| The research interviewed 147 small, private farm forest landowners in five North Carolina counties with a telephone questionnaire developed and pretested for that purpose. The questionnaire revealed the owner's personal characteristics (age, sex, occupation, race, income class, formal education), sources of information for decision-making, attitudes and behavior toward use of forestry practices, use of public agencies, and incentive programs, plus situational and economic factors that impact on forest management activities.;Forest management activity correlates positively with woodland size, owner income, education, knowledge, interest, and various sources of information (e.g., television, magazines, classes, and clubs). The more knowledge an individual has of forest management, the more likely the individual practices intensive forest management. Knowledge of forestry is gained from a multitude of sources: personal contacts, media, peers, experiences, classes and club meetings. The study revealed that interpersonal sources of information are utilized by a majority of the study population. Black landowners (34 percent of the sample) have had the least contact with professional resource agencies and scored lowest on knowledge of forest management practices. These landowners used interpersonal contact more frequently than professional agencies, possibly because they are seeking information from persons of similar background and experiences. The small forest landowners are basically satisfied with the existing condition of their woodland and are most interested in reforestation for improvement, since they are saving their land for their offspring. |
