Forest Certification and Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners: assessing awareness, acceptance, and educational preferences

In 1977, forest certification originated in West Germany through the Blue Angel Program by authorizing the use of eco-labels for certification of environmental products. Emerging as a tool to attain sustainable forestry, certification provided for a voluntary, market approach to sustainable forest management, rather than traditional regulatory approaches.

Forest certification moved swiftly into the global arena, and by the mid 1990s, it was a topic of intense interest in the United States. The situation for forest certification in the U.S. is somewhat unique because such a large percentage to total forest area is controlled by nonindustrial private forest owners. The largest portion of the nation’s forestland is located east of the Mississippi River, where the preponderance of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners are located, especially in the 13 southeastern states.

Tennessee forest interests are becoming increasingly involved in certification. Some stakeholders question the need for accelerating forest certification on NIPFs. In time, market forces could require large-scale certification, and the needs and preferences of NIPF landowners should be considered to ensure their participation. The primary certification alternatives at the present time work well for large land ownerships such as the major forest product companies, state forests, and larger NIPFs, but are difficult and costly for the average NIPF owner to implement.

To address these concerns, NIPF owners in western Tennessee were surveyed to assess their awareness, acceptance, and perception of benefits of forest certification. More than 8 in 10 indicated a willingness to consider certification. Landowners felt very strongly that certification would improve forest management and that it would lessen the need for forestry regulation. They were also more likely to consider certification if they had previously received advice about forestry. New owners and those who were well educated showed an interest in learning about certification via both active and passive methods, and they most trust the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Forestry Division and consulting foresters as potential third-party certifiers.

This dissertation, presented for the Doctor in Philosophy Degree, follows the manuscript format. Some repetition in literature review and methodology between chapters occurs.