Maine Forest Landowner Study

资源管理最重要的问题之一是，在什么条件下用户将保存他们赖以生存的资源？ 本项目研究缅因州不同类型林地所有者群体的森林经营策略。 一些所有者在可持续管理森林方面做得比其他人好得多。管理方法的质量是目前的一个关键问题，因为森林的迅速枯竭是一个世界性的问题。缅因州是研究森林管理问题的一个特别好的实验室，因为它是美国森林覆盖最严重的州，并且正在使用各种各样的管理方法。根据多项研究，在缅因州，砍伐的速度是不可持续的。因此，灌木和矮树丛覆盖的土地数量大大增加，优质森林的面积大大减少。与此同时，作为该州最大产业之一的缅因州整个森林产业正在发生巨大变化。 米尔斯造纸厂正在关闭，就业率急剧下降，大片土地正在易手。这个项目涉及一名人类学家和一名林务员，他们研究缅因州的造纸公司、木材公司、森林承包商和小型私人森林所有者。 将进行两种不同但互补的研究。 首先，将收集关于每一土地所有者类别中抽样土地所有者的森林管理做法的资料，重点是造纸公司和私人土地所有者。这些信息将通过多种技术收集：邮件调查、定性面谈、档案研究和直接观察。本研究旨在了解这些土地所有者的森林管理战略，以及促使这些决定的社会，文化，经济和政治因素。 第二，将利用实地访问和卫星图像分析来评估这些土地所有者的森林的实际状况。 从这些研究中获得的信息将被用来测试一些假设，这将使我们更好地了解私人森林所有者的行为。更广泛的影响：这项研究将提高我们的理解的因素，激励人们在不同的土地所有者类别，以保护或过度开发他们的森林。 立法者、管理机构和当地社区将能够根据这些信息采取行动，制定更好的资源管理政策。

One of the most important questions for resource management is, under what conditions will users conserve the resources on which their livelihood depends? This project studies the forest management strategies of different types of forest landowner groups in Maine. Some owners are doing a far better job of managing their forests sustainably than are others. The quality of management practices is a crucial issues at this time, because the rapid depletion of forests is a world-wide problem. Maine is a particularly good laboratory to study forest management issues because it is the most heavily forested state in the country, and a wide variety of management practices are being used. In Maine, the rate of cutting is not sustainable, according to a number of studies. As a result, the amount of land covered with brush and scrub trees has increased greatly, and the amount of acreage in high quality forests has declined greatly. At the same time, Maine's entire forest industry, one of the state's largest industries, is undergoing great changes. Paper mills are being closed, employment is declining sharply, and large tracts of land are changing hands.This project involves an anthropologist and a forester studying Maine's paper companies, timber companies, forest contractors and small private forest owners. Two different, but complementary, kinds of studies will be done. First, information will be gathered on the forest management practices of a sample of landowners in each of the landowner categories, with emphasis on the paper companies and the private landowners. This information will be gathered using a number of techniques: mail surveys, qualitative in-person interviews, archival research, and direct observations. This study is designed to understand the forest management strategies of these landowners, and the social, cultural, economic and political factors motivating these decisions. Second, the actual state of the forests of these landowners will be evaluated using both field visits and the analysis of satellite images. Information from these studies will be used to test a number of hypotheses which will give us a greater understanding of the behavior of private forest-owners.Broader implications: This study will enhance our understanding of the factors motivating people in various landowner categories to conserve or over-exploit their forests. Legislators, management agencies, and local communities would be able to act on this information to frame better resource management policies.