David B. Kittredge

Comparison of contingent valuation and conjoint analysis in ecosystem management

Abstract Contingent valuation (CV) and conjoint analysis were used to estimate landowner’s willingness to pay (WTP) for ecosystem management on non-industrial private forest land. The results suggest that even when conjoint and CV questions are the same, except for rating and pricing format, respectively, WTP estimates are quite different. Since most conjoint models essentially count ‘maybe’ responses to valuation questions as ‘yes’ responses, we conclude that conjoint model results often produce WTP estimates that are biased upwards.

Economic incentives for coordinated management of forest land: a case study of southern New England

Abstract Coordinated management among many private forest land owners will often be required to achieve ecosystem management at the landscape scale. A case study of landowners in southern New England shows that although most hold favorable attitudes towards coordinated management, economic incentives may be needed to actually implement coordinated management programs. Yet the conjoint analyses used in this study suggests that economic incentives, such as property tax reductions, are not likely to substantially increase the probability that coordinated management programs will actually be undertaken. For example, an increase in property tax savings from

Community-Based Ecosystem Monitoring

706 per year to

Factors affecting NIPF landowner participation in management programs: a Massachusetts case study

2000 per year only increased the probability of program adoption from 1.4 to 5.6%. Alternative ways in which coordinated management programs might be marketed are discussed.

Challenging the traditional forestry extension model:insights from the Woods Forum program in Massachusetts

Abstract Community-based ecosystem monitoring refers to a range of observation and measurement activities involving participation by community members and designed to learn about ecological and social factors affecting a community. This chapter presents observations from community-based ecosystem monitoring activities throughout the United States. It discusses factors leading to the emergence of community-based ecosystem monitoring, multiparty monitoring and its role in building social capital, the monitoring process, the integration of social and ecological factors, and ongoing challenges in community-based monitoring. Sidebars illustrate the chapters central themes and lessons with examples from particular community monitoring initiatives. Community-based monitoring has been motivated by concern for special places, in response to perceived environmental threats, and as part of an effort to overcome longstanding conflict between diverse stakeholder groups. Multiparty monitoring has the potential to address each of these needs. Significant challenges include achieving effective, diverse community participation, integrating social indicators into ecosystem monitoring and analysis, identifying an appropriate level of rigor for specific monitoring objectives, and effectively integrating monitoring into an adaptive decisionmaking process.

Cross-boundary cooperation: A mechanism for sustaining ecosystem services from private lands

Abstract Conjoint analysis is used to examine landowner attitudes toward specific management program attributes and requirements. Our results suggest that the majority of respondents are very reluctant to convey landowner rights, such as timber rights or public access, without unrealistic levels of compensation (

Science and Society: The Role of Long-Term Studies in Environmental Stewardship

53 to

Forest-based biomass supply in Massachusetts: How much is there and how much is available

185 per hectare per year). This implies the need to develop alternatives to the conventional economic incentive based approach to forest management. It is envisioned that the conjoint methodology used here could readily be applied to study landowner decision making in other countries.

Defining urban, suburban, and rural: a method to link perceptual definitions with geospatial measures of urbanization in central and eastern Massachusetts

Traditional forestry education and outreach activities tend to focus on transfer-of-knowledge, often through workshops initiated and led by professionals to “teach” landowners about forest management and conservation. Less than 10 percent of family forest owners in the US have a management plan, participated in cost-share programs, certified their forest land, or hold a conservation easement, suggesting flaws in this traditional model. Some researchers and practitioners have suggested the need for a paradigm shift away from transfer-of-knowledge to more facilitative, participatory approaches, among which peer learning has gained growing attention and is supported by a number of behavioral theories. By analyzing data from participant feedback of a peer learning pilot program in Massachusetts and a follow-up mail survey, this paper examines the perceived usefulness of peer-to-peer interactions and the effect of peer learning over time. The results suggest peer learning did not only appeal to landowners with forestry background, but also succeeded in attracting inexperienced landowners. Participants rated their peer-to-peer experience positively. The retention of information obtained through the program was reflected by participants’ ability to correctly identify foresters, land trust organizations, and reasonable sources of forestry or land management advice. Participants also shared a strong willingness to spread information obtained through peer learning. This study contributes to the identification of potential barriers to and opportunities for peer learning, informs forestry extension efforts in the US and beyond, and highlights the importance of integrating peer learning into the broader forestry education, technical assistance, and financial incentive programs to increase participation and promote sustainable forest management and conservation.

Family Forest Owners' Perceptions of Landowner Assistance programs in the USA: A Qualitative Exploration of Program Impacts on Behaviour

The need to conserve and manage at and across multiple spatial scales to sustain critical ecosystem services (e.g., food, fiber, amenities, clean water) is an accepted tenet of modern resource management (MEA 2003; Palmer et al. 2004; Foley et al. 2005). Moreover, this “multiscalar” perspective is evident in plans and, in some cases, practice on public lands and some large private landholdings (Schulte et al. 2006). However, most private lands—particularly those in relatively small landholdings <101 ha (<250 ac)—present a significant challenge to extending this perspective for two reasons: Private landownership is a dominant part of our land base. Ten million individuals and families own over 35% of all US forestlands, with concentrations exceeding 85% in parts of the eastern United States (Butler 2008). In addition, many ecologically important sites are on, span, or are connected to these small private landholdings (Scott et al. 2006; Ruhl et al. 2007). The perceptions, rights, policies, and institutions associated with private land are entrenched (willingly or not) in an “ownership-centric” framework that is largely driven by and evaluated using parcel-scale metrics (e.g., number of plans, conservation easements). Researchers and practitioners have increasingly emphasized the need for cooperative, multiscalar management…