hŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐŽŶŶĞĐƟĐƵƚtŽŽĚůĂŶĚKǁŶĞƌƐ ZĞƉŽƌƚŽŶƚŚĞƫƚƵĚĞƐ͕sĂůƵĞƐĂŶĚŚĂůůĞŶŐĞƐŽĨ ŽŶŶĞĐƟĐƵƚ͛Ɛ&ĂŵŝůLJtŽŽĚůĂŶĚKǁŶĞƌƐ zĂůĞhŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ^ĐŚŽŽůŽĨ&ŽƌĞƐƚƌLJΘŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů^ƚƵĚŝĞƐ 'ůŽďĂů/ŶƐƟƚƵƚĞŽĨ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶĂďůĞ&ŽƌĞƐƚƌLJ DĂƌƐŚ,Ăůů ϯϲϬWƌŽƐƉĞĐƚ^ƚƌĞĞƚ EĞǁ,ĂǀĞŶ͕ŽŶŶĞĐƟĐƵƚϬϲϱϭϭ DĂƌLJ>͘dLJƌƌĞůů zĂůĞ͘ĞĚƵͬŐŝƐĨ zĂůĞ^ĐŚŽŽůŽĨ&ŽƌĞƐƚƌLJΘŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů^ƚƵĚŝĞƐͼDĂƌĐŚϮϬϭϱ Cover Photo Credits: Richard Campbell, Hallie Metzger, Mary Tyrrell UnderstandingConnecticutWoodlandOwners AReportontheAttitudes,ValuesandChallengesof ConnecticutsFamilyWoodlandOwners MaryL.Tyrrell YaleSchoolofForestry&EnvironmentalStudies GlobalInstituteofSustainableForestry March2015 1 Acknowledgements This report is the result of a study funded by the USDA Forest Service FY2010 Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Competitive Grant Initiative and a USDA Forest Service Diversity Internship Grant to Yale University. The project was a collaboration between Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Forestry Division. Focus groups were conducted by Judy Langer, of Langer Qualitative. The National Woodland Owner Survey was administered by the USDA Forest Service Forest Family Forest Research Center. We are grateful to Brett Butler, Jake Hewes and their team for their support throughout. A dedicated stakeholder group provided ideas, advice, and insight throughout the project: Chris Martin, Director/State Forester, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Forestry Division. Doug Emmerthal, Stewardship Program Manager, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Forestry Division. Eric Hammerling, Executive Director, Connecticut Forest & Park Association Thomas Worthley, Associate Extension Professor, University of Connecticut Patrick Comins, Director of Bird Conservation,Audubon Connecticut Lisa Coverdale, State Conservationist, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Nancy Ferlow, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Nancy Marek, formerly at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, currently with University of Connecticut Extension, was the project manager during the early stages and was instrumental in organizing stakeholder input, coordinating the focus groups and developing the survey sampling frame. 2 TableofContents Introduction ............………………………………………………………..……………… 4 1. Summary of findings and implications for programs and policy …….....…………….. 6 2. Background and study methods ………………………………………….……………. 8 3. Understanding woodland owners – those with parcels of 10+ acres of for.……….…... 12 Who are they? Basic demographics and lifestyle ………………………………….. 13 What do they care about? ………………………………………………………….. 16 Conservation and lifestyle …………………………………………………………. 16 Recreation ………………………………………………………………………….. 17 Legacy ……………………………………………………………………………… 18 Forest health and management…………………….…………………………………20 Property taxes ………………………………………………………………………..21 What are their challenges? What support and assistance do they need? …………… 22 Woodland management and wood resources ………………………………………. 24 Traditional assistance programs ……………………………………………………. 25 Reaching Woodland Owners ………………………………………………………...26 Matters of size ………………………………………………………………………. 27 4. Opportunities for engagement ………………………………………………………..…. 28 5. Understanding urban/suburban owners - those with parcels of 1-9 acres of fore……..… 29 6. Regional Differences ……………………….……………………………………….…... 32 References …………………………………………………………………………………....34 Appendices Resources for Woodland Owners Focus Group Report 3 Introduction Even though Connecticut is one of the nation's most densely populated states, it is also one of the most heavily forested - nearly 60% of our land base is in forest (CLEAR 2006). Keeping these forests intact and healthy is crucial to Connecticut’s environment and culture. Forests and trees provide many public benefits, such as clean water, energy savings, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and recreation. A full 73% of the forest is owned by private landowners. This means private landowner management and ownership decisions have enormous influence over the quality and extent of our forests - now and into the future. Private landowners include land trusts, corporations, churches, schools, utilities, water companies, clubs, foundations, and families. Families are the largest group, owning about half of Connecticut’s forests. Decisions made by the 140,000 family forest owners collectively enhance or degrade the Connecticut landscape. How they manage their forests and whether or not they convert them to other uses is of significant public interest. It is well known that two of the greatest threats to Connecticut’s forest ecosystem health are increased forest fragmentation and lack of informed forest stewardship and wildlife habitat management on private lands. There were 169,000 fewer acres of core forest1 in Connecticut in 2006 than there were in 1985, a 3.6% decrease (CLEAR 2006). That means that the forest is more fragmented, with fewer large blocks, and more small blocks. More fragmented forests can significantly change wildlife habitat, create pathways for invasive species, and increase edge effects such as increased wind and light. Edges are more susceptible to storm damage and invasive plants. In a forest health study in northwestern Connecticut, presence of invasive plant species was found to be significantly correlated with forest fragmentation (Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies et al. 2012). Private forestland is the forest most at risk of being fragmented and converted for development. Reasonable estimates are that only a very small number of forest landowners are being served by current programs aimed at conservation and sustainable forest management. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Division of Forestry is charged with providing assistance to forest landowners throughout Connecticut. However, the resources of the Division are small, with only two service foresters assigned to work with private landowners. Partner conservation organizations such as Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, University of Connecticut Extension, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Quiet Corner Initiative, and others provide a wide variety of landowner assistance. Nevertheless, the capacity to provide adequate support and advice to the 140,000 family forest owners is limited. 1Coreforestisdefinedasanareaofforestthatisatleast300feetfromanedge(e.g.road,field,developedland). Informationonhowforestfragmentationisdefinedandanalyzedisavailableat http://clear.uconn.edu/projects/landscape/index.htm 4 However, regardless of the scope of service capacity, ForestorWoods? program variety and richness, cooperation among Thelanguagethatconservationand partners, and shared visions and goals of keeping forestryprofessionalsuseis Connecticut forests as forest, without effective sometimesdifferentthanthe communication all conservation program efforts fall languagelandownersuse.Oneofthe short with on-the-ground results. mostimportantexamplesisthe wordusedtodescribelandwith Effective program delivery is dependent upon trees.Professionalssayforest understanding landowner attitudes, concerns, whilelandownerssaywoodsor perceptions, and especially the reasons why they own woodlandsormylandbut their land. One of the most important methods of almostneversayforestwhenthey achieving this understanding is through landowner aretalkingabouttheirland.Thishas focus groups and surveys. The USDA Forest Service beenshowninlandownersfocus National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) is the groupsthroughouttheUS premier national research survey of family woodland (Andrejczyketal.inpress),and owners. However, prior to this study, the NWOS data provedtobetrueinourfocusgroups for Connecticut were inadequate due to the small inConnecticut.Whenaskedto sample size. With this research, we significantly describeortalkabouttheirland, enhanced the information about landowner attitudes, almostnooneusedforest. objectives, and behavior by conducting six landowner Throughoutthisreport,weusethe focus groups and an intensified sampling for the 2011 termsforestandwoods/woodlands NWOS, with a few Connecticut specific questions. interchangeably. This is the first study of its kind in Connecticut, providing viable state-level data about landowner attitudes and behaviors. The result is a much better understanding of the stewardship objectives and attitudes of the families who own Connecticut’s forests. This allows conservation and forestry professionals to be more strategic in reaching landowners with effective stewardship messages and more successful in developing programs that serve the needs and values of the landowners. The report is organized into six main sections. 1. Summary of findings and implications for programs and policy 2. Background and study methods 3. Understanding woodland owners – those with parcels of 10+ acres of forest 4. Opportunities for engagement 5. Understanding urban/suburban owners - those with parcels of 1-9 acres of forest 6. Regional Differences 5 1. Summaryoffindingsandimplicationsforprogramsandpolicy Healthy and well-managed private forestlands are critical to achieving Connecticut’s goals to conserve, improve and protect the state’s natural resources and the environment. With this study, we now have good information about Connecticut’s woodland owners that can be used to develop programs