Factors influencing contact with professional foresters in small private forests

• Small private forest owners are in contact with professional foresters when management objectives require technical knowledge or are linked to public subsidy programmes. • Management activities, demographic characteristics, information sources, economic factors and institutional support are significantly related to contact with professional foresters. • Digital information sources offer flexible and location-independent opportunities to support forest owners, complementing traditional extension services. • Customer-focused extension services are essential to reach different groups of forest owners. In Europe, approximately 60 % of forests are privately owned, with a significant proportion managed by small private forest owners (SPFOs) who face diverse management objectives and increasing societal demands for ecosystem services. This study examines the key factors influencing SPFOs in Germany to contact professional foresters, based on a dataset from a survey conducted by Feil et al. (2018). A mixed logistic regression model analyzes the relationship of forest management activities, demographic characteristics, information sources, economic factors and institutional support with the decision to contact professional foresters. The results show that SPFOS are in contact with professional foresters when management objectives require technical knowledge or are linked to public subsidy programmes. Demographic factors such as an increasing age, male gender, higher education and experience in the primary sector have a significant positive impact on the likelihood of contact. Economic considerations, such as perceived economic value of the forest and household income, also play an important role. The use of digital information sources is positively associated with contact with forest professionals. In addition, regional differences suggest that federal state-specific forestry structures also influence contact with professional foresters. The study highlights the need for targeted extension services to address the diverse needs of SPFOs.