Motivations and barriers for the participation of family forest owners in conservation practices: an application of the transtheoretical model

Understanding landowner motivations and barriers is critical to the success of conservation programs. In 2020, we conducted a survey of family forest owners in Vermont related to expert visits, patch cuts, and applying for cost-share funds. We analyzed the activities using the Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change (TTM) and ordinal logistic regression. The TTM stage of change varied by activity with 68% of the respondents being in the Action stage for expert visits, 29% being in the Action stage for patch cuts, and 14% being in the Action stage for cost-share. The significant variables in the regression models also varied, with positive aspects including expanding owners’ knowledge, reassurance of existing management practices, following expert recommendations, and forest health benefits. Significant negative aspects included difficulty finding appropriate providers and information. These findings have important implications for effective program design and implementation.