Mark Rickenbach

Despite failure: The emergence of “new” forest owners in private forest policy in Wisconsin, USA

Abstract Similar to other industrialized countries, the USA has experienced a significant increase in the number of non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners as well as shifts in the values held by these owners. This study examines the motivations of predominantly new ex-urban forest owners interested in forest management in pursuing collective action through participation in the now out-of-business Sustainable Woods Cooperative (SWC). While common elsewhere, forest landowner cooperatives in the USA are an anomaly. Through a case-study design that depended primarily on semi-structured interviews, it was found that SWC members were motivated to join SWC as it was an attractive alternative to (1) the typical timber sale scenario that often places the forest owner at a disadvantage, and (2) the primary government tax incentive program. SWC represents a shift towards owners playing a greater role in shaping forest practices and markets, which is generally absent in the USA. It also suggests that new ex-urban forest owners, who are found in most industrialized countries, will seek to reshape the forest policy arena to meet their values and objectives. As such, this study provides insights for others in understanding the potential changes wrought by the changing characteristics of forest owners.

Oak Conservation and Restoration on Private Forestlands: Negotiating a Social-Ecological Landscape

In the midwestern United States, oak (Quercus spp.) forests are considered critical habitat for conserving biodiversity and are a declining resource. Ecological conditions, such as deer herbivory and competition from more mesic broad-leaved deciduous species, have been linked to poor oak regeneration. In the Midwest, where up to 90% of forestland is privately owned, a greater understanding of social dimensions of oak regeneration success is especially critical to designing effective restoration strategies. We sought to determine factors that serve as direct and indirect constraints to oak restoration and identify policy mechanisms that could improve the likelihood for restoration success. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 32 natural resource professionals working in the Midwest Driftless Area. We found that most professionals anticipate that oak will remain only a component of the future forest. Furthermore, they identified the general unwillingness of landowners to adopt oak restoration practices as a primary driving force of regional forest change. The professionals pointed to interdependent ecological and social factors, occurring at various scales (e.g., economic cost of management, deer herbivory, and exurban residential development) as influencing landowner oak restoration decisions. Professionals emphasized the importance of government cost-share programs and long-term personal relationships to securing landowner acceptance of oak restoration practices. However, given finite societal resources, ecologically- and socially-targeted approaches were viewed as potential ways to optimize regional success.

Ecological and economic benefits of cross-boundary coordination among private forest landowners

A significant challenge facing forestry today is managing private forests sustainably in the face of continued ownership fragmentation (i.e., parcelization). Cross-boundary coordination––where forest practices are coordinated across multiple properties––has been proposed as a mechanism by which landscape-level ecological and economic benefits may be accrued in privately-owned landscapes, but few tests of the concept exist. Using a case study approach, we quantify the extent to which ownership-centric forest management is constrained by economies of scale and misses opportunities to achieve ecological objectives in three landscapes in Wisconsin, USA. Methods are based on existing forest management plans and include spatial analysis of patch distributions and shapes, simulation of forest practices, and calculation of net present value over a 20-year horizon. Our results indicate substantial opportunity for cross-boundary coordination: between 62% and 88% of the managed properties within our study landscapes were adjacent to other properties with forest management plans. At a patch scale, coordination can result in ecological benefits that can be accrued into the future (e.g., maintenance of large patches and natural ecosystem boundaries). Because these landscapes are already highly parcelized, however, coordination offers little opportunity to impact the overall landscape-scale structure. Greater economies of scale can also be gained by coordinating forest practices, including increases in the size (16–99%) and volume of timber sales (16–94%), and a modest economic advantage (3–6%). As first steps, investment in data infrastructure and professional training are required to support cross-boundary multi-ownership forest management. More broadly is the need to shift from policies and practices that are largely ownership-centric to those that include and better incorporate landscape-centric perspectives.

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

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…

Collaboratives, cooperation, and private forest ownership patterns: Implications for voluntary protection of biological diversity

The conservation of biological diversity, particularly on landscapes dominated by non-industrial private forests, usually demands explicit recognition of cross-boundary cooperation. This study investigates the spatial challenges faced by stakeholder-driven collaborative processes in achieving participation by landowners individually or collectively. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 37 landowners, collaborative participants and public employees led to the development of three scenarios from efforts along coastal Oregon to restore endangered Coho salmon. The scenarios illustrate success and failure in achieving conservation activities across multiple ownerships, and the importance of ownership patterns and their purposeful consideration to those outcomes. The findings indicate that the structure of the collaborative, and in particular, issues of representation, affect the accessibility to physical locations in the landscape. In developing or modifying similar collaborative efforts, ensuring access to important landscape features (i.e. critical habitat) must be a primary concern, if direct, voluntary landowner action is needed.

Overcoming history: attitudes of resource professionals and farmers toward silvopasture in southwest Wisconsin

In the Midwestern US, both forestry and agriculture advisors have advocated against combining trees and livestock for more than 50 years. This established stance poses a potential barrier to the adoption of silvopasture, an agroforestry practice that integrates grazing with trees. We conducted three focus group interviews in southwestern Wisconsin, two with foresters and agriculture professionals, and one with farmers to assess their attitudes toward silvopasture. Although resource professionals were reluctant to endorse livestock access to woodlands, they were cautiously interested in exploring silvopasture as a means to improve the management of grazing in wooded areas and as a management tool for savanna restoration. Foresters, agricultural professionals, and farmers identified similar potential benefits and concerns associated with silvopasture, and requested better information on establishment, economics, and best management practices for silvopasture in the Midwest. Their questions and concerns provide direction for future silvopasture research and outreach efforts in the Midwest.