Issues Related to Recent Changes in Forestland Ownership

BIOMASS/BIOENERGY WORKSHOP

Brett J. ButlerUSDA Forest ServiceNorthern Research StationForest Inventory and AnalysisFamily Forest Research Center

Overview

Ownership patterns Mapping, TIMO/REIT, Family forest

ownersOwnership trends

Change matrices, Family Forest Owners, Projections

Biomass specific Wood availability, Landowner

Preferences2

Patterns: MappingButler, Hewes, Nelson, Liknes & Snyder

3

Patterns: TIMOs and REITsZhang, Nagubadi & Butler

4

Patterns: Family Forest OwnersNational Woodland Owner Survey

5

Forest characteristics

Ownership history

Ownership objectives

Forest useForest

management Information

sourcesConcerns IntentionsDemographics

Patterns: Family Forest OwnersNational Woodland Owner Survey

6

1-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500-999 1000+0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%AreaOwners

Size of Family Forest Holdings (Acres)

Size of Forest Holdings

Patterns: Family Forest OwnersNational Woodland Owner Survey

7

Family Forest Owners by Attitudinal Type*

Working the land25%

Woodland re-treat32%

Uninvolved22%

Supplemental income

21%

* Developed as part of the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative

Patterns: Family Forest OwnersNational Woodland Owner Survey

8

Age: 44% 65 or olderOccupation: 52% retiredGender: 78% maleRace: 97% whiteEducation: 41% college degreeIncome: 27% $100,000 or greater

Trends: Ownership Change MatricesHarper, Turner & Butler

National Forest

Other Federal State Local Industry Corporate Family

Other Private

Non-forest

Nat. Forest 3.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Other Fed. 0.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

State 0.0 0.0 1.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Local 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Industry 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 6.7 1.6 0.7 0.1 0.1

Corporate 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.6 4.4 1.1 0.3 0.2

Family 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.5 1.6 31.4 0.3 1.1

Other Priv. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0Non-forest 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3 1.5 0.0 39.7

Time 2 (To)

Tim

e 1

(Fro

m)

9

Trends: Ownership Change MatricesHarper, Turner & Butler

10

Forest industry

Local

Corporate

State

Forest industry

Other private

Federal

Family

Local

Corporate

State

Forest industry

Other private

Federal

Family

Non-forest Non-forest

Trends: Family Forest OwnersButler & Ma

11

Size of forest holdings (ac)

Are

a (m

illio

ns o

f acr

es)

1-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500-999 1000+

05

1015

2025

19932006

Size of forest holdings (ac)

Ow

ners

(mill

ions

)

1-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500-999 1000+

01

23

19932006

Change in Size of Family Forest Holdings in the Northern U.S.

Trends: Family Forest OwnersButler & Ma

12

Change in Average Size of Family Forest Holdings in the Northern U.S.

ProjectionsButler & Snyder; Mercer, Butler & Wear

Ownership transition matrices

Urbanization model

Land rent model

13

Biomass: Wood AvailabilityButler, Ma, Kittredge & Catanzaro

14

Federal8%

State15%

Local4%

Cor-porate15%

Family54%

Other private4%

Biomass by Ownership in the Northern U.S.

Biomass: Wood AvailabilityButler, Ma, Kittredge & Catanzaro

15

Where: BiomassA: total amount of available biomass Biomassi: amount of biomass represented by

plot i ReductionRateij: biomass availability reduction

rate

n

ii

k

jijA BiomassateReductionRBiomass

1 1

1

Biomass: Wood AvailabilityButler, Ma, Kittredge & Catanzaro

16

Biomass Availability by Constraint for Family Forest Owners in the Northern U.S.

Constraint Availability (%)

BiophysicalSlope 96.8Physiographic class 97.7Site productivity 99.7Tree size 97.8Subtotal 92.4

SocialSize of forest holdings 86.3Road distance 99.8Riparian buffers 96.2Population density 97.4Population gravity index

95.4

Owner attitude index 47.2Subtotal 40.4

Total: 38.1

Availability Reduced

by 62%!

Biomass: Family Forest Owner PreferencesLindsay, Catanzaro, Kittredge & Butler

Awareness

Preferences

Willingness to participate

17

Conclusions

1. Money, money, money (?)2. Size matters3. They’re a bunch of old

guys

Comments or questions?

Brett Butler

USDA Forest Service, Amherst, MA

bbutler01@fs.fed.us

www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos

www.FamilyForestResearchCenter.org