focuses on landowner attitudes towards CEs (Chapter 2). The results of an exploratory factor analysis suggest there are two dimensions to landowner attitudes towards CEs--internal and external dimension. I constructed logistic regression models to predict positive internal and external attitudes and found that external attitudes are primarily influenced by environmental beliefs, whereas internal attitudes are influenced by a suite of factors including financial beliefs and perceived risk to private ownership. Furthermore, landowner knowledge and awareness of CEs may play a role in attitude development. I found that as awareness increased the number of landowners perceiving low risk also increased. Additionally, I found that those who learned about CEs from a peer were more likely to have an extreme positive or negative attitude towards CEs. The second part of this study focuses on landowner interest in conveying a CE (Chapter 3). The results of a multinomial logistic regression analysis suggest that positive external and internal attitudes towards CEs provide the foundation for CE, while personal incentives and connections to the social and/or natural community serve as the motivation driving CE conveyance. Although the results of this study are only representative of landowners in the Whychus Creek Watershed I argue that some of the findings may be more broadly applicable. Contributing to our conceptual understanding of CEs, I discuss how CEs may be beneficial in reintegrating the common good into private property. Further, I highlight that landowner connections to both the social community and natural environment are important characteristics of CE conveyance as well as private land conservation in general.

While the southeastern United States, including the state of Mississippi, has a strong natural resource base, woody biomass is not fully utilized to produce bioenergy in this region. This study intended to explore opportunities, issues, and the economic potential of wood-based bioenergy in the state of Mississippi. Realizing the importance of private forest landowner decisions in sustaining a bioenergy feedstock supply, one aim of this study was to understand their choices for preferred harvesting methods of supplying woody biomass for wood-based bioenergy industries. Study results indicated that landowners were interested in optimizing revenue from woody biomass utilization while minimizing damage to the surrounding environment and facilitating less site preparation. Similarly, by administering a survey instrument, total and unused volumes of residues in primary and secondary mill operations were also estimated. Availability of woody residue was higher in the primary wood processing industry. Similarly, the likelihood of getting feedstock would be higher if a wood-based bioenergy generating facility could be located near a larger, year round operational forest product industry. This study further accounted for the potential direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts of a state wood-based bioenergy industry. Three potential wood-based bioenergy industries namely wood-pellet, bio-oil and methanol-based gasoline facilities were considered for an economic analysis. Study results revealed that operation of a wood-pellet industry would contribute 82 full- and part-time jobs to the economy with $12 million worth of economic output to the Mississippi economy. Likewise, the operation of a bio-oil industry would generate 165 new full- and part-time jobs and provide an economic output of $17 million. Also, $96 million in economic output and 795 full- and part-time more jobs would be added by establishing a methanol-based gasoline industry. Clearly, these impacts are substantial and are likely to draw the attention of policy makers and investors towards wood-based bioenergy in Mississippi.

No description available.

The behavior of humans and animals is an important component of conservation. The way people behave can cause environmental harm, but it also can be a solution to conservation challenges. Similarly, wildlife can respond to changing environments in ways that are detrimental to their survival, but they can also in some cases adapt or even thrive in human-impacted environments. In this dissertation, I discuss the ways in which human and hellbender behaviors relate to conservation. First, using survey and interview data, I explore the reasons why private landowners allow access to their property for research. I find that landowners are more likely to allow research on their property if they have previously allowed research, if they are interested in learning about the research taking place, if they have larger properties, and if they had positive attitudes towards conservation. Conversely, they are less likely to allow access to their property if they are concerned that doing so might restrict free use of their property. Other possible predictors that I investigate, such as landowner demographics, landowner trust in science, and landowner attitudes towards hellbenders are not significant predictors of allowing research. I next explore the effects of engaging landowners in research either via citizen science or "traditional" private lands research where scientists work on the landowner's property, but the landowner is not involved in data collection. I assess the effects of these types of engagement on landowner conservation knowledge, attitudes, awareness, and behavioral intentions and compare the effects across these two treatment groups and a control. I find similar changes in both the traditional and citizen science treatment groups, with involvement in the research leading to greater conservation knowledge, increased awareness of conservation concerns, more positive attitudes towards conservation, and/or more conservation behavioral intentions. However, I observe limited behavior change in any treatment group, and I identify a lack of efficacy and a hesitancy to accept responsibility for water quality degradation as possible barriers to behavior change. My investigations of animal behavior utilize custom-built underwater infrared camera technology to study hellbender reproductive behavior. I first add to current understanding of hellbender breeding behavior by describing the basic hellbender mating sequence, identifying the presence of potential alternative mating tactics, and describing two novel behaviors, including possible signal production via wave-based communication and a unique egg laying behavior by female hellbenders. I then measure the extent to which hellbender males (which provide the parental care) may help protect their offspring from low oxygen and high siltation, and I assess the possibility of trade-offs between parental care behaviors that benefit the eggs and self-maintenance behaviors that benefit the parent. I find that guarding male hellbenders increase both their parental care behaviors and their self-maintenance behaviors in response to low dissolved oxygen, but that they also show evidence of a trade-off between the two, with males ceasing parental care in favor of self-maintenance at sufficiently low levels of dissolved oxygen. Males show no parental response to high levels of silt. My findings add to our understanding of human and animal behavior and highlight the importance of behavioral flexibility to conservation. I find that hellbenders can to some extent modify their behaviors to compensate for the impacts of poor stream management on their own and their offspring's health, and I find that engaging landowners in research can encourage changes in awareness, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding conservation. / Doctor of Philosophy / The behavior of humans and animals is an important component of conservation. The way people behave can cause environmental harm, but it also can be a solution to conservation challenges. Similarly, wildlife can respond to changing environments in ways that are detrimental to their survival, but they can also in some cases change to survive or even thrive in human-impacted environments. In this dissertation, I discuss the ways in which human and hellbender behaviors relate to conservation. First, using survey and interview data, I explore the reasons why private landowners allow access to their property for research. I find that landowners are more likely to allow research on their property if they have previously allowed research, if they are interested in learning about the research taking place, if they have larger properties, and if they had positive attitudes towards conservation. Conversely, they are less likely to allow access to their property if they are concerned that doing so might restrict free use of their property. Other possible predictors that I investigate, such as landowner age and sex, landowner trust in science, and landowner attitudes towards hellbenders are not significant predictors of allowing research. I next explore the effects of engaging landowners in research either via citizen science, where landowners help collect data, or "traditional" private lands research where scientists work on the landowner's property, but the landowner is not involved in data collection. I assess the effects of these types of engagement on landowner conservation knowledge, attitudes, awareness, and planned actions and compare the effects across these two treatment groups and a control. I find similar changes in both the traditional and citizen science treatment groups, with involvement in the research leading to greater conservation knowledge, increased awareness of conservation concerns, more positive attitudes towards conservation, and/or more conservation planned actions. However, I observe limited behavior change in any treatment group, and I identify a lack of perceived ability to make a difference among landowners and a hesitancy to accept responsibility for water quality decline as possible barriers to behavior change. My investigations of animal behavior use custom-built underwater night-vision cameras to study hellbender baby-making. I first add to current understanding of hellbender breeding behavior by describing basic hellbender mating activities, identifying the possibility that some males sneak into other male's nests to mate, and describing two new behaviors, including possible signal production via sound or vibration and a unique egg laying behavior by female hellbenders. I then measure how much hellbender males (which provide the parental care) may help protect their eggs from low oxygen and high dissolved dirt, and I assess the possibility of trade-offs between parental care behaviors that benefit the eggs and self-maintenance behaviors that benefit the parent. I find that guarding male hellbenders increase both their parental care behaviors and their self-maintenance behaviors in response to low dissolved oxygen, but that they also show evidence of a trade-off between the two, with males stopping parental care in favor of self-maintenance at low levels of dissolved oxygen. Males show no parental response to high levels of dissolved dirt. My findings add to our understanding of human and animal behavior and highlight the importance of behavioral flexibility to conservation. I find that hellbenders can to some extent change their behaviors to compensate for the impacts of poor stream management on their own and their children's health, and I find that engaging landowners in research can encourage changes in awareness, attitudes, and planned behaviors regarding conservation.

Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners have been major players in increasing forest productivity and improving forest health. Understanding what factors influence landowner participation in government programs, and furthermore, what factors determinate how quickly after harvest landowners regenerate, is critical for developing policies to improve landowner participation in government assistance programs and timely regeneration of harvested lands. Two studies were conducted to investigate these issues. The necessary data were obtained through a 2006 telephone survey of randomly selected Mississippi NIPF landowners. Factors considered included an array of land, ownership, management, and demographic characteristics. In the first study, a two-step landowner behavior model was constructed to explain NIPF landowner participation in government incentive programs, conditional on their awareness of these programs. The second study used duration analysis to analyze the time elapsed between harvest and regeneration. Interest in timber production, past regeneration experience, education, and membership in forestry organization influenced NIPF landowner knowledge of incentive programs and were significant predictors of participation. Those NIPF landownersn who regenerated, did so on average, 11 months after harvest. After the 16th month following harvest, the probability of regenerating harvested lands decreased rapidly. The interval between harvest and reforestation was reduced by maintaining an interest in timber production, consulting a forester to coordinate the harvest, residing on the forest land, having planted pines, and increasing timber prices.

This is a study of conservation easements of forestland in the Northern forest Region of New York State. Forestland easements are the subset of conservation easements encumbering forestland. As of 1995, there were 79 of these forestland easements within the study area. Of this total of 79 forestland easements, 50 were granted as donations and the remaining 29 were granted in sales. Most forestland easement donors were individuals or related individuals. Forestland easement sellers are split between industrial owners and individuals. Eight forestland easement grantees in the Northern Forest Region were identified. This group of grantees includes one public agency and national, regional, and local land trusts. Deeds to the forestland easements inventoried in this study contain 155 separate variables. These variables reflect the differences in encumbered properties, ownership goals of grantors, and land management goals of grantees. Deed information shows that forestland easements have a broad common purpose of preventing change or directing change in an acceptable manner. The specifics of preventing and directing change will vary with each property. The limits of acceptable change are a large part of working out the agreement between grantor and grantee. Interviews with both donors and sellers reveal that, in retrospect, most are satisfied with their decision to grant the forestland easement. Analysis of forestland easement deed content reveals embedded potential future problems for owners of encumbered properties. Recommendations contained in this report provide guidance for landowners considering the grant of a forestland easement and suggestions for deed content. Most landowners made forestland easement granting decisions that are favorable from their perspective, but less than optimal from outside observation. / Ph. D.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been harvested in the wild for generations in Appalachia. Demand for forest farmed raw material and transparent supply chains is growing, which has increased attention on the role of NTFPs in regional livelihoods. We conducted an embedded case study to understand contemporary NTFP harvest, perceptions of community-based development of NTFP livelihood opportunities, and the extent to which forest landowners are interested forest farming. One case study focused on Grayson County, Virginia and included semi-structured interviews with 16 key stakeholders. Interviews explored motivations, species preferences, and uses of NTFPs among individuals and then perceived assets, obstacles, and desired strategies for NTFP livelihood development within the community. Through qualitative analysis we found financial benefits, engagement with nature, and personal preferences (personal fulfillment, learning and creativity, and lifestyle) were key motivators. Newcomers to Appalachia were more likely to balance monetary, environmental, and lifestyle motivations, and multigenerational residents focused more on financial motivations and to a lesser degree lifestyle. We used the community capitals framework to analyze the community focused data and found references to natural, human, and cultural capital as both an asset and an obstacle. Financial capital was a top-obstacle whereas social capital was a top asset. Strategies focused on social, human, and financial capital investments such as social networking, educational programming, tax incentive programs, and local fundraising. The regional case study surveyed via mail those who own 5 or more acres of forestland in 14 Southwest Virginia Appalachian counties to understand extent to which they are interested in forest farming or leasing land for forest farming. We had a response rate of 28.9% and found 45% of forest landowners, owning 47% of the forestland, were interested in forest farming. Those that were likely to lease their land accounted for 36% of all respondents and owned 43% of the forestland. Further, those who were interested did not differ based on demographic and land characteristics. Our study reveals the contemporary state of NTFP livelihoods combines markets sales with broader homesteading objectives and that lifestyle and environmental motivators are an increasing focus as newcomers take roots in the region. Further, communities may be able to draw upon the cultural and natural capital around NTFPs as well as the strong social capital often present in rural communities to further invest in social networking, education, financial incentives, and funding to support NTFP livelihood development. Finally, forest farming and leasing of land for this practice is of considerable and broad appeal to forestland owners in Southwest Virginia, which may indicate possibilities for a critical mass to supply a growing demand for sustainably sourced and quality NTFP raw materials. / Doctor of Philosophy / In recent decades Appalachia has experienced socioeconomic challenges with lack of employment opportunities, high poverty levels and the resulting outmigration of residents, especially youth, in search of work. At the same time newcomers are migrating into the area drawn by the culture and natural environment, which is shifting the social fabric of the region. It is in this new context that communities are asked to develop livelihood opportunities using what is available to them. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been harvested in the wild for generations in Appalachia and offer one avenue of possibility, especially as the market has begun to support higher prices for raw materials that meet the increasing consumer demand for sustainability and quality. Within these new dynamics we set out to understand contemporary uses of NTFPs in Appalachia, and what motivates people to work with these species, as well as community perceptions about how to develop NTFP livelihood opportunities, and the extent to which Appalachian residents are interested in forest farming (the cultivation or stewardship of NTFPs in an existing forest). Our study reveals the contemporary state of NTFP livelihoods combines markets sales with broader homesteading objectives and that lifestyle and environmental motivators are an increasing focus as newcomers take roots in the region. Further, communities may be able to draw upon the cultural and natural capital around NTFPs as well as the strong social and human capital often present in rural communities to further invest in social networking, education, financial incentives, and funding to support NTFP livelihood development. Finally, forest farming and leasing of land for this practice is of considerable and broad appeal to forestland owners in Southwest Virginia, which may indicate possibilities for a critical mass to supply a growing demand for sustainably sourced and quality NTFP raw materials.

Private lands encompass over half of the continental United States and serve as critical habitat for the majority of federally threatened and endangered species. Despite the importance of private lands for conservation, they remain understudied by conservation scientists. Conservation research programs that study private lands biodiversity not only help to fill this research gap but may also contribute more broadly to private lands conservation by influencing the conservation behaviors of individuals that participate in the program. However, little is known about how conservation behavior outcomes may differ across varying levels of participation in a program and what factors may influence this conservation behavior change. This thesis focuses specifically on conservation behavior outcomes associated with participation in a conservation research program and participants' perceived impact on conservation behaviors. For my first chapter, I interviewed private landowners that had provided property access to the Smithsonian conservation research program, Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), between 2010 and 2020. We found that landowners perceived their participation in VWL influenced their conservation behaviors across multiple categories; yet, land stewardship behaviors were more commonly positively influenced than social environmentalism or environmental citizenship behaviors. Landowners also reported that various aspects of the program including program events, on-site interactions with staff and citizen scientists, and landowner reports had the strongest influence on their engagement in conservation behaviors, while other aspects such as program newsletters and annual reports influenced their engagement in conservation behaviors to a lesser degree. For my second chapter, I surveyed citizen scientists and non-citizen scientists that were associated with VWL between 2010 and 2020. VWL citizen scientists had significantly higher perceived impacts of the program on their engagement in conservation behaviors compared to non-citizen scientists. The strongest predictors of respondents' perceptions of VWL's impact on their conservation behaviors include participation as a citizen scientist, program-related normative beliefs, attendance at program events, and reading program newsletters, while characteristics of the participants (i.e. demographics, actual behavioral control, personal norms, environmental attitude) were not predictive of perceptions of impact. Findings from this thesis can inform efforts to influence program participants' conservation behaviors. In particular, program managers may increase conservation outcomes through incorporating citizen science opportunities; fostering direct interactions between landowners, citizen scientists, researchers, and peers; training citizen scientists in effective science communication skills; and tailoring program communications to specific target audiences. / Master of Science / Over half of the mainland United States are under private ownership and these private lands are important habitat for federally threatened and endangered species. Even though private lands are important for conservation, the majority of conservation research studies take place on public lands. Conservation research programs that study species on private lands can contribute to conservation by providing insights into questions that are critical to species' management. These programs can also contribute to conservation by influencing the people who participate in the program to engage in conservation behaviors. However, people can participate in conservation research programs in many different ways and it is unclear how participation in a program influences people's conservation behaviors. This thesis explored the different conservation behaviors associated with participation in a conservation research program and participants' perceived impact on conservation behaviors. For my first chapter, I interviewed private landowners that had provided property access to the Smithsonian conservation research program, Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), between 2010 and 2020. The landowners we interviewed perceived that their participation in VWL influenced them to engage in conservation behaviors across multiple categories, but land stewardship behaviors (e.g. landscape improvements that benefit wildlife or their habitat) were more commonly influenced than social environmentalism (e.g. behaviors that focus on social engagement) or environmental citizenship behaviors (e.g. supporting environmental causes through voting, donations, or civic engagement). Certain aspects of the program such as program events, on-site interactions with staff and citizen scientists, and landowner reports were the most influential on landowners' engagement in conservation behaviors, while other aspects such as program newsletters and annual reports influenced their engagement in conservation behaviors less often. For my second chapter, I surveyed citizen scientists (i.e. volunteer members of the public who gather or analyze data for scientific research) and non-citizen scientists (i.e. individuals subscribed to VWL's newsletter but had never volunteered as citizen scientists) associated with VWL. VWL citizen scientists were positively influenced by the program to engage in conservation behaviors significantly more than non-citizen scientists. Characteristics of the program including participation as a citizen scientist, program-related normative beliefs (i.e. one's perception of whether other individuals will approve or disapprove of a certain behavior), attendance at program events, and program materials were associated with the program's influence on survey respondents' engagement in conservation behaviors. Characteristics of the participants (i.e. demographics, actual behavioral control, personal norms, environmental attitude) were not found to be significant predictors of impact. Results from this thesis may be helpful to programs aiming to increase their influence on participants' conservation behavior engagement. For example, programs may incorporate citizen science; foster direct interactions between landowners, citizen scientists, researchers, and peers; train citizen scientists in science communication skills, and tailor program communications to specific audiences.

Forest management practices which reduce southern pine beetle (SPB) risk benefit not only the landowners who perform them, but all those who draw benefits from southern pine forests in Virginia, especially other forest owners within the same region. One such management practice is pre-commercial thinning (PCT), which is particularly unattractive to non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners because of the substantial costs and delayed financial returns involved. Since the benefits to society generated by PCT are not fully realized by the individuals who might implement it, there may be a market externality in which PCT is underprovided across the landscape. The Pine Bark Beetle Prevention Program (PBBPP) has the potential to correct this externality by reimbursing a portion of the costs of PCT for landowners who qualify. However, cost share incentives have been criticized for being ineffectual on the basis that landowners substitute publicly funded reimbursement for private investment, without altering their management practices. To investigate the effect of the PBBPP cost share for PCT, a survey was sent to 1,200 NIPF landowners in seven counties across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic regions of Virginia, where southern pine is prevalent and SPB hazard is a relevant concern. To measure willingness to participate in the program, a referendum style question was used in which the offered cost share ranged from 20% to 90%. Results of discrete choice models estimated from survey data indicate that cost sharing has a significant, positive effect on willingness to participate overall, though increasing reimbursement above 60% is unlikely to affect participation. Some landowners are not responsive or are less responsive to cost sharing due to personal and property characteristics. / Master of Science