ATTITUDES TOWARD THE MANAGEMENT OF NONINDUSTRIAL PRIVATE FOREST LAND

Management of the nation's forests has been widely criticized. Such criticisms stem, in part, from the widely held belief that owners and managers of nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) have a vested economic interest in the resource not shared by the general public. As a result, previous studies of NIPF management have assumed that landowners differ from the general public and hold utilitarian-oriented values toward the natural environment. Data collected in Pennsylvania, a state with one of the largest acreages of NIPFs, challenge this commonly held belief. This article presents evidence of common concerns held by NIPF landowners and the general public with respect to their attitudes toward forests and forest management policies. Moreover, these findings reveal that sociodemographic characteristics, use of the forest, and ownership status have little influence on attitudes toward management.