Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States
ABSTRACT Early successional forest habitat (ESH) and associated wildlife species in the northeastern United States are in decline. One way to help create early successional forest conditions is engaging private forest landowners in even‐aged forest management because their limited participation may...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.613 |
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| author | Ashley A. Dayer Richard C. Stedman Shorna B. Allred Kenneth V. Rosenberg Angela K. Fuller |
| author_facet | Ashley A. Dayer Richard C. Stedman Shorna B. Allred Kenneth V. Rosenberg Angela K. Fuller |
| author_sort | Ashley A. Dayer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Early successional forest habitat (ESH) and associated wildlife species in the northeastern United States are in decline. One way to help create early successional forest conditions is engaging private forest landowners in even‐aged forest management because their limited participation may have contributed to declines in ESH for wildlife species of high conservation concern. We applied the reasoned action approach from social psychology to predict intentions of landowners in the 13‐county Southern Tier of New York State, USA, to conduct patch‐cuts, which is a type of even‐aged forest management. We tested the predictive ability of the model using data from a mail survey of landowners conducted from November 2010 to January 2011. Landowner intention to conduct patch‐cuts was high (55% of respondents), with attitude being the strongest direct predictor of behavioral intention. Our results suggest that patch‐cutting intentions are most likely expressed by landowners who think the behavior is good for their land and wildlife, believe in positive outcomes of land and wildlife management, belong to a game wildlife organization, and have conducted patch‐cuts in the past. Strategies to engage more landowners in ESH management will have the highest likelihood of success if outreach efforts focus on influencing behavioral beliefs and subsequently attitudes, possibly working with game wildlife organizations to communicate a unified message for habitat conservation, including the importance of maintaining and creating ESH. Our results demonstrate the importance of social science research to increase the likelihood that conservation targets for declining wildlife species are met. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bbc9707bfb48429f8ae7e8f901d11dc6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2328-5540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-bbc9707bfb48429f8ae7e8f901d11dc62024-12-16T13:45:45ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402016-03-01401596810.1002/wsb.613Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United StatesAshley A. Dayer0Richard C. Stedman1Shorna B. Allred2Kenneth V. Rosenberg3Angela K. Fuller4Cornell Lab of Ornithology159 Sapsucker Woods RoadIthacaNY14850USAHuman Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural ResourcesCornell UniversityFernow HallIthacaNY14850USAHuman Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural ResourcesCornell UniversityFernow HallIthacaNY14850USACornell Lab of Ornithology159 Sapsucker Woods RoadIthacaNY14850USAUnited States Geological Survey, New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural ResourcesCornell UniversityFernow HallIthacaNY14850USAABSTRACT Early successional forest habitat (ESH) and associated wildlife species in the northeastern United States are in decline. One way to help create early successional forest conditions is engaging private forest landowners in even‐aged forest management because their limited participation may have contributed to declines in ESH for wildlife species of high conservation concern. We applied the reasoned action approach from social psychology to predict intentions of landowners in the 13‐county Southern Tier of New York State, USA, to conduct patch‐cuts, which is a type of even‐aged forest management. We tested the predictive ability of the model using data from a mail survey of landowners conducted from November 2010 to January 2011. Landowner intention to conduct patch‐cuts was high (55% of respondents), with attitude being the strongest direct predictor of behavioral intention. Our results suggest that patch‐cutting intentions are most likely expressed by landowners who think the behavior is good for their land and wildlife, believe in positive outcomes of land and wildlife management, belong to a game wildlife organization, and have conducted patch‐cuts in the past. Strategies to engage more landowners in ESH management will have the highest likelihood of success if outreach efforts focus on influencing behavioral beliefs and subsequently attitudes, possibly working with game wildlife organizations to communicate a unified message for habitat conservation, including the importance of maintaining and creating ESH. Our results demonstrate the importance of social science research to increase the likelihood that conservation targets for declining wildlife species are met. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.613attitudesbeliefsearly successional habitatlandownersNew York Statereasoned action approach |
| spellingShingle | Ashley A. Dayer Richard C. Stedman Shorna B. Allred Kenneth V. Rosenberg Angela K. Fuller Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States Wildlife Society Bulletin attitudes beliefs early successional habitat landowners New York State reasoned action approach |
| title | Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States |
| title_full | Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States |
| title_fullStr | Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States |
| title_short | Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States |
| title_sort | understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern united states |
| topic | attitudes beliefs early successional habitat landowners New York State reasoned action approach |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.613 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ashleyadayer understandinglandownerintentionstocreateearlysuccessionalforesthabitatinthenortheasternunitedstates AT richardcstedman understandinglandownerintentionstocreateearlysuccessionalforesthabitatinthenortheasternunitedstates AT shornaballred understandinglandownerintentionstocreateearlysuccessionalforesthabitatinthenortheasternunitedstates AT kennethvrosenberg understandinglandownerintentionstocreateearlysuccessionalforesthabitatinthenortheasternunitedstates AT angelakfuller understandinglandownerintentionstocreateearlysuccessionalforesthabitatinthenortheasternunitedstates |