Abstract

Private forest owners are both the suppliers and consumers of forest ecosystem services which poses a unique challenge to using incentive-based strategies to encourage forest restoration. We used focus groups and deliberative monetary valuation (DMV) methods to understand the choices of forest owners in Mississippi and Florida. Participants acted as jurors and made judgements about what actions a hypothetical forest owner should make when offered compensation to enhance key ecosystem services. Fifteen major themes were identified via qualitative data analysis. Results support a proposed conceptual model that links perspectives toward forest management with the expression of cultural values and choice. Allocation of income to ecosystem improvements revealed that intentional forest owners seek to maximize utility through personal achievement benefits, rather than income generation alone. Findings have important implications for forest policy and program design by improving the design and efficiency of economic interventions.

摘要

私人森林所有者既是森林生态系统服务的供应商，也是消费者，这对使用基于激励的策略来鼓励森林恢复提出了独特的挑战。我们使用焦点小组和协商货币估值 (DMV) 方法来了解密西西比州和佛罗里达州森林所有者的选择。参与者充当陪审员，并判断假设的森林所有者在获得补偿以增强关键生态系统服务时应该采取哪些行动。通过定性数据分析确定了 15 个主要主题。结果支持拟议的概念模型，该模型将森林管理的观点与文化价值观和选择的表达联系起来。将收入分配给生态系统改善表明，有意的森林所有者寻求通过个人成就收益来最大化效用，而不仅仅是创收。通过改进经济干预的设计和效率，研究结果对森林政策和计划设计具有重要意义。