Constraints on the utilization of private, non-industrial land holdings for biomass-for-fuel production

In the present study data regarding sixty-four private, non-industrial landowners in McMinn County, Tennessee were analyzed. Data were obtained from a 1979 property tax listing of residents in McMinn County. Questions asked of residents were designed to generate information linking willingness to plant trees for biomass production and competing land use objectives, timber related experiences and practices, residence, tenure, age, education, income, and occupation. The objectives were: (1) to derive a profile of private, non-industrial landowner characteristics which would expedite the selection of owners most willing to produce biomass; and (2) to determine the respective usefulness of each owner characteristic in selecting most willing landowners.

Private, non-industrial landowners who expressed most willingness to invest in biomass production were found to most likely have acquired, continue to hold, and believe their landholdings have increased in value for timber production. They usually have experienced and/or are experiencing timber related behavior, reside on or relatively close to landholdings, previously acquired landholdings sixteen or more years, be fifty years of age or older, have received eleven or more years of formal education, annually earn $20,000 or more, earn one-half or more of their annual income from land related activities, and have a "rural 111 IV orientation" regarding occupation. Policy implications regarding the selection of most willing landowners to produce biomass are derived from the profile of landowner attributes.