XXVII NWOS Corporate Telephone Interview Guide

XXVII. NWOS Corporate Survey Telephone Guide
INTERVIEWER INTRODUCTION
Interviewer text:
Hello, this is calling on behalf of the Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics
Service. We are conducting the National Corporate Forest Land Survey for the U.S. Forest Service and you
were selected to participate. Several weeks ago you were mailed a copy of this survey. We have not
received it and were hoping to collect the data by telephone today. Your cooperation is extremely important
to the accuracy of the survey and your individual report will be kept confidential (under Title 7 of the U.S.
Code and CIPSEA (Public Law 107-347)). Response is voluntary.

The rest of the interview time is allotted to going through the survey and recording landowner’s answers. These
interview questions will a subset of the National Corporate Forest Owner Survey (below), with the interviewer
reading the questions and the landowner responding. Interviews will not go beyond the allotted time (25
minutes).
Forested Land Definition
Forested land covers XX% of the .
Forested land includes:
 Timberland, forests, and woodlands
 Land at least 1 acre in size, 120 feet wide, and has at least 10% forest cover
 Land at least 1 acre in size, where trees were harvested and will grow again
Forested land does not include:
 Christmas tree farms, orchards, or nurseries
 Land that is mowed for lawn
General Questions about Your Company’s Forested Land
1. How many acres of forested land does your company own in each state in the ? (Include a small
map). Please list each state and acres by state. Include an additional sheet of paper if needed.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

General Questions about Your Company
For the rest of the survey, please consider only the forested land your company currently, as of January 1,
201X, owns in

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2. What is the structure of your company as of January 1, 201X?
__Timber investment management organization (TIMO)
__Publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT)
__Privately held real estate investment trust (REIT)
__Traditional forest industry company (vertically integrated – own land and mills)
__Other (please specify): ____________

The History of your Company’s Forested Land
3. In what year did your company first acquire forested land in the ?
________
4. Has your company sold or given away any of its forested land in the in the past 5 years?
__Yes __No

Not Applicable

Not Important

Of little importance

Moderately Important

Important

Very Important

Your Company’s Reasons for Owning Land
5. How important are the following as reasons for why your company currently owns forested land in the
?

For land investment, where lands
are to be sold and will likely remain
in timber
For land investment, where lands
are to be sold and likely converted
to non-timber uses, such as home
lots or other highest and best uses
(HBU)
For timber production
For oil or gas extraction
For extraction of other mineral
products, such as sand or gravel
Other
(Please specify):

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Uses and Management of your Company’s Forested Land
6. Who manages your forested land in the ?
Check all that apply
__Company (in house)
__Local/regional consultants or forestry professionals
__National consultants or forestry professionals
__Other (please specify):___________________
7. A management or stewardship plan may be written in order to help the landowner meet their goals for their
forested land. Does your company have a written management or stewardship plan for any of its forested
land in ?
__Yes __No

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Not Applicable

Not Important

Of little importance

Moderately Important

Important

Very Important

9. How important are the following reasons for why your company currently manages its forested land in the
?

To protect beauty or scenery
To protect nature or biological
diversity
To protect water resources
To protect or improve wildlife
habitat
For land investment
For firewood
For timber products, such as logs or
pulpwood
For nontimber forest products,
such as berries or mushrooms
For hunting
For recreation, other than hunting
For oil or gas extraction
For extraction of other mineral
products, such as sand or gravel
For carbon capture/sequestration
Other
(Please specify):

10. What types of forest products have ever been cut or removed from any of your company’s forested land in
the ?
Check all that apply.
__Firewood
__Logs
__Wood chips or pulpwood
__Other (please specify):_____________
11. On average, how many acres were harvested each year on your company’s forested land in the ?
_________acres per year
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12. Which of the following have occurred on your company’s forested land in the in the past 5 years?
Check all that apply.
__Cut and/or removed trees for sale
__Cut and/or removed trees for personal use
__Collected nontimber forest products, such as berries or mushrooms
__Reduced fire hazard
__Controlled burn/prescribed fire
__Eliminated or reduced invasive plants
__Eliminated or reduced unwanted insects or disease
__Road construction or maintenance
__Trail construction or maintenance
__Improved wildlife habitat
__Livestock grazing
__Used herbicides
__Used pesticides
__Used fertilizers
__Other (please specify):_______________________
__None of the above

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13. Which of the following will likely occur on your company’s forested land in the in the next 5
years?
Check all that apply.
__Cut and/or removed trees for sale
__Cut and/or removed trees for personal use
__Collected nontimber forest products, such as berries or mushrooms
__Reduced fire hazard
__Controlled burn/prescribed fire
__Eliminated or reduced invasive plants
__Eliminated or reduced unwanted insects or disease
__Road construction or maintenance
__Trail construction or maintenance
__Improved wildlife habitat
__Livestock grazing
__Used herbicides
__Used pesticides
__Used fertilizers
__Other (please specify):__________
_None of the above
_I don’t know

14. Which of the following silvicultural practices have occurred on your company’s forested land in the
in the past 5 years?
Check all that apply.
__Clearcut with planting
__Clearcut with natural regeneration
__Seed tree cuts
__Shelterwood cuts
__Single tree selection
__Group selection
__Other (please specify):_______________
15. Does your company have even-age stands on its forested land in the ?
__Yes __No

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16. Does your company have uneven-aged stands on its forested land in the ?
__Yes __No
17. Has your company thinned any of its forested land in the in the past 5 years?
__Yes __No

18. Has your company planted seedlings on any of its forested land in the in the past 5 years?
__Yes __No
19. To encourage good woodland management, groups have created green certification programs to recognize
landowners who comply with groups’ standards. Examples include Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
a. What percentage of your company’s forested land in the is certified under one or more of
these systems?
_______%
20. Some state and local governments have programs that defer, reduce, or eliminate property taxes for
forested land. Is any of your company’s forested land in the currently enrolled in one of these
programs?
__Yes __No
21. Development rights for land can be sold or voluntarily given away. This is usually in the form of a
conservation easement.
a. Have development rights been sold or voluntarily given away on any of your company’s forested land in
the by your company or a previous owner?
__Yes __No
22. Has your company ever collected money for allowing people to use its forested land or leased its forested
land in the (other than from logging)?
__Yes __No

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23. a. Who, with your company’s permission, has hunted, hiked, or otherwise recreated on your company’s
forested land in the in the past 5 years?
Check all that apply.
__Company employees
__Neighbors
__The general public for free
__The general public for a fee
__Other (please specify):_________
__Nobody -> If nobody, skip to question 24

Income Generation
24. Approximately, what percentage of your company’s total revenue is derived from your forestland
operations? This includes receipts from timber sales, sale of forestland, and other revenue streams directly
from your forested land.
____ %
25. What are the sources of income from your company’s forested land in the ?
Check all that apply.
__Timber products, such as logs or pulpwood
__Hunting leases
__Recreational (non-hunting) leases
__Resale (land remains in timber)
__Resale (lands going to non-forest or highest and best use (HBU))
__Conservation easements
__Carbon sequestration agreements
__Other (please specify):______________
26. Does your company have any long-term timber/fiber supply agreements with mills or other primary wood
using facilities for its forested land in the ?
__ Yes __No

The Future of your Company’s Forested Land
27. How likely is it that your company will sell any of its forested land in the in the next 5 years?
Extremely
Likely
__

Likely
__

Undecided
__

Unlikely
__

Extremely
Not
Unlikely Applicable
__
__

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