The Changing Social Fabric of Private Forest Landscapes in Missouri

"The past decade in Missouri has witnessed a continuing expansion of big city suburbs as well as a surge of people moving to the Missouri Ozarks. More than three-fifths of this latter group has been settling outside of incorporated places.  Such processes are reflected in land tenure patterns, the changing characteristics of Missouris non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners (who collectively own about 83% of the states 14 million forested acres) and, ultimately, the overall integrity of the states forest ecosystems. A recent study has focused on better understanding NIPF landowners and their decision-making processes and examining how these affect the forest ecosystems of the region. The study combines quantitative and qualitative methods to try and better understand landowner attitudes and motivations for land ownership and management. A random sample of 800 landowners in the Black and St. Francis River watersheds of southeastern Missouri was surveyed to provide the basis for establishing a motivational typology of landowners. A set of 30 qualitative interviews with selected landowners from the above sample amplified a number of themes hinted at in survey responses and revealed additional concerns as well. Among many other factors, differences in cost of living and quality of life are two key reasons stimulating migration patterns. This paper summarizes interview and survey results characterizing the changing fabric of forestland ownership in Missouri, including the early stages of typology refinement, and looks at implications for key ecological phenomena such as forest fragmentation and ecosystem integrity." [Abstract from Conference Program and Book of Abstracts]

[Concurrent Session I-E: Urbanization and Forest Structure]

[Presented at "Emerging Issues Along Urban/Rural Interfaces: Linking Science and Society", a conference held March 13-16, 2005 in Atlanta, GA (US)]