The Timber Harvesting Behavior of Family Forest Owners

To increase our understanding of the timber §harvesting behavior of family forest owners, §theoretical and empirical individual-choice models §were developed for the southeastern United States. §Owners were modeled as utility-maximizers who made §harvesting decisions by balancing amenity and profit §values. Harvesting was modeled as a function of §biophysical and socioeconomic variables. Data from §forest inventories and forest owner surveys §conducted by the U.S. Forest Service were used in §logistic regression harvesting models. Separate §models were generated for all family forest owners §and profit, multiple-objective, and amenity groups. §Harvesting propensities were highest for the profit §group and lowest for the amenity group. Stand §structure variables, such as basal area and volume, §were the most significant predictors of timber §harvesting. Other significant variables were §stumpage values, ownership objectives, and §absenteeism. The results of the models were §aggregated and implications for the region s timber §supply assessed. Continued shifts away from strong §timber objectives will decrease the flow of timber §from family forest lands.