| dc.description.abstract | Non-industrial Private Forests (NIPF) landowners constitute a major component
of the forested land portfolio in the Southeastern United States. The lands they possess
provide a variety of social benefits but many aspects of how these landowners manage
their properties exist. The goal of this research was to determine overall landowner
awareness regarding wildfire programs and education and identify interrelationships
among management strategies, demographic variables, and experiences. Specifically, it
was hypothesized that landowner program awareness, interest in biomass utilization, and
wildfire mitigation strategies would be influenced by the type of information they
received, management activities, and other factors. Seven logit models were constructed
to analyze these interrelationships.
Results revealed that the type and quality of information landowners received
was important in most cases. Landowners not receiving any information were less likely
to take action to prevent or mitigate wildfire damage to their property. Wildfire
education was highly valued by participants. Knowledge of existing biomass utilization
programs was almost non-existent. However, the desire to obtain information on this topic was high. In general, state agencies were utilized more than federal agencies, and
landowners felt that cost-share programs and marketability of removed biomass would
encourage participation in wildfire prevention activities. | en |
