Reaching the Forest Owners of the Future Bill Hubbard Southern Regional Extension Forester CES – Southern Region Charleston, SC October, 2006
Dec 26, 2015
Reaching the Forest Owners of the Future
Bill HubbardSouthern Regional Extension Forester
CES – Southern RegionCharleston, SC
October, 2006
"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing after they have
exhausted all the other possibilities."
.......
Winston Churchill
1. Listen to the landowners….Listen to the professionals who study the landowners.
National Woodland Owners Survey
“New Generation of Private Landowner Study” (Mater Engineering) – Pinchot Institute
New Forest Owners Studies (Va Tech)
Landowner SurveysA
es
the
tic
s
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rt o
f fa
rm,
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me
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r c
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in
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ture
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nti
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ve
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er
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ew
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st
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er
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Th
ou
sa
nd
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f a
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Reason for owning forestland
Number of family owned forests by reason for owning forestland
Fam
ily le
gac
y
Inse
cts
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e
Pro
per
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axes
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spas
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mp
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vest
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ula
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evel
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tic
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ies
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dan
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pec
ies
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ber
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ise
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lluti
on
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ener
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n W
ild a
nim
als
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mes
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anim
als
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20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
Th
ou
san
ds
of
acre
s
Concern
Area of family forest by concern
D
2. Strategic Planning at the County/Regional/State/National Level
AudiencesShould we segment? If so…how? (for e.g. absentee investors, professionals, preservationists, young families, forest planners, farmers)
Messages – what are our messages? Timber management? Wildlife? Recreation? Forest Health? Stewardship? Intergenerational Transfer?
Strategic Materials Development, Marketing & DistributionAn example: “The Hoge Plan”
Forest*A*Syst (Level I)Managing the Family Forest in the South (Level II)Woodlands Management Course (Level III)Private Forest Management Textbook (Level IV)Master Tree Farmer/Master Wildlifer Shortcourses (Level V)
Liv
ing
Sim
ply
Na
tura
lism
Ro
ma
nti
c R
ura
lism
Esc
ap
ism
Pa
ren
tin
g
Reg
ion
ali
sm
Sp
irit
ua
lity
Fa
rmin
g
Rec
rea
tio
n
So
cia
l T
ies
Est
ate
Bu
ild
ing
Per
son
al
Fin
an
ce
Absentee Investors Young Families Forest Planners Preservationists Farmers Professionals
NotAt AllImportant
VeryImportant
Neutral
The New “3-R’s
RigorPrepare the best educational materials and experiences we can as a collective group (Universities, Extension, USDA FS, NGO’s, state forestry, etc).
RelevanceMake sure the materials relate to their lives and goals.
RelationshipsMake sure we as a profession are there to assist them.
3. Change the way we do business!
Several thousand state forestry agency professionalsSeveral hundred Extension forestry professionalsCounty Extension agents have too many responsibilities to be the forestry educatorsNew model for reaching, educating and motivating landowners
State Extension work with state and county forestry agents to deliver messagesSustain the efforts! Don’t conduct a workshop or two and declare victory!Keep working with new partners!
Quality Deer Management AssociationLand Conservation and NGO communities
New Models (B. Hull, 2005)
Community Based Forestry
“True” Multiple Use
Estate Planning & Intergenerational Transfer
Un-even Aged Silviculture
Combat New Threats
Understand and work with “the theory of rational ignorance”
4. Realizing Extension’s potential
Current federal Extension dollars are limited ($4 million appropriated vs.$30 million authorized)
We need the support of the USDA Forest Service and the NASF to grow this program so we can be more effective delivering forestry/natural resource messages.
5. Continue to blend new technologies with old
One-on-One
Workshops
Printed materials
Media
Satellite
Internet
The use of “Adaptive Management” – use new technologies to learn from each other.
6. Use forest owners as leaders, mentors, “diffusors” of our information!
Coached planning
Coverts
Forest Landowner Associations
“Masters” programs (Master Gardener concept applied to Forestry)
Leadership training