| Rural communities in the west have been experiencing dramatic demographic changes over the past decade. Areas with high natural amenity values continue to experience significant in-migrations, as increasing housing costs and high crime rates drive people out of the cities and into the rural areas. Rural communities in Washington State are growing; resulting in an increase in new forest landowners with smaller-sized forest parcels, changing the face of private forest landowners. Many of these landowners are new to forest ownership, and although they may have small individual holdings, collectively they control a substantial amount of resources. The shift in forest landowner demographics, along with the increasing parcelization of private forestlands, underscores the importance of the small-scale forest landowner in Washington State. Private forest lands in Washington State provide a variety of public resources that many enjoy, such as wildlife, timber, non-timber products, recreational opportunities, and clean water. This study looks at the relationship between public goods and private forests, and explores the linkages between forest fragmentation and land-use changes in western Washington with private property rights, environmental regulations, intergenerational land transfer, and place creation. |
