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Institute of Agricultural & Environmental Research Tennessee State University |
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Seminar Series Abstract
Characterizing Tennessee’s Small Forest Landowners and Their Resource Management Objectives Nathaniel S. Appleton, Stephen H. Kolison Jr., Carter Catlin and Joshua Idassi Tennessee State University Institute of Agricultural & Environmental Research Minority and other limited resource landowners controlled about 78% of Tennessee’s forest resources. The majority of this landownership group does not manage their woodlands or reap the full benefits. They lack the forest management knowledge and skills necessary to manage forests and derive the potential benefits of their land. This project is a (survey) component of IAgER’s small landowners’ income and forest resource management enhancement research program. It attempted to identify and assess the forest management interests and practices of minority and other limited resource landowners. The study focused on four West Tennessee counties with large minority populations. Family tradition, inheritance and legacy combined are the single most important reasons of small landowners continue to own forestland. This is followed by aesthetic and recreation. Preliminary results suggest that the more educated and or newer landowners are more receptive to ideas like deliberate timber management, agroforestry, for income, but basically environmental values and resource conservation. Landowners with large farms and forest landholdings are less likely to engage in timber management and income enterprise diversification like agroforestry, even though they indicate harvesting timber for income.
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