Views of old forestry and new among reference groups in the Pacific Northwest (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2006
Conflicts over timber harvesting and clearcutting versus wildlife conservation have instigated alternative silvicultural systems in the US Pacific Northwest. Major forest treatments can be the most controversial element of such systems. A public survey explored the social acceptability of 19 forest treatments that varied by forest age, level of green-tree retention, pattern of retention, and level of down wood. The survey presented respondents with photos of the treatments, explanatory narratives, and resource outputs related to human and wildlife needs. Respondents rated treatments for scenic beauty, service to human needs, service to wildlife needs, and overall acceptability. Acceptability distribution patterns were analysed for all forest treatments. These showed broad, passionate opposition to clearcutting, conflict over the acceptability of not managing forests, conflict over old growth harvests, conflict with some passionate opposition to 15% retention harvests, and unconflicted acceptance of young forest thinnings and 40% retention harvests. Modelling of these responses found that socially acceptable forestry attends to scenic beauty and serves wildlife needs, while also serving human needs but not at a high cost to these first two values.
PUBLIC ACCEPTABILITY OF FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AT MORGAN-MONROE STATE FOREST
Forest management practices on public forests are controversial with many organizational and individual stakeholders. Forest managers' understanding of the attitudes of stakeholders is necessary to honor statutory requirements and the social contract under which they operate. The human dimension component of the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in Indiana included a study of recreationists' and neighboring landowners' forest management attitudes by examining the acceptability of alternative management practices on Morgan-Monroe State Forest (MMSF) before and after providing brief explanations of alternative management practices. An on-site survey of recreationists and a mail survey of landowners neighboring MMSF were used. Both surveys also included an investigation of the influence of information about timber management practices on respondents' attitudes.
Forest views: Shifting attitudes toward the environment in northeast Oregon
Residents of northeast Oregon were surveyed by telephone in an effort to assess individual perceptions of forests and natural resource management. Results show that residents are generally well informed about declining forest health, and they identify active forest management as a high priority. Just over half of residents support increasing public land use fees to pay for forest restoration activities, while only a minority support raising local taxes. Thus, creative policy solutions are likely needed to address the forest restoration funding gap. Residents were nearly unanimous in their belief that natural resources can be preserved for future generations and at the same time used to create jobs. Compared to a similar survey in 2011, a larger proportion of participants in 2014 prioritize renewable energy development over drilling and exploration for oil, an increasing percentage believe that environmental rules limiting development have been good for their communities, and fewer support the elimination of wolves. These shifts in public opinion appear to be due to changes in perceptions among longtime residents, rather than demographic changes, and suggest that communities may be more receptive to regulations and programs that address ecological restoration and stewardship goals, as well as climate change impacts.
Public Influences on Plantation Forestry
Journal of Forestry Washington, 2005
For plantation forestry to be successful, it must be biologically possible, economically feasible, and culturally adoptable (i.e., socially acceptable). We discuss social acceptability and plantation forestry in the Pacific Northwest, stressing that social acceptability is a judgmental process that is both provisional and dependent on many complex factors, and that most decisions are based on intuition, rather than a rational evaluation of all relevant choices. We suggest that conflicts over plantation forestry can be minimized by carefully considering social acceptability and by forging formal agreements (accords) that promote the goals of both environmentalists and forest industries.
All eight USFS (7) and BLM (1) projects scored poorly (primarily D or F) and failed to successfully meet the key ecological criteria employed in this evaluation. Hungry Ridge 7,164 Yes No Yes Yes Moderate Bitterroot Front 27,477 Yes No Yes Yes High USFS Rocky Mtn Region Lower North-South 94,575 Unknown No Yes Likely Moderate USFS Pacific Southwest Region North Yuba 91,025 Yes Partial; >24 to 40" dbh depending on land use allocation Yes Yes Low-Moderate USFS Pacific Northwest Region Grasshopper 3,858 Yes No (partial in Riparian Reserves; 24-30" dbh) Yes Yes Low Oregon BLM Last Chance 8.240 Yes Partial; >36 to 40" dbh depending on land allocation No Yes Low-Moderate USFS Eastern Region Early Successional Habitat Creation Project (Green Mountain NF) 12,000 Up to 160-year-old stands but does not meet Eastern Region OG definition No Yes Yes (state listed in VT) N/A 5 An old-growth Douglas-fir marked for logging in unit 34-1 of the Paul's Payoff timber sale, part of the Bureau of Land Management's Last Chance project in southwest Oregon. Photo credit: KSWild.org Areas of misalignment between proposed actions in USFS and BLM projects reviewed in this report and an ecologically-based forest management framework. Necessary changes listed below would bring current projects into better alignment with ecological principles and recommendations applicable to western frequent-fire forests. 6 Areas of Misalignment with Best Available Science Changes Necessary for Ecologically-Based Management Removes significant numbers of large-diameter and old trees Retains large-diameter and/or old trees, except in very limited circumstances (e.g. public safety) Expands roads through new construction, reconstruction and/or addition of non-system roads Reduces roads using ecological-based criteria for prioritizing restoration, closure and/or removal Plans treatments across range of different forest types & fire regimes Focuses active management in lower elevation, warm/dry forests that are most altered and least resilient relative to historic conditions Focuses on harvest of commercial-sized trees Focuses on treatments that reduce surface and ladder fuels while retaining existing large overstory trees Little/no emphasis on old-growth recruitment Identifies & manages mature trees and stands to facilitate old-growth development wherever there is current deficit Leads to significant adverse impacts on at-risk species Fails to fully incorporate fire as a key ecological process Fails to address need for future forest/fuel maintenance treatments Designs projects to effectively avoid or at least minimize impacts to at-risk species Commits with resources and planning to prescribed fire and managed wildland fire use for resource benefits Identifies and incorporates future maintenance needs to perpetuate and build upon benefits from initial treatments
Forest Policy and Economics, 2006
This research examines the general public's perceptions of policy tools for private forests and examines the relationships between policy support and individual demographic characteristics, as well as timber harvesting attitudes. Empirical data were collected through a random digital dial telephone survey of United States residents in 2003 and 2004. Factor and reliability analyses were used to define a private forest policy tool scale containing two distinct policy tools-authority (regulations, sanctions, and incentives) and empowerment (learning, capacity-building, symbolic, and incentive) tools. Overall, the public held neutral attitudes towards authority tools and supported empowerment tools. Of all the demographic characteristics examined in this research, general linear modeling indicated that only education significantly predicted support for authority and empowerment tools. Timber harvesting attitudes were effective predictors of empowerment tools; in general, support for timber harvesting for present benefits was negatively related to support for private forest policy tools. Implications for private forestland policy are presented. D
Western Journal of Applied Forestry, 2007
This study examines preferences and differences in preference among forest professionals and other forest stakeholders. Specifically, the study explores the underlying dimensions of preference and the stated rationale behind those preferences. Preferences were assessed for six different silvicultural treatments, including clearcutting, two-age cut, patch cut, group selection, commercial thin, and an unmodified control stand. Study participants were selected from six stakeholder groups: forest professionals, urban public, rural public, recreationists, environmentalists, and educators (n=210). Results show that people's preferences tend to follow the same general trend across all groups, with higher preference for less intense harvests. Foresters tended to show significantly greater preference than most other groups for treatments where tree removal left moderate to large openings; this difference was most striking with respect to clearcuts. Analysis of people's stated rationa...
Forest Views: Northeast Oregon Survey Looks at Community and Environment
Carsey Institute Issue Brief, 2012
A fall 2011 survey asked 1,585 residents of three northeast Oregon counties about natural resources, the environment, and the future of their communities. • Given a choice of whether natural resources should be used now to create jobs, conserved for future generations, or both equally, more than one-half of the respondents answered “use now.” • Northeast Oregon residents are more likely than Americans nationwide to prioritize exploration and drilling for oil ahead of renewable energy development. They are also more likely to say that environmental rules have been bad for the region, and to say that individuals or businesses should be free to do what they want with their land. • As an issue of local importance, about one-third favor eliminating wolves from the region. A larger group (41 percent) favors limited hunting instead. • About one-half report that forests in their area are less healthy than they were twenty years ago. • Large majorities perceive wildfire, insects, and the loss of forestry jobs and income as serious threats to their communities. • Scientists and local news media are considered more trustworthy as sources of information on environmental issues than are television networks or the government. • The pattern of survey responses reflects a region transitioning from historical resource dependency to a more diversified future based to a greater degree on natural amenities.