National Woodland
Owner Survey
Brett J. Butler and Will McWilliams
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Research Station
Forest Inventory and Analysis Program
NE Forest Inventory and Analysis Users’ Meeting
Syracuse, NY May 5, 2005
National Woodland
Owner Survey

Objectives:
– Who are the
landowners?
– Why do they own land?
– How do they use it?
– How do they intend to
use it?



Random sample of
private forest-land
owners in the U.S.
Self-administered mail
questionnaire
Annual design
2
Ownership Categories
All Owners
Public
Federal
State
Private
Local
Industrial
Forest
industry
Other
Nonindustrial
Families and
individuals
Other
3
Forest Ownership
4
Forest Ownership
New York
United States
Federal
1%
Federal
34%
State
19%
Local
2%
NIPF
46%
FI
7%
State
10%
FI
9%
Local
1%
NIPF
71%
5
Source: Forest Resources of the United States, 2002
Who are the family forest
owners?
Number of owners

Education
63% some college

Occupation
52% retired

Average age
63 years
75
+
12 million
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
45
-5
4
55
-6
4
65
-7
4
Forested acres owned
45

<
557,000
Owner Age
Percent of forestland

Age (years)
6
What size holdings do
they have?
Family Forest Land
(ac, thousands)
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1-9
10-49
50-99
100499
500999
1000+
Size of Forest Holdings (ac)
7
Family Forest Owners
(Thousands)
What size holdings do
they have?
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1-9
10-49
50-99
100499
500999
1000+
Size of Forest Holdings (ac)
8
What is the relationship
between forest management
and size of forest holdings?
Probability
100
Timber Harvesting
75
Management Advice
50
25
Written Management Plan
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Size of Forest Holdings (ac)
9
Why do they own forest
land?
Aesthetics or nature
Privacy, home, or farm
Hunting/other rec.
Family legacy
Land investment
Firewood production
Timber production
0
20
40
60
80
Percent of Family Forest Land
10
Forest Management

Timber harvesting
– 28% of family forest
owners
– 39% of family forests

Forest management
plans
– 3% of family forest
owners
– 11% of family forestland

Professional assistance
– 14% of family forest
owners
– 32% of family forestland
11
What do they intend to do
with it in the next 5 years?
No plans
Harvest firewood
Harvest timber
Transfer to heirs
Sell forestland
Buy forestland
Subdivide forestland
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Percent of Family Forestland
12
Trends in Forest
Ownership







Increased population pressures
Evolving role of investment organizations and
traditional forest industry companies
Parcelization and consolidation
Public lands increasing, but remaining relatively
stable
Lack of management funds
High landowner turnover (families and individuals)
Changing ownership objectives (families and
individuals)
13
Data Distribution




Journal articles
Forest Service
publications
Web tools
Other
www.fs.fed.us/woodlandowners
14
The Future of the NWOS

Annual design:
– Contact 7,500 landowners per year





Remeasurement (5-10 years)
State-specific information
Distribution of data and results
Increased analysis
Refine and modify survey instrument
– Address more specific issues

Institutionalization
15