Active forest management adoption behavior of private forest landowners in the Cross-Timbers region

The Cross-Timbers (CT) region in the southern Great Plains of the United States, is a unique transitional ecotone spanning Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The structure of the forests in this region has undergone significant changes over time, primarily due to urbanization, fire exclusion, and climate change, leading to a closed-canopy structure with encroachment by fire-intolerant species. Despite being privately owned, there is a lack of active forest management, which hinders the provision of ecosystem benefits. Therefore, understanding landowners’ active forest management behavior is crucial. This study investigated landowner preferences regarding two key forest management practices –– thinning and prescribed burning. I conducted a mixed-mode survey of private landowners in the CT region, following Dillman’s Tailored Design Method. I used a bivariate copula statistical model to identify the factors influencing their willingness to adopt active forest management. Results suggested that landowners’ willingness to adopt thinning and prescribed burning is significantly influenced by forest land holding size, the status of woody plant encroachment, and landowner characteristics, while ownership objectives influenced landowners’ willingness to adopt prescribed burning. Additionally, conceptualized within the frameworks of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Norm Activation Model, I used a Structural Equation Model to investigate the relationship between socio-psychological constructs and landowners’ behavioral intent to adopt active forest management. The results indicated that the behavioral intent to adopt both thinning and prescribed burning had a significant positive relationship with norms, attitudes, and past behavior, while the relationship with perceived behavioral control remained statistically non-significant. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted outreach and Extension efforts to foster a supportive environment that enables landowners to adopt active forest management in the CT region.