Relationships between selected characteristics of Decatur County Tennessee woodland owners, Their woodland operations and their use of recommended woodland practices, and the number of contacts they had with extension from 1983 through 1987

Author

Garry Steven Glass

Date of Award

8-1990

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agriculture and Extension Education

Major Professor

Cecil E. Carter Jr

Committee Members

Roy R. Lessly, John B. Sharp

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between selected characteristics of Decatur County, Tennessee woodland owners, their woodland operations and their use of recommended woodland practices, and the number of contacts they had with Extension from 1983 through 1987. Data were obtained through personal interviews with 100 woodland owners in Decatur County, Tennessee. The 1987 Forestry Survey was used to collect data from owners who had a minimum of 100 acres of timber on their operation. Data were processed for computer analysis. Computations were made by the University of Tennessee Computing Center. The chi square statistical test and the analysis of variance F-test were used to determine the strength of relationships between dependent and independent variables. Chi square values and F-values achieving the 0.05 probability level were accepted as indicating a significant relationship between the variables.

Major findings included the following:

1. Over two-thirds of the county woodland owners surveyed were over 50 years of age, had a high school education or less, and were part-time farmers residing on their woodland operations.

2. The mean number of woodland acres owned per operation was approximately 214 acres, with 47 percent of those operations having 175 acres or more of woods.

3. The mean number of forestry contacts with Extension personnel was about 2.0, and two-thirds of all the county woodland owners had one or more Extension contacts related to woodland management, and woodland marketing, while 51 percent had been contacted in other ways on the average of seven times each.

4. There were no significant relationships between characteristics of owners or their woodland operations and their use of the 14 recommended forestry practices, use of the total 6 recommended management practices, or of the total 8 recommended marketing practices.

5. Only 47 percent of the county woodland owners had used 5 or more of the 14 recommended forestry practices.

6. In relation to management practices used, only 38 percent of the owners had not thinned their woodland, whereas less than 20 percent of the owners had planted trees in open places, replanted cut areas, planted trees or land unsuitable for pasture, had used chemicals to control undesirable growth, and participated in the county forestry improvement program.

7. Approximately one-third of the woodland owners were using the 8 recommended marketing practices.

8. Extension woodland contacts were the most accurate predictor of the total number of the recommended forestry practices used. Those owners who had contacts with Extension related to management and marketing were using two of the six recommended management practices and four of the eight recommended marketing practices.

9. Woodland owners who used recommended forestry practices of planting trees on land unsuitable for pasture, using chemical to control undesirable growth in their woodlands, and participated in Forestry Improvement Program had contacted Extension more frequently than those not using the practices.

10. Woodland owners who used recommended woodland marketing practices of having a timetable to sell their timber, marked their trees to cut, used trained foresters, checked with several buyers, had a written sales contract, and selected trees for harvest by marking them, had contacted Extension more frequently than those not using the practices.

11. Two-thirds of the woodland owners that had Extension contacts related to woodland management, woodland marketing, and other, had used an average of almost 7 of the 14 recommended practices.

12. Woodland owners that had college or vocational education were more likely to have had Extension contacts related to woodland management, woodland marketing, and other areas than those with high school or less education.

13. Woodland owners that were part-time farmers, residing on their woodland operations and had other major farm enterprises not related to forestry products were more likely to have Extension contacts not related to forestry than those who were full-time farmers, absentee owners, and those with forest products as their major farm enterprises.

Recommended Citation

Glass, Garry Steven, "Relationships between selected characteristics of Decatur County Tennessee woodland owners, Their woodland operations and their use of recommended woodland practices, and the number of contacts they had with extension from 1983 through 1987. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1990.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/7130