andrew j. hartsell research forester – forest inventory & analysis usda forest service...

Andrew J. Hartsell Research Forester – Forest Inventory & AnalysisUSDA Forest Serviceahartsell@fs.fed.us(865) 862-2032

NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL FORESTLAND OWNER SURVEY

OUTLINE

• History

• Definitions

• Objectives

• Problems and Issues

• Output

• Q & A

HISTORY

• Early surveys of the nations private landowners began shortly after WWII

• Initial studies began in New England and the Lake States, then spread across the country

• The first National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) was conducted in late 70’s and was tied in to Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) field plots

• A follow up survey was performed in 1994

• The 1994 NWOS ushered in a series of continuing surveys.

• Current NWOS survey collection is based on FIA inventory cycles. A complete set of data is obtained every 5-10 years.

• The implementation of the NWOS is ongoing and continually being modified

TRADITIONAL DEFINITIONS

• The NWOS focused on non-industrial private owners, primarily family forest owners

• Non-industrial private forest owners — Families and individuals who own forest land and corporations and other private groups that own forest land, but do not own and operate a primary wood-processing facility. This group is a subset of private forest owners.

• Family forest owners — Families, individuals, trusts, estates, family partnerships, and other unincorporated groups of individuals that own forest land. This group is a subset of non-industrial private forest owners.

TRADITIONAL DEFINITIONS

• The industrial forest landowners are the target of the NWOS expansion

• Industrial forestland owners—Corporations and other private groups that own forest land and own and operate primary wood-processing facilities. This group is a subset of private forest owners.

TRADITIONAL DEFINITIONS

Butler, Brett J. 2008. Family Forest Owners of the United States, 2006. Gen. Tech. Rep.NRS-27. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, NorthernResearch Station. 72 p.

NEW DEFINITION

• To modify industrial landowners to include

• Timberland Investment Organization (TIMO)

• Public Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)

• Private Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)

• Large Private Landowner

• Traditional Forest Industry

• Corporate

OBJECTIVES• Define these landowners

• Be able to identify these landowners from FIA plot lists

• Develop an understand of the relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers) for these landowners

• Create a questionnaire that these companies can fill out in an efficient manner that helps answer the issues and does not require confidential or sensitive information

• Develop a relationship with these owners

• Modify current NWOS procedures to collect and publish the data

• Publish results – using existing NWOS systems as a foundation

List of top owners & managers of timberland in the United StatesFirm/organization Type Area in U.S.

-million acres - Plum Creek Public REIT 6.800

WeyerhaeuserPublic REIT (ind. Before 2010) 5.800

Forestland Group TIMO 3.400Campbell Group TIMO 3.040Hancock Timber Resource Group TIMO 2.948Resource Management Service TIMO 2.600Forest Capital Partners TIMO 2.500Rayonier Public REIT 2.100GMO Renewable Resources TIMO 2.100Forest Investment Associates TIMO 2.000Sierra Pacific Industries REIT (industrial) 1.900Molpus Woodlands Group (Woodland Resource Management Group) TIMO 1.800Potlach Public REIT 1.600Wagner Forest Management TIMO 1.400J.D. Irving Private REIT 1.200Region Morgan Keegan (RMK) Timberland Group TIMO 1.100Seven Islands Land Management TIMO 1.000Timbervest LLC TIMO 0.825Prentiss & Carlisle TIMO 0.800MeadWestvaco Industrial 0.730

From Butler, et al. Journal of Forestry - October/November 2012

OBJECTIVES• Define these landowners

• Be able to identify these landowners from FIA plot lists

• Develop an understanding of the relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers) for these landowners

• Create a questionnaire that these companies can fill out in an efficient manner that helps answer the issues and does not require confidential or sensitive information

• Develop a relationship with these owners

• Modify current NWOS procedures to collect and compile the data

• Publish results – using existing NWOS systems as a foundation

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Identify these landowners

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Identify these landowners

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers) • Do TIMOs act differently than REITs?

• Do companies behave differently based on size (acres)?

• Are long-term timber agreements important?

• Availability and location of primary wood using plants?

• International trade?

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Identify these landowners

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS• Identify these landowners

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers

• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns• Where does this landowner own lands?

• Local, regional or national?

• Southeast, Pacific Northwest, Lake States?

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS• Identify these landowners

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns• Where does this landowner own lands?

• What are the economic drivers for this landowner?

• Primarily from timber sales?

• What role do hunting & recreation leases play?

• Resale of forests to non-timber uses?

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns

• Where does this landowner own lands?

• What are the economic drivers for this landowner?

• What types of harvesting and silvicultural practices does this landowner perform?

• Clearcut, seedtree, or selection cutting?

• Do they replant or use natural regeneration?

• Natural seedlings &/or genetically improved stock?

• Prescribed fire?

• Use of herbicides, fertilizer and other chemicals?

• Harvest age, types of products, etc

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns• Where does this landowner own lands?

• What are the economic drivers for this landowner?

• What types of harvesting and silvicultural practices does this landowner perform?

• Does this owner perform any community outreach or extension?

• Do they work with local landowners?

• Who performs their fire suppression?

• Who harvests their timber, plants seedlings, builds roads?

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns• Where does this landowner own lands?

• What are the economic drivers for this landowner?

• What types of harvesting and silvicultural practices does this landowner perform?

• Does this owner perform any community outreach or extension?

• Does this owner produce certified timber products?

• If yes, which type?

• SFI, FSC, other?

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions, issues, and concerns• Where does this landowner own lands?

• What are the economic drivers for this landowner?

• What types of harvesting and silvicultural practices does this landowner perform?

• Does this owner perform any community outreach or extension?

• Does this owner produce certified timber products?

• Does these owners have any concerns?

• Federal or State taxes?

• Local road ordinances?

• Global timber markets?

• Logistics or supply issues?

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions

• Determining an appropriate scale• This pertains to both logistical and philosophical aspects of the survey.

• What is the best spatial scale to use?

• Does scale change with questions?

• Organizing survey and results based on large regions, such as traditional FIA regions will simplify the answering and processing of information, but may not yield usable results.

• County level data may be impossible to get and process

Historical FIA Survey Regions

Historical Eastern FIA Survey Units

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions

• Determining an appropriate scale

• What information these landowners can answer• What is confidential or sensitive?

• What is easily obtainable?

• Timber management operations handled at local level

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions

• Determining an appropriate scale

• Determine which information these landowners can answer

• Identifying key personnel or groups within each organization to work with

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

• Defining relationships / dynamics / motivators (drivers)

• Refining the questions

• Determining an appropriate scale

• Determine which information these landowners can answer

• Identifying key personnel or groups within each landowner organization to work with

• What are the best methods to publish results?• Which publications?

• Web pages

• Online table generators

OUTPUT

OUTPUT

Table 2. Area of timberland by ownership group, FIA region and state All Ownerships NIPF Industrial private PublicRegion and state Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE

Thousands Percent Thousands Percent Thousands Percent Thousands PercentNorth

ConnecticutDelaware

…

South

Rocky Mountain

Pacific Coast

United State total

OUTPUT

Table 4. Area of industrial timberland by company structure, FIA region and state

TIMO Public REIT Private REIT Large Private landowner Traditional forest

industry Other corporate Other

Region and state Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE Acres SE

North

Connecticut

Delaware

…

South

Rocky Mountain

Pacific Coast

United State total

OUTPUT

Table 10. Area of industrial timberlands by fire suppression agents

North South Intermountain PNW - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - acres - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- Company crewsState forestry agenciesLocal municipalitiesU.S. Forest ServiceContracted private partyNoneDon't knowOtherTotal

OUTPUT

Company (in-house)

Local consultants or forestry professionals

Regional consultants or forestry professionals

National consultants or forestry professionals

A mixture of local, regional, and national

Other

0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000

Area of industrial forest land by land management source, United States

acres

OUTPUT

Clearcut (natural regeneration)

Clearcut (planted with natural seedlings)

Clearcut (planted with improved seedlings)

Seedtree

Shelterwood

Single-tree selection

Group selection

Other

0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000

Area of industrial forest land by silvicultural system, United States

acres

OUTPUT

Timber sales

Hunting leases

Recreational leases (non-hunting)

Resale (land remains in timber)

Mineral and other extracted products

Resale (land going to HBU)

Taxes

Easements/right of way

Carbon exchange

Other

0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000

Area of industrial forest land by sources of income, United States

Acres

OUTPUT

Prescribed fire Herbicides Fertilizers Integrated pest management

Other0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

Area of industrial forest land by stand improvement treatments, United States

OUTPUT

Yes93%

No7%

Yes93%

No7%

Yes93%

No7%

Yes93%

No7%

Yes93%

No7%

Sustainableforest certification

Yes93%

No7%

ParticipateIn cost shareprograms

Easements

QUESTIONS

?

• Andrew J. Hartsell • Research Forester – Forest Inventory & Analysis• USDA Forest Service• ahartsell@fs.fed.us• (865) 862-2032