Comments or questions? Please contact us: USDA Service National National Woodland Owner Survey 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst, MA 01003 Toll-Free Telephone: (855) 233-3372 Woodland Email: [email protected] Fax: (413) 545-1860 Internet: www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos Owner Survey The U.S. Department of (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Version: Michigan 6.1 I USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey

160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst MA 01003 Phone (toll-free): (855) 233-3372 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos 38122 OMB No. 0596-0078 Approval Expires 11/30/2018 According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0596-0078. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 25 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Thank you for participating in this survey! Please return the survey in the postage-paid envelope provided.

If you would like a copy of the results of this survey, print your name and address on the back of the return envelope. 38122 Instructions If there are any additional comments or concerns that you would like to Instructions share, please write them below.  Please provide answers for all of the wooded land that you own in Michigan. If you are part of more than one group that owns wooded land, please respond for the group that is listed on the outside of the envelope.

 The owner who makes most of the decisions about your wooded land in Michigan should answer this survey.

 If this survey is received by a company or other organization, please have a person knowledgeable about the organization’s wooded land in Michigan answer this survey. If the company listed on the envelope is a subsidiary of a larger company, please respond for the larger, parent company.

InstructionsGeneral Questions About Your Land 1. How many total acres of land do you currently own in Michigan?

Acres of land in Michigan 2. Wooded land covers 54% of Michigan. Wooded land includes:  , woodlots, timberland, and  Land at least 1 acre in size, 120 feet wide, and has at least 10% forest cover  Land at least 1 acre in size, where were removed and trees will grow again Wooded land does not include:  Christmas farms, orchards, or nurseries  Land that is mowed for lawn

How many acres of wooded land do you currently own in Michigan?

Acres of wooded land in Michigan If you own any wooded land in Michigan, please complete this survey.

38122 If you do not own wooded land in Michigan, please return this survey in the postage-paid envelope provided and write on the cover "No Wooded Land". InstructionsGeneral Questions about Your Ownership GeneralInstructions Questions About You

3. Which category below best describes your ownership? If you are responding on behalf of a company or other organization, skip Check only one. this section. Individual 41. What is your age? Joint, with husband or wife Years Joint, such as with other family members or friends 42. What is your gender? Family partnership or family LLC or LLP Male Female Family trust or estate Corporation or business 43. What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? Other (please specify): Less than 12th grade 4. How many people are a part of this ownership, including you? High school/GED Some college Owners Associate degree Bachelor's degree Advanced degree 5. Do you currently own more than one separate, unconnected property with wooded land in Michigan? Yes No 44. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin? Yes No 6. Is your home (primary residence) on or within a mile of any of your wooded land in Michigan? 45. What is your race? Yes No Not Applicable Select one or more. American Indian or Alaska Native 7. Do you have a vacation home or cabin on or within a mile of any of your wooded land in Michigan? Asian Yes No Not Applicable Black or African-American Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

8. Do you own any land within a mile of any of your wooded land White in Michigan that is farmed or ranched? For the purpose of this survey, a farm or ranch is a place where, 46. On average, what percentage of your household’s annual income in most years, $1,000 or more is earned from the sale of crops comes from the wooded land that you own? (other than forest products) or animals. Yes No Not applicable Percent 38122 InstructionsThe Future of Your Wooded Land InstructionsYour Reasons for Owning Wooded Land 36. How likely is it that you will sell or give away any of your wooded 9. How important are the following as reasons for why you currently land in Michigan in the next 5 years? own your wooded land in Michigan? If you own one property, check one box for each item. Extremely Likely Undecided Unlikely Extremely If you own more than one property in Michigan, consider them all likely unlikely and check one or more boxes for each item.

37. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. Check one box for each item. To enjoy beauty or scenery To protect nature or biological I want my wooded land to diversity stay wooded To protect water resources I would sell my land if I was offered a reasonable price To protect or improve I know my wooded land very well For land investment I want to know more about my wooded land For privacy I have a strong emotional To raise my family attachment to my wooded land To pass land on to my children or I believe my wooded land other heirs provides benefits to my community For firewood For timber products, such as logs or 38. In 50 years, do you expect yourself or people in your family to still own your wooded land? For nontimber forest products, Yes No Don't know such as berries or maple syrup For hunting

39. In 50 years, do you expect your land will still be wooded? For recreation, other than hunting Yes No Don't know Other (Please 40. In 50 years, do you expect your wooded land will still be in 38122 a parcel(s) of the same size, meaning not subdivided? specify): Yes No Don't know InstructionsThe History of Your Wooded Land ConcernsInstructions 10. a. How did you get your wooded land in Michigan? 35. Please indicate your level of concern about each of the following Check all that apply. topics for your wooded land in Michigan. Purchased If you own one property, check one box for each item. Inherited If you own more than one property in Michigan, consider them all Received as gift and check one or more boxes for each item. Other (please specify): b. In what year did you, personally, first take ownership of your wooded land in Michigan?

Year Climate change 11. Have you ever sold or given away any of your wooded land in Michigan? Damage from animals Yes No Development of nearby lands Drought or lack of water UsesInstructions of Your Wooded Land Damage or noise from off-road 12. Who makes the management decisions, such as whether or not to harvest trees, for your wooded land in Michigan? Government regulations Check all that apply. High property taxes Me My husband or wife Invasive plants My children Keeping land intact for future My parents generations Another family member Misuse of wooded land, such as My business partner vandalism or dumping My land manager or Trespassing or poaching Other (please specify): Unwanted insects or diseases Water pollution 13. A management or stewardship plan may be written in order to help the landowner meet their goals for their wooded land. Wind or ice storms How familiar are you with these types of plans? Other Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all (Please

38122 familiar familiar familiar familiar familiar specify): Sources of Information and Assistance 14. a. Do you have a written management or stewardship plan Instructions for any of your wooded land in Michigan?

33. a. Have you talked with anyone or received information/advice Yes No Don't know about the care, management, or protection of your wooded If no or don't know, skip to question 15 land in Michigan in the past five years? Yes No Don't know If yes, please answer b If no or don't know, skip to question 34 b. Have you taken actions to implement it? Yes No If yes, please answer b 15. How interested would you be in having a community-wide written b. How satisfied were you with the advice received? management plan, one that covers your wooded land and other Extremely Moderately Somewhat Not very Not at all parcels of wooded land in your community? satisfied satisfied satisfied satisfied satisfied Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all interested interested interested interetsed interested

34. a. Are you a member of any , hunting, fishing, wildlife, or 16. Have trees ever been cut or removed from any of the wooded land environmental organizations? that you own in Michigan since you have owned it? Yes No Don't know . Yes No If no, skip to question 17. If no or don't know, skip to question 35 If yes, please answer a, b, and c. a. What types of products were harvested? If yes, please answer b Check all that apply. b. Please list which organization(s) you are a part of. Firewood Logs chips or pulpwood Other (please specify): b. Why were the trees cut or removed? Check all that apply. For Sale For personal use Other d. Was a professional forester used to plan, mark, contract, or oversee any of the cuts? Yes No Don't know Not applicable

17. Have you ever received an unsolicited offer from someone asking to

38122 buy trees/timber from your wooded land in Michigan? Yes No Don't know RecreationInstructions on Your Wooded Land 18. Which of the following have occurred on your wooded land in Michigan in the past 5 years? 31. a. Who, with your permission, has hunted, hiked, or otherwise Check all that apply. recreated on your wooded land in Michigan in the past 5 years? Cut and/or removed trees for sale Check all that apply. Cut and/or removed trees for own use Me and/or my husband or wife Collected nontimber forest products, such as berries or ginseng My children Reduced hazard Other family members Controlled burn/prescribed fire Eliminated or reduced invasive plants Friends Eliminated or reduced unwanted insects or diseases Neighbors Road construction or maintenance The general public for free Trail construction or maintenance The general public for a fee Improved wildlife habitat Livestock grazing Other (please specify): Other (please specify): Nobody If nobody, skip to question 32. None of the above b. How did you/they recreate? 19.Which of the following will likely occur on your wooded land in Check all that apply. Michigan in the next 5 years? Hunting Check all that apply Fishing Cut and/or remove trees for sale Cut and/or remove trees for own use Hiking/walking Collect nontimber forest products, such as berries and ginseng Bicycling Reduce fire hazard Camping Controlled burn/prescribed fire Horseback riding Eliminate or reduce invasive plants Skiing or snowshoeing Eliminate or reduce unwanted insects or diseases Road construction or maintenance Off-road vehicles, such as ATVs or snowmobiles Trail construction or maintenance Other (please specify): Improve wildlife habitat Livestock grazing Other (please specify): 32. Is any of your wooded land in Michigan posted to restrict access None of the above and/or use by the general public? Don't know Yes No 38122 20.Which of the following management practices would you be willing 28. Have you leased your wooded land in Michigan (other than for to cooperate with your neighbors on? )? Check all that apply Cutting or removing trees for sale Yes No If no, skip to question 29. Cutting or removing trees for personal use If yes, please answer a and b. Reduce fire hazard a. What leasing activities did they use it for? Controlled burn/prescribed fire Check all that apply. Eliminate or reduce invasive plants Hunting Eliminate or reduce unwanted insects or diseases Road construction or maintenance Recreation (other than hunting) Trail construction or maintenance To graze/pasture livestock Improve wildlife habitat Other (please specify): Livestock grazing b. Have any of these leasing activities occurred on your land in General forest health the past 5 years? Other (please specify): Yes No None of the above Don't know 29. a. Have you experienced any theft trees/timber products on your 21. To encourage good woodland management, groups have created wooded land in Michigan in the past 5 years? green certification programs to recognize landowners who comply Yes No Don't know with the groups’ standards. Examples include , Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Fish-bearingInstructions streams a. How familiar are you with green certification? Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all familiar familiar familiar familiar familiar 30. a. Do you have a fish-bearing stream or creek on or abutting your property? b. Is any of your wooded land in Michigan currently green certified? Yes No Don't know Yes No Don't know 22. Some state and local governments have programs that defer, reduce, If no or don't know, skip to question 31 or eliminate property taxes for wooded land. In Michigan, there are the Commercial Forest and Qualified Forest Property programs. If yes, please answer b a. How familiar are you with these programs? b. Have you taken any actions to protect or improve stream Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all habitat in the past 5 years? familiar familiar familiar familiar familiar Yes No

38122 b. Is any of your wooded land in Michigan currently enrolled in one of these programs or a similar one? Yes No Don't know 23. Development rights for land can be sold or voluntarily given 26. An market is a way for landowers to get money away. This is usually in the form of a conservation easement. for the carbon, water quality, biodiversity, wetlands, or other a. How familiar are you with this concept? environmental benefits their lands provide. Examples include the Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all Climate Registry. familiar familiar familiar familiar familiar a. How familiar are you with this concept? Not at all b. Have development rights been sold or voluntarily given away on Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly familiar familiar familiar familiar any of your wooded land in Michigan by either you or a familiar previous owner? Yes No Don't know b. In the past 5 years, have you used an ecosystem services market in Michigan? c. If No or Don't know, how likely are you to do so in the next 5 Yes No Don't know years? Extremely Extremely Not 27. How likely would you be to carry out the following activities on likely Likely Undecided Unlikely unlikely applicable your wooded land in Michigan if you received money from a publicaly funded cost-share program?. 24. Cost-share programs provide landowners with money to help them If you own one property, check one box for each item. establish or otherwise manage their wooded land. Examples include If you own more than one property in Michigan, consider them all. the Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and various state funded programs. a. How familiar are you with cost-share programs? Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all familiar familiar familiar familiar familiar Climate change adaptation b. In the past 5 years, have you used a cost-share program to Create/maintain wildlife habitat help you establish or manage your wooded land in Michigan? Develop a written plan Yes No Don't know Eliminate or reduce invasive 25. In efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change, public programs plants and private markets have been created that pay owners of wooded Family legacy planning land for capturing or sequestering carbon. Reduce or eliminate unwanted a. How familiar are you with carbon capture programs or markets? insects or diseases Extremely Moderately Somewhat Slightly Not at all Repair woods roads or trails familiar familiar familiar familiar familiar Reduce wildfire risks Other b. Is any of your wooded land in Michigan currently enrolled in 38122 one of these carbon capture programs or markets? (Please specify): Yes No Don't know