Understanding and ReachingFamily Forest Owners

Brett J. ButlerU.S. Forest Service

Mary TyrrellYale University

Indiana Society of American Foresters 2009 Summer MeetingAugust 19, 2009 Indianapolis, IN

2

Conclusions

• Family forest owners rule!• Size matters• Beauty, legacy, and privacy• To manage or not to manage?• They are a bunch of old guys• Family forest owners don’t own forests• Surround sound communications

Pop Quiz

4

Who is this?

A. William McKinley

B. Teddy Roosevelt

C. Eleanor Roosevelt

D. Smokey Bear

5

Who is this?

A. Walt Whitman

B. Henry David Thoreau

C. John MuirD. Teddy Roosevelt

6

Who is this?

A. First chief of the U.S. Forest Service

B. Gifford Pinchot

C. Former governor of Pennsylvania

D. All of the above

7

Who is this?

A. John W. Weeks

B. John E. Weeks

C. John W. Weeks

D. Edgar Weeks

8

What do these people have in common?

Catalysts of Forest Conservation

Pop Quiz

10

According to 1,000 likely voters: who owns most of the forests in the U.S.?

A. U.S. Government

B. Forest industry

C. Family forest owners

11

Forest Ownership, 2006

Family36%

Federal33%

State9%

Local1%

Other Private21%

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

Family74%

Other Private

9%

Federal9%

State7%

Local1%

United States Indiana

12

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

13

Forest Conservation: The Next Phase

Who are the family forest

owners?

15

National Woodland Owner Survey

To better understand:• Who the landowners are• Why they own land• How they have used it• How they intend to use it

Conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program

16

National Woodland Owner Survey

• Family Forests Owners of the United States, 2006 (NRS-GTR-27)

• NWOS Table Maker

• www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos

Size Matters

18

Size of Family Forest HoldingsIndiana, 2006

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500+

Size of Family Forest Holdings (Acres)

AreaOwners

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

19

Size Matters

0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.800.901.00

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000

Size of forest holdings (acres)

Pro

porti

on o

f fam

ily fo

rest

land

Management planManagement adviceCommercial harvest

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

Beauty, Legacy, and Privacy

21

Family Forest Ownership ObjectivesIndiana, 2006

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Part of farm

Part of home

Privacy

Family legacy

Nature protection

Aesthetics

Percent of Family Forest Land

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

22

Family Forest Ownership ObjectivesIndiana, 2006

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Nontimber forest products

Firewood production

Timber production

Hunting or fishing

Other recreation

Land investment

Percent of Family Forest Land

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

To Manage or Not to Manage –

That is the Question

24

• Timber harvesting51% of family forestland

• Forest management plan9% of family forestland

• Management advice29% of family forestland

Management of Family ForestsIndiana, 2006

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

They are a bunch of old guys

26

Age: 42% 65 or older

Occupation: 43% retired

Gender: 86% male

Race: 97% white

Education: 32% college degree

Income: 23% $100,000 or greater

Demographics of Family Forest OwnersIndiana, 2006

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

27

Plans for Family Forest LandIndiana, 2006

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Buy

Heirs/sell

Timber

Firewood

None/minimal

Percent of Family Forest Land

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

28

ConcernsIndiana, 2006

1. Trespassing

2. Family legacy

3. Property taxes

4. Vandalism and dumping

5. Insects and plant diseases

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

How do we reach them?

Pop Quiz

31

Who is this?

A. Woodsy Owl

B. Smokey Bear

C. Connie Fir

D. Santa Claus

32

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

A collaboration among government, industry, conservation, certifications, landowner, and academics organizations

Our goal is to conduct social marketing research:• That will serve as a wide-ranging resource• To aid in the development of outreach and services

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

33

Social Marketing

Selling ideas, not products

Examples:• Anti-smoking • Mothers Against Drunk

Driving• Smokey Bear

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

34

Attitudinal Segmentation

• Woodland retreat

• Supplemental income

• Working the land

• Uninvolved

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

35

Attitudinal SegmentationIndiana, 2006

Woodland Retreat

41%

Working the Land24%

Supplemental Income

14%

Uninvolved21%

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

36

Prime Prospects Segmentation

Engaged in land management

Unengaged in land management

Favorable attitudes toward

stewardship

ModelOwners

Prime Prospects

Unfavorableattitudes toward

stewardship

Opportunists

Write-offs?

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

37

Prime Prospects SegmentationIndiana, 2006

Model Owners11%

Opportunists13%

Write-offs?6%

Prime Prospects

70%

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

38

Prime Prospects and Attitudinal SegmentationsIndiana, 2006

Perc

ent o

f For

est L

and

01020304050607080

ModelOwners

PrimeProspects

Oppor-tunists

Write-offs?

Woodland Retreat Working the LandSupplemental Income Uninvolved

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

39Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.

Online

Partnerships

PSA/Advertising

NewsMedia

CelebritySightings

Retail

DirectMail

Events

Social Marketing: “Surround Sound” Communications

40

Words Matter

• Very few forest owners own any forest– Trees, Woods, Wildlife

Richard Scarry

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

41

Words Matter• What is forestry, foresters and loggers?

Dr. Seuss

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

42

Words Matter• Terms like stewardship, sustainable management,

and forest health are not part of their regular vernacular

• They do not strongly differentiate between conservation and preservation

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

43

Group Membership

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Forestry

Farm

Social

Hobby

Hunting

Environmental

Religious

Community

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

44

General Information Sources

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Radio

Family

Internet

Magazine

Newspaper

Television

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

45

Preferred Methods for ReceivingForest Management Information

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Other owners

Internet

DVDs/Videos

Newsletters

Books

Foresters

Percent of Forestland

U.S. Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

46

Communication Messages

Do• Hit hot button issues• Stress options• Use their words

Don’t• Be preachy• Go global

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

47

What are the hot buttons?

• Specific features, woods are often secondary• Inheritance and passing on their land• Wildlife, critters• Privacy, security, and safety• “There not making any more of it”• Love of the land - deep, emotional attachment• Country life and community, but not neighbors• Financial rewards

Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

48

Pilot Study: Call Before You Cut

http://callb4ucut.com/

49

Lessons Learned

Be clear about:• Your objectives• Your target audience• The motivations of

your target audience

50

Call Before You Cut

Message Frame: CBYC helps you get the best *value* from your woodland

Central message: Get all the information you need to get the best value from your woodland—before, during and after your cut.

51

52

Conclusions

• Family forest owners rule!• Size matters• Beauty, legacy, and privacy• To manage or not to manage?• They are a bunch of old guys• Family forest owners don’t own forests• Surround sound communications

53

Credits• National Woodland Owner

Survey– Brett Butler– Earl Leatherberry

• Sustaining Family Forests Initiative– Scott Wallinger– Mary Tyrrell– Brett Butler– Larry Wiseman– Geoff Feinberg– Bill Banzhaf– Bob Fledderman– Eric Norland– Judy Langer– Don Ferguson– Scott van Manen

54

Questions?

Brett ButlerU.S. Forest Service, Amherst, MA

bbutler01@fs.fed.us; 413.545.1387

www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos www.SustainingFamilyForests.org

www.FamilyForestResearchCenter.org