Michael A. Kilgore

Policy tools to encourage the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices in the United States and Canada

Abstract States and provinces of the United States and Canada have defined practices to mitigate the negative externalities often associated with timber harvesting activities. This paper describes the various methods states and provinces employ to encourage the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices. Information on specific policy tools used to encourage guideline application was obtained through a written questionnaire to state and provincial forestry agency directors. All but one of the 51 responding states and provinces have some form of formally-defined timber harvesting practices. Practices that address riparian zone management, water quality, or wetlands protection are the most common—all but one responding state and province addresses one of more of these areas. Sixty-one percent of the states and provinces implement their practices through predominantly voluntary means whereas the remaining 39% are applied within a regulatory framework. Of the policy tools examined, technical assistance, educational, and cost-share programs account for 88% of all state and provincial programs directed at encouraging forest landowners to use the practices suggested in their guidebooks. Technical assistance and education programs are the most common policy tools used to assist loggers and foresters in applying sustainable harvesting practices. Technical assistance and cost-share programs consistently rank among the most effective policy tools for encouraging loggers, landowners, and foresters to apply the sustainable timber harvesting practices. Comparing levels of program investment to perceived benefits, assistance programs and education programs rank most efficient for landowners and foresters, respectively. Premium prices for products and preferential access to contracts are the two most efficient programs directed at loggers, yet their existence is modest within states and provinces. The paper concludes with an assessment of emerging trends and additional information needs associated with encouraging the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices.

Barriers to and opportunities for effective cumulative impact assessment within state-level environmental review frameworks in the United States

In the US, relatively little research has been done in recent years to inform the development and implementation of cumulative impact assessment (CIA) policy. Past studies have primarily focused on the requirements and practices of the National Environmental Policy Act, but little is known about the challenges and opportunities relating to CIA practices at the state level. By analysing data from a national survey of state environmental review programme administrators, this study identified the inability of state programmes to facilitate CIA practices as a major barrier to effective implementation, particularly reflected by the perceived lack of explicit procedures and data for conducting CIA. Important strategies for improvement included adopting detailed guidelines specifying what to include in an assessment and developing institutional mechanisms to encourage state agency co-ordination. Some differences in perception were observed across programmes due to the different types of state-level environmental review frameworks within which cumulative impacts are assessed. In addition, administrators from programmes without CIA requirements seemed to overestimate the cost and time needed to implement CIA. Changing their perception may contribute to the adoption of CIA procedures in these states.

Characterising the landscape of state environmental review policies and procedures in the United States: a national assessment

Following the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, many states have adopted policies and procedures directing state agencies and local government units to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of development projects prior to their undertaking. In contrast to a rich literature on federal requirements, current understanding of state environmental review is narrowly focused and outdated. This paper seeks to provide information on the landscape of state environmental review policy frameworks. The paper identifies 37 states with formal environmental review requirements through a document review of state statutes, administrative rules and agency-prepared materials, and confirms this finding through a survey of state administrators. A two-tier classification is used to distinguish states based on the approach taken to address environmental review needs and the scope and depth of relevant policies and procedures implemented. This paper also provides a discussion of policy and programme attributes that may contribute to effective practice, and of the potential for adopting relevant legislation in states where environmental review is currently lacking.

Influence of financial incentive programs in sustaining wildlife values

Conservation incentive programs have substantial impacts on the nation’s forests and wildlife habitat. There are eight major conservation incentive programs. The Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) provides forest landowner assistance by focusing on resource management plans embodying multi-resource stewardship principles. The Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) is the primary vehicle for cost-sharing. The Crop Reserve Program (CRP) provides for conserving covers on eligible farmland. The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) protects environmentally important private forestlands via conservation easements. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible goals. The Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) provides grants to protect and restore habitat on private lands to benefit federally listed, proposed, candidate, or other at-risk species. The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) provides for development and improvement of upland and wetland wildlife and fish habitat. Finally, the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) offers landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands.

Mainstreaming ecosystem services in state-level conservation planning: progress and future needs

Ecosystem services (ES) have become an important focus of the conservation movement but have yet to be mainstreamed into environmental policy and management, especially at the state and federal levels. Adoption of an ES approach requires agency personnel to have knowledge or experience in implementing an ES approach and metrics that link potential actions to impacts on ES. We characterize the degree to which ES considerations are taken into account in setting priorities for conservation acquisitions in the U.S. state of Minnesota. We assess two core dimensions of an ES approach: (1) multiobjective targeting and (2) measuring program benefits in terms of increases in human well-being. We assess the degree to which these two dimensions occur in statute and in conservation program decision making. We find that state statute provides clear support for an ES approach in conservation funding mechanisms. However, we find that many of the programs funded through those mechanisms have more traditional habitat-centric approaches. In contrast to statutory emphasis, water quality related metrics were not prominent. We recommend expanding current prioritization systems to include a broader suite of metrics that are linked to human well-being to further mainstream ES in Minnesota. These metrics can be generated from existing data and would allow program managers to better communicate the public benefits of conservation spending.

Public agencies and bureaus responsible for forest management and protection: an assessment of the fragmented institutional landscape of state governments in the United States

Abstract Public environmental and natural resource agencies have become increasingly diverse in mission and organization. Although holistic approaches for sustaining the physical attribute of large forest ecosystems have been advocated, attention has yet to focus on complementary organizational landscapes composed of integrated and co-ordinated public agencies. Results of a 2000 assessment of state agency conditions in the USA indicate that state government agencies affecting forest conditions are dispersed over all sectors and levels of state government; a states lead forestry agency is often only a small piece in the puzzle of state agencies affecting forests; state agencies affecting forests engage primarily in forest resource use and management activities, yet some state agencies affect forest conditions by aggressively implementing responsibility for fisheries and wildlife, water pollutant management, and parks and recreation; consequences of fragmented state agency responsibility for forests are generally adverse, especially public confusion over agency roles and lack of integrated resource management; co-ordination among state agencies affecting forest conditions is modest and takes many forms; and the counterpart to state level agency diversity is the plethora of federal agencies that affect forest conditions, a situation that often deters state ability to integrate management of forests.

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.

Does forest land posted against trespass really mean no hunter access

Hunters report diminishing access to private forest land in the United States due to increasing numbers of landowners posting their land against trespass. While many hunters assume posting is synonymous with prohibited access, the relationship between the two is not clear. To address this issue, we predicted the likelihood a family forest landowner who posts their property will, in fact, allow hunter access. Factors that influence this likelihood were identified. We found that the probability of a landowner who posts allowing access was approximately 47%, with all explanatory variables evaluated at their means. Factors decreasing the likelihood of access included a perception that allowing access would interfere with their own hunting or result in property damage. Factors increasing the likelihood of allowing access included increasing parcel size, a perception of excellent hunting opportunity on their parcel, and a high percentage of the surrounding area that is open to public hunting.

Family forest landowners' interest in forest carbon offset programs: Focus group findings from the Lake States, USA

In 2012, focus groups were organized with individuals owning 20+ acres in the Lake States region of the United States (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) to discuss various issues related to forest carbon offsetting. Focus group participants consisted of landowners who had responded to an earlier mail-back survey (2010) on forest carbon offsets. Two focus groups were held per state with an average of eight participants each (49 total). While landowner participant types varied, overall convergence was reached on several key issues. In general, discussion results found that the current payment amounts offered for carbon credits are not likely, on their own, to encourage participation in carbon markets. Landowners are most interested in other benefits they can attain through carbon management (e.g., improved stand species mix, wildlife, and trails). Interestingly, landowner perceptions about the condition of their own forest land were most indicative of prospective interest in carbon management. Landowners who felt that their forest was currently in poor condition, or did not meet their forest ownership objectives, were most interested in participating. While the initial survey sought landowner opinions about carbon markets, a majority of focus group participants expressed interest in general carbon management as a means to achieve reduced property taxes.

Characterizing timber salvage operations on public forests in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA

ABSTRACT Despite the common management practice of salvage logging in recently naturally disturbed forests, little is known about the contribution salvage logging operations make to wood markets or their importance in the wood supply chain. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of salvage wood to the total volume of wood sold on state and county lands in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA. Analyzing data collected from 2010 to 2014, salvage wood made up 10% of the 27.2 million m3 of wood sold by these ownerships during this period, a percentage similar to the total amount of forest area that was disturbed by insects, disease, weather damage, or some other natural agent across state and/or county lands over the same time period. Where a widespread forest disturbance was observed (e.g. a catastrophic windstorm that resulted in blowdown), salvage sales offered more volume per sale and were larger in size compared to non-salvage sales. We conclude that when large-scale disturbances occur, there may be a large influx of salvage-harvested wood from a specific region for which timber sale records could be used to better understand the economic contribution of forest disturbances to local wood markets.