National Woodland Owner Survey

Comments or questions?
Please contact us:
USDA Forest Service
National Woodland Owner Survey
160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003
Toll-Free Telephone: 1-866-396-6967
Fax: 1-413-545-1860
Internet: www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos

National
Woodland
Owner
Survey

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 25 minutes per respondent, including time
for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining data needed, and completing and
reviewing the collection of information. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this
burden, to Department of Agriculture, Clearance Officer, OIRM,
Room 404-W, Washington, DC 20250; and to the Office of
Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project
(OMB#0596-0078), Washington, DC 20503.
USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey
Version: NWOS 5.0 L-
Questionnaire number: ______________

160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003
Phone (toll-free): 866-396-6967
Internet: www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos
OMB No. 0596-0078

Approval expires

You can complete this questionnaire
via the Internet at:
www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos/quest

If you would like Thank you for participating in this survey!
Please return the questionnaire in the postage-paid
envelope.

If you would like a copy of the results of this survey, please
print your name and address on the back of the return
envelope.

Instructions
If there are additional comments or concerns that you would like to
share, please write them below.If there are additional comments or

Please provide answers for all of the woodland that you own in
. If you are part of more than one group that owns
woodland, please respond for the group that is listed on the outside
of the envelope.
The owner who makes most of the decisions about your woodland
in should answer this questionnaire.
If this questionnaire is received by a company or other
organization, please have a person knowledgeable about the
organization’s woodland in answer this questionnaire. If
the company listed on the envelope is a subsidiary of a larger
company, please respond for the larger, parent company.
If you do not own any woodland in , please return this
questionnaire in the postage-paid envelope provided and indicate
why you are returning it. Thank you!

General Questions About Your Woodland
1. Woodland covers % of .
Woodland includes:
Woods, woodlots, timberland, and forest land
Productive and unproductive lands
Land at least 1 acre in size and 120 feet wide that has at least
10 well-spaced trees per acres
Land at least 1 acres in size, where trees were removed and
trees will grow again (not converted to another use, such as
cropland, pasture land, or residential)
Woodland does not include:
Christmas tree farms, orchards, or nurseries
Land that is mowed for lawn
a. How many total acres of land do you own in ?
_____ Acres of land in
b. How many of these acres in are woodland?
_____ Acres of woodland in
c. How many parcels or tracts with woodland do you own in
?
_____ Parcels with woodland in

Your Reasons for Owning Woodland

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2. How important are the following as reasons for why you own
woodland in ?
Check one box for each item.

To enjoy beauty or scenery
To protect nature and biological
diversity
To protect water resources
To protect or improve wildlife
habitat
For land investment
Part of my home (primary residence)
Part of my vacation home or cabin
Part of my farm or ranch
For privacy
To pass land on to my children
or other heirs
For production of firewood
For production of biofuel/biomass
For production of timber products,
such as logs, pulpwood, or other
timber products
For collection of nontimber forest
products, such as
For hunting or fishing
For recreation other than hunting
or fishing
Other (please specify):

General Questions About You
Please provide answers for up to two owners. The primary owner is the
one who makes most of the decisions for your woodland in . If
you are responding on behalf of a business or other organization, please
skip this section.
Primary Owner
28. What is or was your
main occupation?
_________________
29. Are you retired?
30. What is your age?
31. What is your gender?
32. What is the highest
degree or level of
school you have
completed?

33. Are you of Hispanic
or Latino origin?
34. What is your race?
Please select one or
more.

Yes

No

____ Years
Male

Female

Less than 12th grade
High school/GED
Some college
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Graduate degree

Yes

|

Owner 2
_________________
Yes

____ Years
Male

Female

Less than 12th grade
High school/GED
Some college
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Graduate degree

No

White
Black or AfricanAmerican
Asian
Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander
American Indian or
Alaska Native

No

Yes

No

White
Black or AfricanAmerican
Asian
Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander
American Indian or
Alaska Native

34. What is your household’s annual income?
Less than $25,000
$100,000 to $199,999
$25,000 to $49,999
$200,000 or more
$50,000 to $99,999
35. What percentage of your household’s income is derived from the
woodland that you own?
__ Percent

Financial assistance
Advice on woodland management
Advice on estate planning
Getting a conservation easement
Giving the land to a trusted heir
while I’m still alive
More favorable tax policies
Donating or willing the land to a
conservation organization
Stronger timber markets
Markets for ecosystem services,
such carbon sequestration
(capture), water protection,
or biodiversity protection
Other (specify):

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27. How helpful would each of the following be to help you keep your
woods in as woods?

3. Which category below best describes your ownership?
Check only one.
Individual
Joint
Family partnership
Trust or estate
Corporation or business partnership
If you are answering on behalf of a company or other
organization, skip to question 7.
Other (please specify): ______________________
4. How many people (owners) are a part of this ownership?
Owner(s)
5. Is your home (primary residence) on or within a mile of any of
your woodland in ?
Yes
No
If no, approximately how far is it from your home
to your nearest parcel of woodland in ?
Miles
6. Do you have a vacation home or cabin on or within a mile of any
of your woodland in ?
Yes
No
If yes, how many days a year, on average, do you spend
there?
Days per year
7. Do you own any land that is farmed or ranched in ?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 8.
If yes, is any of it within a mile of any of your woodland in
?
Yes
No

The History of Your Woodland
8. a. How did you acquire your woodland in ?
Check all that apply.
Purchased
Inherited
Received as gift
Other (please specify): ______________________
b. From whom did you acquire your woodland?
Check ALL that apply.
My parents
My spouse
Another family member
Other individual(s)
A business
A government agency
Other (please specify): ______________________
c. In what year did you, personally, first acquire woodland in
?

The Future of Your Woodland
25. a. What are your plans for your woodland in for the next
5 years?
Check all that apply
Sell some it
Sell all of it
Give some of it to my children or other heirs
Give all of it to my children or other heirs
No plans at this time
If no plans, go to question 26.
b. Who will likely receive it?
Check all that apply
My children
__ Number of children
Another family member(s) __ Number
Other individual(s)
A business
A non-governmental organization
A government agency
Other (please specify): __________________

Year
9. a. How many times have you sold or given away any of your
woodland in ?
Never If never, go to question 10.
Once (1 time)
2 to 5 times
6 or more times
b. Who received it?
Check all that apply.
My children
Another family member
Other individual(s)
A business
A government agency
Other (please specify): __________________
c. Have you sold or given away any of your woodland in
in the last 5 years?
Yes
No

c. Why are you planning to sell or transfer it?
Check all that apply
I am ready to pass it on
Too expensive
I need the money
High market value
No longer interested in owning it
Other (please specify): ____________________
26. Which of the following best describes you?
I am absolutely committed to keeping my woods as woods
and not developing it
I would like to keep my woods as woods, but if I don’t think
I can take care of it I might sell it
I would like to keep my woods as woods, but if the price
were right, I might sell it
I would like to eventually sell my woodland, but I could be
persuaded to keep and conserve it
I am absolutely committed to selling or developing my
woods

Concerns and Issues

Uses of Your Woodland

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24. Please indicate your level of concern about each of the following
topics for your woodland in and your ability to keep and
maintain it.

Air and water pollution
Damage from off road vehicles, such
as ATVs or snowmobiles
Development of nearby lands
Drought
Global climate change
High property taxes
Invasive plants
Keeping land intact for my children
or other heirs
Misuse of woodland, such as
vandalism or dumping
Noise from off road vehicles, such
as ATVs or snowmobiles
People stealing my trees
Regulations that restrict harvests
Threat or risk of lawsuits
Trespassing or poaching
Uncontrolled grazing
Unwanted insects and diseases
Wild animals, such as deer or
feral hogs
Wildfire
Wind storms or hurricanes
Other (please specify):

10. Have you ever leased or collected money (other than from logging)
for allowing people to use your woodland in ?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 11.
If yes, please answer a and b.
a. What did they use it for?
Check all that apply.
Hunting or fishing
Recreation (other than hunting or fishing)
To graze/pasture livestock
Land conservation, such as the Conservation Reserve or
Environmental Quality Incentives Programs
Other (please specify): ______________________
b. Have any of these activities occurred in the last 5 years?
Yes
No
11. Conservation easements are voluntary agreements that restrict land
from being used for designated purposes, such as development, in
order to protect the land’s conservation values. These restrictions
are legally binding, permanent, and passed on from one owner to
the next.
Have you ever heard or read about conservation easements before?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 12.
If yes, is there a conservation easement on any of your
woodland in ?
Yes What types of activities are, to one degree or
another, restricted?
Check all that apply.
Conversion of woodland to another land use,
such as residential or commercial
Splitting of woodland into smaller holdings
Harvesting of trees
Other (please specify): _________________
Who holds the easement?
A government agency
A land trust or other non-governmental org.
Other (please specify): _________________
No
If no, do you plan to get a conservation easement
on any of your woodland in ?
Yes
No
Maybe

12. To encourage good woodland management, groups have created
green certification programs to recognize woodland owners that
comply with the groups’ standards. Examples include Tree Farm,
Green Tag, Forest Stewardship Council, and Sustainable Forestry
Initiative.
Have you ever heard or read about green certification before?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 13.
If yes, is any of your woodland in currently green
certified?
Yes
If yes, go to question 13.
No
If no, do you plan to get any of your woodland in
green certified?
Yes
No
Maybe
13. Cost-share programs provide landowners with money to help them
establish or otherwise manage their woodland. Examples include
the Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, the Forest Land Enhancement Program, and
various state funded programs.
Have you ever heard or read about cost-share programs before?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 14.
Have you ever used a cost-share program to help you
establish or manage your woodland in ?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 14.
Have you done so in the last 5 years?
Yes No
14. Some state and local governments have current use programs that
reduce or eliminate property taxes for woodland.
Have you ever heard or read about current use property tax
programs before?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 15.
If yes, do you have any of your woodland in in a
current use property tax program?
Yes
No

Sources of Information
23. Have you received advice or information about taking care of your
woodland in in the past 5 years?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 24.
If yes, please answer a, b, and c.
a. What was it about?
Check all that apply.
Insects or plant diseases
Wildlife or wildlife habitat
Timber production
Land conservation
Other (please specify): ______________________
b. How did you get it?
Check all that apply.
Talking to someone over the phone or in an office
Having someone visit my land
Written materials, such as brochures or other
publications
Internet
Conference or workshop
Other (please specify): ______________________
c. Who did you receive it from?
Check all that apply.
State or local government employee
Federal government employee
Private consultant
Fellow landowner
Other (please specify): ______________________

21. a. Who, with your permission, has hunted, hiked, or otherwise
recreated on your woodland in in the past 5 years?
Check all that apply.
Me and/or my spouse
My children
Other family members
Friends
The general public for free
The general public for a fee
Other (please specify): ____________________
No one
If no one, go to question 22.
b. How did you/they recreate?
Check all that apply.
Hunting
Fishing
Hiking/walking
Bicycling
Camping
Nature watching, such as bird watching
Horseback riding
Skiing or snowshoeing
Off road vehicles, such as ATVs or snowmobiles
Other (please specify): ____________________

22. Is any of your woodland in posted to restrict access and/or
use by the general public?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 23.
If yes, what is restricted?
Check all that apply.
Trespassing
Hunting
Motorized vehicles
Other (please specify): ____________________

15. Who makes most of the management decisions, such as whether
or not to harvest trees, for your woodland in ?
Check only one.
Me
My spouse
My children
My parents
Another family member
My business partner
My land manager or forester
Other (please specify): ______________________
16. Have trees been harvested from any of your woodland in
since you have owned it?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 17.
If yes, please answer a, b, and c.
a. What types of trees/products were harvested and why?
Check all that apply.
To
For
For
sale

personal
use

improve
woods

Veneer logs
Sawlogs
Pulpwood
Biofuel/biomass
Firewood
Posts or poles
Unwanted tress
Not sure what was
harvested
Other (please specify):

b. During the most recent harvest was a professional forester
used to plan, mark, contract, or oversee the harvest?
Yes
No
c. During the most recent harvest was a certified or master
logger used?
Yes
No

17. Have nontimber forest products, such as , been collected from any of your woodland in since
you have owned it?
Yes
No
If no, go to question 18.
What types of products were collected and why?
For
sale

For
personal
use or gift

Edibles, such as

Medicinal, such as

Landscaping, such as

Decorative, such as

Cultural, such as

Other (please specify):

18. Do you have a written management or stewardship plan for any of
your woodland in ?
Yes If yes, have you taken actions to implement it?
Yes
No
Who prepared it?
I prepared the plan myself
State or local government employee
Federal government employee
Private consulting forester
Forest industry forester
Other (please specify): ____________________
No If no, why not?
Too busy
Too expensive
Too complicated
I don’t need one
Other (please specify): ____________________

19. Which of the following have occurred on your woodland in
in the past five years?
Check all that apply.
Harvested trees for sale
Harvested trees for own use
Collected nontimber forest products
Reduced fire hazard
Prescribed fire
Eliminated or reduce invasive plants
Eliminated or reduce unwanted insects/diseases
Road construction or maintenance
Trail construction or maintenance
Improved wildlife habitat
Livestock grazing
Rented land for carbon capture/sequestration
Rented land for water protection
Rented land for biodiversity protection
20. Which of the following will likely occur on your woodland in
in the next five years?
Check all that apply.
Harvest trees for sale
Harvest trees for own use
Collect nontimber forest products
Reduce fire hazard
Prescribed fire
Eliminate or reduce invasive plants
Eliminate or reduce unwanted insects/diseases
Road construction or maintenance
Trail construction or maintenance
Improve wildlife habitat
Livestock grazing
Rent land for carbon capture/sequestration
Rent land for water protection
Rent land for biodiversity protection