Influence or Interference? Understanding Crowding Effects in Forest Management Adoption

More than half of the private forestland in the U.S. is under non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership. Understanding NIPF landowners’ decision-making is crucial for developing effective policy that promotes sustainable forest management practices and ensures forest health. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of different management practices, with a focus on potential crowding effects among these practices. Drawing on data from over four hundred NIPF landowners in the U.S. central hardwood region, a series of binary logistic regression models were employed to analyze the relationship between landowner and forestland characteristics and the likelihood of adopting various management practices, like invasive plant management, forest stand improvement, and grapevine control. The findings reveal that factors, such as forest acreage, proximity of landowner residence to the forest, and education level, significantly affect the likelihood of adopting management practices. More importantly, this study found evidence of crowding-in effects, where implementing one practice increased the probability of adopting others, suggesting a preference among NIPF landowners for a diverse approach to forest management.