2. Outline Understanding interface landowners Opportunities realized through interface forest management  Income (timber, tourism, herbs, edibles, decorations, marketing)  Reduced fire risk  Amenities (scenery, trails, cool shade, privacy)  Health  Wildlife Vegetation management of interface forests  Small scale systems  Planning, safety, and costing  Visible stewardship  Cooperatives

3. Categories of ownership 215 million acres of southern U.S. is forest 25 million acres (12%) public ownership 61 million acres (28%) forest industry 127 million acres (59%) family forest

4. Family forest ownership

6. Fragmentation of forests Majority of forested land is in large tracts (greater than 100 acres) More than 50 million forested acres (23%) are divided into parcels less than 100 acres About 90% of owners will seek assistance on how to manage their small forested lands

7. Types of forest owners Timber managers  Investments and best management practices Resident conservationists  Preserving natural beauty, wildlife and natural values Affluent weekenders  Second homes on land Low-income rural residents  Inherited the land

8. Characteristics of interface regions Tourist destination Retirement destination Resource production Trade and professional centers Counterculture opportunities

9. Categories of ownership New owners fall into six markets according to forest ownership needs and abilities:  Absentee investors (4%)  Career professional (13%)  Wildlife preservationists (16%)  New pioneer farmers (21%)  Planners (21%)  Young families (19%)

10. Management actions Strive to be economically feasible and ecologically sustainable Increased concerns about fire, invasive species, and trespassing Fewer verbal agreements Increased specific site restoration requirements

11. Embracing land management New owners are not adverse to management They are more concerned about protecting amenities and ecological qualities than maximizing profit

13. Willingness to cut trees for…

14. Willingness to…

15. Residential migration New development increases pressure on amenities Newcomers’ concerns about management practices  Dangerous  Offensive odors  Traffic  Competes with additional housing development and retail stores

16. Professionals can help because … Most landowners are not opposed to managing their land Many landowners do not know  possible management options  the amount of funds required for management  the benefits of management Professionals can address issues through various methods

17. Landowners feelings towards professional foresters % Agree % Neutral % Disagree Are a trusted source of knowledge about how to manage the trees on my land 54388 Are more interested in making money than in the ecological health of my land 314623 Are more interested in cutting timber than in the ecological health of my land 304525 I don’t know anything about professional foresters 403624 I would be willing to harvest a few trees and saw them up for lumber using a small, portable sawmill 422533 I would be willing to accept less money from a timber sale if the logging actions protected other forest qualities 493516

18. Trusting foresters Foresters are more interested in ____ than the health of my forest.

19. Addressing challenges Try new methods of reaching landowners Work to develop trust Find tools to produce amenity and ecological quality Work with landowners to develop a formal management plan

20. Opportunities realized through interface forest management Variety of reasons to manage the land Incoming generationFire risk reductionAmenity resourcesForest healthWildlife

21. Alternative forest products Decorative Herbal Medicinal Edible Enhance property value

22. Challenge of interface fire Common in southern ecosystems South has most fire starts and acres burned Objections to interface fire include  concerns about forest aesthetics and forest health  concerns about safety of structures  access and responsibility  negative impacts of smoke on human health and driving safety

23. Firewise solutions Firewise communities  Large fire breaks (golf courses, farms) Firewise structures  Nonflammable material, gutters, windows, driveways Firewise landscaping around structures  Lean, clean, green

24. Fuel reduction methods Mechanical thinning Herbicides Prescribed burning Animal grazing

25. Amenity resources Scenery Trails Privacy Shade Typically the most important product of interface forests

26. Scenery sells Park-like stands with large trees and low ground cover Low or no downed wood, trash, waste Open vistas and meadows Thinning creates depth of view, larger trees Ephemeral features

27. Picnic, park, and camp Soil compaction kills older, sensitive trees  Use young, deep rooted trees Parking lots should  drain away from water source  have a swale to hold water and allow pollutants to settle.

28. Trail building considerations Soils Trail size Trail grade Trail alignment Streams, lakes and trails

29. Privacy and Shade Vegetation visual buffers Vegetation performs poorly as an acoustic buffers Shade can significantly reduce  temperature (10-15 degrees)  cooling costs (10-80%) Shade can direct/block cooling breezes

30. Regional amenity Recreational activities Visitor perceptions Transformation of lands Visual character of a region

31. Forest health Historically narrow in scope Expansion of definition Influenced by people Investment Environmental safety Personal opinion and values Experience is the key

32. Site management Construction damage  Roots and stems Toxic chemicals  Tree-friendliness Species selection  Nursery personnel

33. Insects and diseases Bark beetle and wood borers Defoliating insects Sap-feeding insects Girdling insects Canker diseases Tree decline Leaf diseases

34. Abiotic factors and invasives Abiotic factors  Lightning strikes  Drought  Flooding Invasive plants  Kudzu Invasive animals  Coyote  Armadillo Nuisance animals

35. Wildlife Approximately 87 million people participate in wildlife-associated activities each year. Approximately $108 billion is spent on these activities per year. Managing for wildlife is a challenge due to  forest fragmentation  development  landowners opinion about wildlife

36. Effects of human expansion “What are the likely effects of expanding human populations, urbanization, and infrastructure on wildlife and their habitats?” “What are the likely effects of expanding human populations, urbanization, and infrastructure on wildlife and their habitats?” Non-native species threaten the survival of some sensitive wildlife species. Urban and agricultural land uses have created forest islands. Disturbed areas facilitate the spread of non-native species.

37. Human-wildlife conflicts Vectors for disease  Lyme disease  West Nile virus Car accidents Property damage Control strategies Species diversity

38. Managing nuisance wildlife Three main factors Exclusion Habitat modification Repellents Toxic baits and pesticides Glue boards and traps Scare tactics

39. Attracting wildlife Limit amount of lawn Increase vertical layering Leave snags and brush piles Provide water source Plant native vegetation Put up feeders and houses Remove invasive exotics Manage household pets Reduce pesticide use Expand scale of habitat

40. Effects of urbanization on the water cycle Forests intercept precipitation. Approximately two-thirds of incoming precipitation is released back into the atmosphere in contiguous forests. Remaining water recharges the groundwater and contributes to streams. Forest clearing generates more storm- water runoff and reduces the amount of water that soaks into the ground. Storm water carries pollutants.

41. Storm-water management Best management practices (BMPs)  Detention ponds Low impact development (LID) practices  Treat water where it falls  Vegetated rooftops  New methods to convey water Implementation obstacles  Steep slopes  Impacted soils  Shallow water

42. Practicing visible stewardship Public perception Visual screening Cues-to-care Forest management Environmental impacts Terminology

43. Cues-to-care Waste and damage Neatness Schedule and duration Planning and safety Communication Re-vegetation Appearances Community commitment

44. Screen/hide management Add visual buffers Keep aesthetics in mind Limit downed wood May create negative perceptions Communicate with the public

45. Mechanical vegetative management Generate income, amenity, forest health, and recreation opportunities  Not just “harvesting timber” Issues and Tradeoffs  Social acceptability  Environmental impact  Economic viability  Operator safety

46. Small scale harvesting systems Lower capital investment costs Horse logging Small agriculture tractor Small excavators/skid-steers Small cable-yarding system All terrain vehicles (ATVs) Cut–to-length

47. Equipment

48. Cut-to-length Two person, two machine system Low-impact harvesting  Distributed weight  Reduced soil compaction

49. Costs and Benefits Comparisons Wet weather sensitivity Slope tolerance Extraction distance Tree size Log length Moving cost Road Log weight

50. Costing an operation A challenge to find a harvester Harvest contracts  Transfer of ownership to contractor  Encourage high production  Pay a rate per ton  Encourage high grading Hourly rate

51. Safety Small crews and equipment Few safety options exist in the South Follow OSHA requirements  Wear personal protective equipment  Keep first-aid kit on site  Create a safety plan Workers compensation insurance

52. Forest cooperatives Participate voluntarily Protect ecological systems Share information, equipment, and labor coordination of management across boundaries Protect privacy buffers Create wildlife corridors for migration and cover Share access roads Develop formal business arrangement

53. Convincing landowners’ to join Temptation Time Trust Role of the professional

54. Benefits of forest cooperatives Trusted knowledge Increased property access Coordinated forest health Shared work activities Profit Value added Political clout Community development

55. Summary In the WUI natural resource professionals may find that implementing management goals can only be done with good communication skills and policy initiatives. It may be difficult to separate these elements because in practice they are used concurrently.

56. Credits Photos Slide 11: USDA Forest Service - Rocky Mountain Region Archives, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.orgwww.forestryimages.org Slide 19, 26, 28, 34, 27, 44, 46: Larry Korhnak Slide 35: James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org Slide 36: Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service, www.forestryimages.orgwww.forestryimages.org

57. Credits Photos Slide 51: A. courtesy of Virginia Tech, B. John D. Hodges, Mississippi State University, www.forestryimages.org, C. http://www.cppa.org/album/cableyarding.jpg, D. courtesy of Virginia Tech www.forestryimages.org http://www.cppa.org/album/cableyarding.jpg Slide 52: http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4101/focus/mgt_appr oaches/ecological/svor/ http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4101/focus/mgt_appr oaches/ecological/svor/ Slides 57, 58: Courtesy of the Blue Ridge Forest Landowner Cooperative All other photos courtesy of Virginia Tech

58. Credits References Slide 4, 5: Butler, B. and E. Leatherberry. 2004. USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owners Survey. Newtown Square PA: USDA, Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey. Slide 7: Klunder, R. A. and T. L. Walkingstick. 2000. “Rethinking How Nonindustrial Landowners View Their Lands.” Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 24(3): 150-158. Slide 9, 12, 13, 14: Kendra, A. and R. B. Hull. 2005. “Motivations and Behaviors of New Forest Owners in Virginia.” Forest Science 51(2): 142-154.

59. Credits References Slide 17, 18: Hull, R. B.; D. P. Robertson; and G. J. Buhyoff. 2004. “Boutique Forestry: New Forest Practices in Urbanizing Landscapes.” Journal of Forestry 102 (1): 14-19. Slide 42: Hostetler, M. E.; G. Klowden; S. W. Miller; and K. N. Youngentob. 2003. Landscaping Backyards for Wildlife: Top Ten Tips for Success (Circular 1429).