Forest carbon sequestration is considered one of the most efficient strategies for climate change mitigation, and forests provide significant carbon storage in the United States. Non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership is the dominant ownership group in the southern US, but little is understood about landowners" willingness to manage forests for carbon sequestration. This study examines NIPF landowner willingness to delay final timber harvest for additional carbon sequestration despite unknowns about positive or negative impacts to profitability that result from carbon price fluctuations. Survey data from 735 landowners in the southern United States were used to estimate a probit model analyzing their participation behavior. Landowner willingness to participate in carbon sequestration practices was 55%, 25%, and 16% when such practices were more profitable, revenue neutral or less profitable than timber management only, respectively. Although many landowners would require a significant monetary incentive to participate in carbon sequestration, others would participate with little or no incentive. Those having recreational goals for their property were the most likely group to participate in carbon sequestration. Management changes (i.e., management plan and verification requirements) and carbon revenue were the two most important determinants of their probability of participation. In

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A sample of 1,500 farmers and 2,000 nonfarmers were surveyed during [2005][2006] to examine the impact of field windbreaks on visual appearance of agricultural lands in Iowa, USA. About 73% of respondents indicated that field windbreaks diversified visual appearance of agricultural landscapes, whereas 67% of these respondents thought that windbreaks made agricultural lands visually more appealing. An improved aesthetics of the area was fourth most frequently mentioned reason for planting field windbreaks reported by 21% of respondents. When compared to other windbreak benefits, however, improved aesthetics of agricultural landscapes was ranked as the least important windbreak benefit. Majority of respondents (50%) preferred groups of trees planted in straight rows followed by groups of trees nested between agricultural fields (23%), groups of trees planted in non-straight rows (20%), and single trees dispersed between fields (7%). Respondents preferred windbreaks that were tall, wide, long, and continuous. Most of them (74%) preferred field windbreaks consisting of trees and shrubs, whereas 69% preferred windbreaks in which conifers were mixed with hardwoods. Respondents who preferred groups of trees planted in non-straight rows were 5.0 times more likely to indicate that windbreaks improved visual appearance of agricultural lands than those who preferred single trees. Those who preferred groups of trees nested between agricultural fields or groups of trees planted in straight rows were 3.6 and 2.6 times more likely, respectively, to indicate that windbreaks improved visual appearance of agricultural lands in comparison to those who preferred single trees.

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Despite the likely benefits of having a written forest management plan, a small number of landowners in the United States have the one. A recursive bivariate probit model was used to identify the possible relationship between landowners' decision to obtain a management plan and their interest in future timber harvesting. Our study results based on recursive bivariate model suggest that landowners having larger land ownerships, longer forest ownership tenure, and higher education were more likely to have a forest management plan and future timber harvesting interest. While the landowners having interest for wildlife management were also interested to have a written management plan, they did not prefer to harvest in future. Study results indicate that written management plan means more than a timber harvesting strategy to landowners in general. Many elderly landowners with a low level of income and less formal education and those having small or medium sized tracts of forestland are less likely to own a written management plan. Therefore, this group requires special attention in various government sponsored forest management related extension activities. Future research on understanding landowner perception behind written management plan is recommended.