Land Ownership Characteristics

The majority of hardwood forest land (upland and bottomland) is in the hands of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) ownership (MacCleery 1990), although a substantial portion of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Highlands is in national forests and parks. The motivation for forest activity for most nonindustrial forest landowners appears to be income, although most of these owners do not rank commercial forest production as the number one reason for holding land (Egan and Jones 1993).

It is possible to combine commercial timber operations with forest stand improvement through application of appropriate silviculture in southern hardwoods. The development of new markets for smaller diameter and lower grade materials has enhanced the opportunity for producing revenue from heretofore noncommercial stands. Unfortunately, however, the type of timber harvesting often being practiced on NIPF lands amounts to high-grading of one type or another.

Forest landowners share certain attributes that help to explain their behavior. Many are older and have lived during times when much of todays forest land was in fields, a condition that they worked hard to preserve. In addition, many people, accustomed to the practices of the past, believe that "timbering" is a once-in-a-lifetime affair. Thus many owners fail to see the value of managing their forest land.

It is incumbent on foresters who interact with landowners to begin their association by explaining what planned forest management means and what is and is not possible. Owners need to understand that even with relatively small tracts, it is possible to spread the income out over time while enhancing the future health, productivity, and value of the forest. It may be difficult to convince owners of such facts, since foresters are going against beliefs that have been years in the making. Owners may find it difficult to accept the fact that many second-growth forests are even-aged, and the larger trees are not older, but simply faster growing.