Marla Markowski-Lindsay

Declining National Park Visitation: An Economic Analysis

Abstract Visitation to the major nature-based national parks has been declining. This paper specifies an econometric model that estimates the relative impact of consumer incomes, travel costs, entry fees and other factors on per capita attendance from 1993 to 2010. Results suggest that entrance fees have had a statistically significant but small impact on per capita attendance. Increasing fuel prices (travel costs) relative to income has had a more significant effect suggesting that park policies reducing the cost of attendance may be desirable.

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

Forest owners in Massachusetts (U.S.) live in a densely populated state and near forestland that is under pressure of development and characterized by small parcel size. Forest-based biomass harvesting in Massachusetts is a renewable energy topic generating a great deal of discussion among all constituents. To provide perspective on these discussions, our analysis asks how much forested land in Massachusetts could be available for biomass supply. This analysis considers the level of bioenergy production that could be maintained on an annual basis given the amount of woody biomass that is likely to be supplied from private- and state-owned Massachusetts forests, which comprises nearly 90% of the states forests. Applying the most recent information on forest ownership and owner attitudes in Massachusetts, we estimate that between 80,000 and 369,000 dry tons/year of available wood-based biomass from forest management practices on private- and state-owned forests, or between 1.4 trillion and 6.2 trillion BTUs/year. These estimates represent between 0.09% and 0.42% of all Massachusetts residential, commercial and industrial annual consumption. These estimates are well below Kelty et al.s (2008) estimate of 891,000 dry tons/year; the largest factors in this reduction are the reduced contribution of biomass due to social constraints and the amount of state land considered to be open to active management. Conversations regarding the use of biomass and its impacts on forests, as well as the development of biomass-related policy, should consider the supply of biomass that is likely available. While overall forest inventory estimates suggest one degree of availability, our research suggests that this needs to be tempered with the reality of ownership size and owner attitudes.

USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey: national, regional, and state statistics for family forest and woodland ownerships with 10+ acres, 2011-2013

This report summarizes the results from the 2011-2013 National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program. The focus of the results reported here is family forest and woodland ownerships with holdings of at least 10 acres. Summaries are based on responses from 8,576 family ownerships with at least 10 acres of forest or woodland across 47 U.S. states. Survey summary tables are available at dx.doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RB-99 and include the 36 states in which the minimum target effective sample size of 100 respondents was obtained plus tables for the nation and four regions (North, South, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Coast). An additional 11 states (Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington) have sample sizes between 10 and 99 and are included in national and regional summary tables, but state- level survey summary tables are not being published due to small sample sizes. Data for three states (Alaska, Nevada, and Wyoming) are excluded due to the low numbers of respondents (n<10) in each of these states. The survey summary tables provide statistics on general forest ownership patterns, effective sample sizes, and responses to the questions asked on the survey. The 37 survey questions, many with multiple parts, focus on ownership characteristics, land characteristics, reasons for owning land, land ownership history, uses of the forest and woodland, sources of information, concerns, the future of their land, and demographics. For comparison purposes, summary tables from the 2002-2006 iteration of the NWOS are provided along with an additional set of 2011-2013 regional and national summary tables where only states in common with the 2002-2006 iteration are included. In addition, this report includes separate tables with estimated area and estimated number of private, nonindustrial private, and family forest and woodland ownerships by state.

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

Using data collected from a series of focus groups, this study examines how landowner assistance programs (which may include management plans, cost-share, technical assistance and advice, and education components) affect family forest owner behaviour in the USA. Not surprisingly, most owners who participated in assistance programs had pre-existing management objectives. Participation in the management plan and cost-share components was found to facilitate the stewardship of private forests by assisting and reinforcing the behaviour of those landowners who already intend to manage their land in some pre-conceived manner. Advice and educational components appeared to do more in terms of introducing owners to new ideas. The mix of components offered as part of a landowner assistance program should consider the goals of the program and which components will be most effective in achieving those goals.

USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey, 2011-2013: design, implementation, and estimation methods

The National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) is conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program to increase the understanding of the attitudes, behaviors, and demographics of private forest and woodland ownerships across the United States. The information is intended to help policy makers, resource managers, educators, service providers, and others interested in the forest and woodland resources of the United States better understand the social context of these lands in order to facilitate more informed opinions and decisions. This report describes the design, implementation, and analysis of data for the NWOS implemented from 2011 through 2013. The NWOS is concerned with three non-overlapping populations of interest: family, corporate, and other private. To simplify the discussion, the focus of this report is on family forest and woodland ownerships, but identical methods were used for the other populations of interest. Results from this research are being published separately. For additional information visit: www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos. See also dx.doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-157.