Understanding the Factors Influencing Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowner Interest in Supplying Ecosystem Services in Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

Forests

Nana Tian²  Neelam C. Poudyal²  Donald G. Hodges²  Timothy M. Young²  Kevin P. Hoyt¹ 

[1] Forest Resources Research & Education Center, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, 901 South Illinois Avenue. Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, University of Tennessee, 274 Plant Science Bldg. Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; E-Mails:

关键词: ecosystem service;    multivariate logistic regression;    nonindustrial private forest landowners (NIPF);   

DOI  :  10.3390/f6113985

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Private forests provide a range of ecosystem services for society including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. Sustaining the supply of such services depends on the interest of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners in managing their forests for such services. Assessing factors that influence NIPF landowner intentions would be useful in identifying potential suppliers of ecosystem services and in designing and implementing outreach and education programs to elevate the interests of less interested landowners. Using data collected from a mail survey of NIPF landowners on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, this study examined how landowner interest in supplying ecosystem services was influenced by socio-demographic characteristics, economic and market factors, land management objectives, and ownership motivations. To that end, a multivariate logistic regression model was employed to analyze the supply of three types of ecosystem services: carbon storage (regulating service), water quality (provisioning service), and aesthetics (cultural service). Results revealed that landowner interest in managing forests for ecosystem services were significantly related to socio-demographic factors, management and ownership characteristics, and availability of financial incentives. These findings will improve the understanding of the market segment of landowners as related to ecosystem services. The findings may facilitate the development of market protocols and outreach programs that promote payments for ecosystem services in Tennessee and elsewhere.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.