When restored to full ecological function, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests are among the most diverse forest ecosystems in the world. For the last several decades, substantial amount of efforts has taken place on public land, comparably less work has been accomplished on private lands towards longleaf pine restoration. The overall goal of this research was to examine the factors influencing the application of prescribed fire for ecological restoration on private land. This research employed both qualitative and quantitative method to explore challenges and opportunities for restoring the ecosystem. The survey examined interest among the forest landowners and general public regarding longleaf pine restoration management using prescribed fire. Key informant interviews examined factors associated with the decision making for the use of prescribed fire. Research findings have implications for designing and implementing policy instruments and improving landowners’ decision regarding processes.

Forest resources are significant in Mississippi's ecology and economy, with 12.5 million acres of Non-Industrial Private Forest (NIPF). Frequent ownership changes with lower durations decrease the average parcel size. The study examined the trends of NIPF parcelization accommodating duration analysis and tax roll data to identify the length of ownerships in an eight-county study. Based on the results, lower duration of ownerships was associated with increased number of smaller parcels less than 11 acres and a substantial loss of large forests. The median duration of ownership was between 10 to 15 years and 59% were absentee NIPF owners. Duration analysis revealed the length of NIPF ownership was highly associated with the size of the forest, sawtimber price, an economic recession, and distance to the closest metropolitan city. Lower ownership durations and smaller parcels will limit economies of scale and alter the functionality and structure of the NIPFs in the future.

This study models the timber market entry decisions of nonindustrial private landowners. It involves examining reservation prices both for harvesting timber from existing forest land and for afforestation of marginal agricultural and abandoned land. An important conclusion drawn from these models is that financial returns are not the only drivers of these decisions. Preferences for amenities derived from forests and farmland are also important. An empirical model follows which characterizes willingness to accept for various landowner groups in Virginia and Mississippi. We identify preferences and characteristics of landowners and features of forest sites that are important to the unobserved price specific to each landowner. Estimation results are also used to assess the size of payments needed to encourage harvesting or conversion from agricultural to forest uses with 50% probability. The determination of reservation prices for landowners in different regions aids in forecasting potential timber supplies from NIPF lands that are either actively managed for timber production or are not, as well as from marginal land not yet in forests, under different policy and pricing scenarios. Furthermore, it gives insight into evolving land use patterns. / Ph. D.

This research examines how the harvesting behavior of nonindustrial private forest landowners, and their use of forestland for non-timber amenities, is affected by adjacent landowner behavior. The uncertainty an individual landowner has regarding adjacent landowners' preferences, and how the production of non-timber amenities on their own stands relies on the condition of adjacent stocks, is specifically addressed. Economic characterizations of substitutes and complements are employed to investigate the differences in optimal stock levels at the steady state in the production of amenities under various levels of cooperation among landowners. It is shown that there are externalities present when landowners do not coordinate management actions when parcels are spatially interdependent. The effects of spatial interdependencies on landowner behavior are further explored using data from a survey of forest landowners in Central Virginia. Findings suggest that forest landowners are willing to coordinate activities, and such decisions are determined by similar characteristics that function in predicting landowner behavior regarding timber harvesting. Further, landowners' decisions to use own and adjacent parcels were correlated, hinting at the spatial interdependencies of stocks in amenity valuations. Both the theoretical and empirical analyses suggest that the lack of coordination among landowners and its effects on stock management would be best addressed through the use of incentives to drive spatially efficient outcomes. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to analyze landowner perceptions of an ecosystem management program proposed by The Nature Conservancy. This creation of this program, The Forest Bank, is an attempt to protect the unique ecological and biological resources of the Clinch River Valley of Southwest Virginia. This study analyzed the attitudes and characteristics of landowners that contribute to their decision to enroll in such a program. Data were collected by a 8-page mail questionnaire sent to 2000 landowners in a five-county area of Southwest Virginia. The final sample size resulting from this effort was 816 landowner surveys, representing an overall response rate of 45%. Two separate analyses were undertaken with respect to this data, each representing a unique and informative approach to landowners and The Forest Bank. The first analysis summarizes how landowners perceived the individual components of the program, their level of interest in enrollment, and what types of landowners would be most likely to express interest in such a program. Twenty-three percent of landowners expressed interest in enrolling in The Forest Bank at some time. In general, those interested in enrollment perceived the individual components of the program differently than those who were not interested in enrolling. Landowners who expressed enrollment interest were more likely to be younger, more affluent, more educated than those who did not express interest in enrollment. The second analysis employed a structural equation model in order to determine what attitudes and motivations influence attitudes toward an ecosystem management program such as The Forest Bank. Variables such as attitudes toward property rights, environmental attitudes, trust in sources of information, and level of community attachment were included in this model. Results indicate that while attitudes toward property rights and the environment were not as important as previous literature suggested, landowner reasons for owning land were key indicators in determining attitudes toward The Forest Bank. Results from this study provide valuable information to managers and researchers concerning landowner attitudes toward ecosystem management and their level of interest in enrolling in an ecosystem management program. This information will help managers better understand how landowners perceive individual components of these types of programs, as well as determining the types of landowners who would be interested in enrolling. These findings can then be used to tailor programs that are more consistent with landowner objectives, and to better understand the complex attitudes and characteristics of private forest / Master of Science

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.

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.