Understanding and Reaching
America’s Family Forest Owners
Findings from the US Forest Service’s
National Woodland Owner Survey
Brett J. Butler
USDA Forest Service
August 5, 2015
Five Fun Family Forest Facts
1. Family Forest Owners Dominate!
2. Size of Holdings Make a Difference
3. Beauty, Wildlife, and Nature Matter
4. Love of the Land, but tnot Engaged
5. They are Old(er)
2
NATIONAL WOODLAND
OWNER SURVEY
3
Objectives
Help answer:
• Who owns America’s
forests?
• Why do they own it?
• How have they used it
in the past?
• How do they intend to
use it in the future?
4
Methods
“The NWOS sampling design can be
described as spatially tessellated and
temporally systematic, disproportionately
stratified, with-replacement, and probability
proportional to size.”
- Dickinson and Butler 2013 J. For. 111(5): 319–325
Methods
Cooperation Rate
• Part of FIA
• Probability proportional to
size sample design
• Self-administered, mailbased paper questionnaire
with online option and
telephone follow-up
• Most recent data
collection: 2011-2013
Number of Responses
6
FAMILY FOREST
OWNERS RULE!
7
Forest Land by Ownership Class
United States, 2013
8
Private and Public Forestland, 2011
Private
Public
9
Family Forestland, 2011
Family
Other forestland
10
Size of Forest Holdings (Acres)
Family Forests (1+ ac), US, 2013
11
Family Forests (10+ ac)
US, 2013
•
•
•
•
265 million acres
4 million ownerships
10 million owners
Average holding size
66 acres/ownership
• Average land tenure
24 years/ownership
12
SIZE OF HOLDINGS
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
13
Size of Forest Holdings (Acres)
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
14
Selected Reasons for Owning
by Size of Holdings
15
Selected Forest Activities
by Size of Holdings
16
Selected Forest Management
Programs/Activities by Size of Holdings
17
BEAUTY, WILDLIFE, AND
NATURE MATTER
18
Part of Home/Farm
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
• Part of home
63%
• Part of cabin
16%
• Part of farm
32%
19
Reasons for Owning (1 of 3)
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
20
Reasons for Owning (2 of 3)
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
21
Reasons for Owning (3 of 3)
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
22
Reasons for Owning
Family Forests (10+ ac), US
2006
2013
1. Beauty
2. Privacy
3. Nature
4. Legacy
5. Investment
6. Hunting
7. Recreation
8. Timber
9. Firewood
10. NTFPs
1. Beauty
2. Privacy
3. Nature
4. Legacy
5. Investment
6. Hunting
7. Recreation
8. Firewood
9. Timber
10. NTFPs
23
LOVE OF THE LAND,
BUT NOT ENGAGED
24
“I want my wooded land
to stay wooded”
25
Forest Management
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
26
Activities in the Past Five Years (1 of 2)
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
27
Activities in the Past Five Years (2 of 2)
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
28
THEY ARE OLD(ER)
29
Demographics
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
• Age (65+)
43%
• Gender (male)
79%
• Education (college)
40%
• Income (+$100k/yr)
25%
• Minority
5%
30
NWOS 2011-2013: Basic Products
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Brochure
Tables
NWOS Table Maker
Journal article
Documentation
Two-page summaries
Articles for landowner
publications
• Data wheel
• Presentations
31
NWOS 2017-2019: New Modules
• Corporate
• Urban
• Public (?)
• State
• Science modules
-
Climate change
Invasive species
Wildfire
Engagement
Decision making
- Intensifications
- Add-ons
32
A Tale of Four Owners
Family Forest Owner
Segmentation
Woodland
Wendy & Retreat
Ralph
34
Walter Landus
Working
the Land
35
Samuel Ingus
III
Supplemental
Income
36
Eunice
(& Oscar)
Uninvolved
Owner
37
Attitudinal Segmentation
Family Forests (10+ ac), US, 2013
38
39
Five Fun Family Forest Facts
1. Family Forest Owners Dominate!
2. Size of Holdings Make a Difference
3. Beauty, Wildlife, and Nature Matter
4. Love of the Land, but tnot Engaged
5. They are Old(er)
40
Credits
The Family Forest Research
Center:
• Jake Hewes
• Brent Dickinson
• Kyle Andrejczyk
• Marla Lindsay
• Sarah Butler
Sustaining Family Forests
Initiative
• Mary Tyrrell
• Purnima Chawla
• Emma Kravet
• Ravi Singh
41
Comments or Questions?
Brett Butler
U.S. Forest Service, Amherst, MA
bbutler01@fs.fed.us; 413.545.1387
www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos
www.FamilyForestResearchCenter.org
www.engaginglandowners.org
42