PUBLIC PREFERENCES FOR POLICIES THAT PROTECT PUBLIC BENEFITS, AND SUPPORT PRIVATE FOREST LANDOWNERS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1016561
• Grant No.: 2016-67012-28517
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $35,516.42
• Proposal No.: 2018-04090
• Project Start Date: Aug 1, 2018
• Project End Date: Jul 31, 2019
• Grant Year: 2018
• Program Code: [A7201]- AFRI Post Doctoral Fellowships

Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
408 Old Main
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802-1505

Performing Department
Ecosystem Science and Manageme

Non Technical Summary
Forestlands provide critical ecosystem services (e.g., water quality protection) that enhance environmental quality and support growing populations. Forest lands also contribute to the economic viability of agriculture. In Florida alone, they contribute over $12bn/year in economic outputs and support over 90,000 jobs. These lands are increasingly under pressure from threats including land use change, climate variability, and invasive species. Addressing these problems is a major US policy goal; yet we know relatively little about the public preferences for processes used to implement environmental policies/programs. My recent work (e.g., my dissertation research) revealed public preferences are in fact linked with program processes, which is important for designing environmental policies that reduce tradeoffs and enhance synergies between the agricultural economy and environmental benefits such clean water resources.The project has two phases used to assess the social acceptability and economic effectiveness of using payments for ecosystem services (PES) incentive programs to stem the loss of forestland, protect ecosystem services and increase financial sustainability of agricultural operations. In phase one I will use a generalized Faustmann model for loblolly pine stands to simulate the impacts of forest managementfor eight representative sites in four heavily-forested southeastern states (FL, GA, SC, MS). Model results will identify tradeoffs in financial impacts and production of ecosystem services and timber. These results will inform phase two, the development of a stated preference valuation survey of the public in these states to identify levels of social support for alternative environmental programs given the tradeoffs in forest outputs and other important attributes: land protection method (e.g., permanent easements), institutional involvement (e.g., public), and cost. The valuation survey will employ a relatively novel stated preference valuation approach (best-worst choice) and econometric methods. Methodologically, this project is unique for its integration of forest stand-level modeling and stated preference valuation techniques.Results will fill critical knowledge gaps on public preferences for landowner incentive programs that can be used to inform economic tradeoffs associated with policies that sustain agricultural communities while protecting important ecosystem services. Importantly, the integrated project also includes the development of Extension products to inform key stakeholders about the tradeoffs inherent in alternative approaches to protecting forestland. The proposed project directly addresses the mission of AFRI and the four-part goal outlined by the National Research Council Committee: to satisfy the agricultural needs of humans, enhance environmental quality, sustain the economic viability of agriculture and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. Together with the mentoring and training dimensions of the project (see Project Narrative), the proposed project also meets the AFRI-ELI program goal of helping prepare the next generation of scientists because it will move my research in a direction that would set me apart in my field, give me skills to build an independent research program in forest economics and policy and preparethe Post-DoctoralAssociatefor a tenure-track university faculty position.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
112	0699	3010	100%

Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management;

Subject Of Investigation
0699 - Trees, forests, and forest products, general;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;

Keywords

forest ecosystems

public values

water supply

wildlife habitat

Goals / Objectives
The goal for this project is to provide thePost-Doctoral Associate with additional research skills and experiences, research outputs, teaching skills and experiences, extension outputs and experiences, and active mentoring to acquire a tenure-track faculty position at a public university in the US. Consistent with this goal, this project will help thePost-Doctoral Associate establish and grow an independent research and extension program in natural resource economics and policy that addresses emerging threats to working forests and associated ecosystem services, and examines innovative policy solutions in this context. This project aligns with thePost-Doctoral Associates long-term goals of conducting science and generating new knowledge to inform public and private decisions about forest land management and ecosystem services, and teaching and mentoring a new generation of scientists to improve American capacity to address complex problems at the nexus between forests and society.Specific research- and extension-related goals include: (1) Increase the Post-Doctoral Associates research and statistical software skillset through the successful completion of the research project and by attending at least two professional development mini-courses focused on experimental design, data collection, and/or modeling; (2) Increase thePost-Doctoral Associates publishing success in top-tier journals by working with the Post-Doctoral Associates primary mentor to prepare and submit at least four journal articles for peer review in well-respected journals, and publish at least two papers already in review; (3) Increase thePost-Doctoral Associates research funding success by working with thePost-Doctoral Associates mentor to co-organize and co-write at least one small (funding <$50,000; PI) and one large proposal (funding $300,000; co-PI), and attending at least one grant writing workshop offered by the University of Florida; (4) Expand thePost-Doctoral Associates extension/outreach experiences and outputs by completing the project; and (5) Increase thePost-Doctoral Associates understanding of how to evaluate an extension program via collaboration with staff in the Florida Forest Stewardship Program (FFSP), an award-winning Extension program at the University of Florida. The FFSP works with non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners to inform and encourage improved land stewardship practices, and is successful in changing behavior in hundreds of landowners every year.The goal of the researchproject is to (1) examine how public welfare is impacted by environmental programs that alter forest landownership and the local timber economy and (2) disseminate the results of my research to key decision-makers to advance the long term goals of this project. Specific objectives are to:Assess how watershed BMPs impact forest outputs (e.g., timber revenue) on private industrial and non-industrial forest lands in the Southeastern U.S.Assess public WTP for watershed protection programs based on how they alter landownership (e.g., conservation easement, cost-share) and how they impact the local timber economy. Develop Extension products to communicate to decision-makers how to protect public benefits while supporting private forest lands.

Project Methods
To modeltimber produciton outputs on private landsI use the growth and yield models developed by Pienaar et al. (1996) for the slash pine tree species (Pinus ellottii), commonly grown in the Southeastern U.S. The models were parametrized using averages of important stand characteristics (e.g., basal area) and management practices (e.g., percent thin at tree age 10) common to private forests in the southeast (figures came from recent landowner surveys, industry reports and state agency reports). I also use a stand level economic model, based on the Hartman approach, to determine the profitability of forestlands-in terms of the present value (PV) of different types of timber outputs (e.g., chip and saw, saw logs). The following methods helpquantify the clean water services provided by forests. In most surface waters, there is a strong correlation between water quality and water volume. Water supply is also an increasingly important issue to members of the public in the Southeastern U.S. To understand how changes in forest management may affect clean water supply I applythe equations developed by McLaughlin et al., (2013) to estimate water yield based on average rates of precipitation in the southeast and pine tree basal area. The follow methods help quantify the benefits of maintaining healthy wildlife populations. The advice of five experts in forest management and wildlife biology are solicited using the Delphi method. The Delphi method of inquiry identified a wide range of factors that can affect the health these wildlife populations. Some factors related specifically to forest management (e.g., tree age and density, percent herbaceous ground cover) and some factors were unrelated to forest management (e.g., spatial location of the forest, soil type, rate of species inbreeding). The experts were thenrank the importance of these factors in regards to the health and survival of the indicator wildlife species. This information was used to inform a simple model that estimated how changes in forest management, in a typical stand, likely affected the health of most wildlife populations, while controlling for important factors outside of the stand (e.g., barriers to emigration). Finds from the above efforts are used toinform the second goal of my project which seeks to understand how forests are valued by the public. I applyan attribute-based choice experiment design to model and analyze public willingness to pay for different levels of ecosystem service provision (i.e., timber, water supply, wildlife population health) using different policy processes (i.e., conservation easement, market-based landowner payment strategy). A survey containing the choice experiment is designed and implemented using a multi-stage process. Survey development consistsof a comprehensive literature review, semi-structured interviews and pre-testing. Likert scale question formats are used tounderstand how perceptions of ecosystem service provision might affect demand for certain ecosystem services. For example, services that are through to be at risk of decline may increase demand for forest conservation programs that provide those services. Likert scale questions are also used to understand public opinions about harvesting trees and government interventions on private lands. Multiple-choice questions were used to collect demographic data. Additional data are collected using the zip codes reported by respondents which were linked to respondentslocations using GIS shapefiles. Spatial data included county demographic characteristics, percent public/private forest lands and percent forest cover. .

Progress 08/01/18 to 07/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:This year my efforts impacted three distinct audiences: Decision-makers who need of estimates of public demand for non-market ecosystem services to support programs that use of landowner education and incentives to encourage the provision of these services. Important categories of decisions-makers include government agency leaders (state and federal), leaders of private conservation organizations and natural resource managers. Extension/outreach educators and professionals who need training on how to be more effective in delivering science information to decision-makers and the public and evaluating the impact of their outreach efforts. Underrepresented populations (i.e., people of color and women) looking to establish careers in forestry and natural resources professions and/or academics. Changes/Problems:nothing to report What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Objectives 5 and 6: I gained valuable mentoring and hands on experiences in extension and program evaluation through collaborations with other faculty and working with Penn State Extension Atlas Services, the Penn State Forest and Wildlife Extension Team, and the PA Center for Private Forests. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A total of three journal publications have been developed that contain research directly funded by this grant. One paper has been published and the other is in preparation for submission to a journal. The manuscript describing the assessment tool for professional audiences is currently in review with the Journal of Extension. Findings will be used to help inform the evaluation aspects of my extension program. Research findings have also been presented at a special session at A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES) and the Society of American Foresters National Conference in Louisville, KY. Both conferences are attended by practitioners, managers and policymakers in addition to researchers. Results have also been disseminated through my Penn State Extension programming. I plan to continue delivering these research findings through my extension connections at Mississippi State and the University of Florida (located in the region where the research was conducted). This last year as a professor I have been able to expand my efforts to deliver science-based information through the Penn State Extension Atlas Services, the Penn State Forest and Wildlife Extension Team, and the PA Center for Private Forests. My outreach efforts have included the research findings supported by this grant, and other natural resource topics relevant to stakeholders in PA. I am also able to help advance underrepresented groups in forestry and natural resources through mentorship and organized activities. My efforts so far been centered around these four major themes. Forest Benefits and Values Problem statement: Forest management is important for maintaining forest health and providing ecosystem services to society. However, the social and economic value of non-market ecosystems services, compared to other market related forest goods and services (e.g., timber), is not well understood. Goal: The goal of the Forest Benefits and Values research/extension program is to extend science information about the benefits and values of forests to (1) leaders and decision-makers (i.e., government agencies, private conservation groups, private associations) to help improve decision-making within their own programs, and (2) to landowners and the public so they can make more informed choices (e.g., management decisions, voting). For this theme I have three peer reviewed manuscripts in development, one needs assessment of conservation professionals needs for ecosystem service valuation information, three extension articles, three newsletter editions, one organized event (special conference session on valuing natural areas), three professional presentations and three invited lectures. Social Trust and Private Forest Management Problem Statement: The quality of our forests, wildlife and communities are often dependent on the collective actions of private individuals (i.e., autonomous actors). To help protect public goods (e.g., environmental quality, wildlife) government agencies and private conservation organizations will use education and incentive programs to promote responsible forest management on private lands. Decision-makers need access to research-based information to determine which policy tools may be most effective in cultivating social trust and encouraging responsible management behaviors. Goal: My goal is to increase the application of economic and psychology related research in the policies and programs that effect landowners, the public and private lands. My efforts in this area have been primarily in the form of consulting, serving on committees and facilitating meetings. Government agencies that I have worked with include five federal, state and county agencies and organizations. I have also provided services to five private conservation organizations and groups in Pennsylvania. I published three articles in peer reviewed journals and five extension articles related to the economics, attitudes and perceptions of resource management. I have conducted four professional presentations on these topics, hosted one webinar event, and I am currently conducting stakeholder assessments for an academic extension program and a state agency program seeking to improve forest management on private lands. Impact Assessment in Environmental Outreach and Extension Problem statement: As scientists and Extension professionals we seek to provide practical solutions to communities, stakeholders, and policymakers concerned about specific natural resource issues. Our continued success in this area largely depends on demonstrating to sponsors how successful our outreach efforts have been in producing meaningful changes in the behaviors of targeted audiences. Goal: The goal of this program is to develop research- based training programs and survey tools to help outreach professionals better assess the short-term impact of their program. My efforts in this area include the development of one peer-reviewed publication describing how to assess Outreach Program Impact on Professional Audiences in Natural Resource Management (in review). The strategies in this paper were shared with researchers at the USFS Northern Research Station. I have also conducted one lecture and three half day workshops that targeted outreach professionals and provided training in innovative program evaluation methods to measure short term impact on non-professional audiences. Mentorship and the Advancement of Underrepresented Groups When I was offered the position at Penn State, I was able to use the remaining funds from my NIFA grant to negotiate a match that supported a female post-doctoral scholar for one year. Renata Rimsaite has since completed her postdoctoral work with me and has acquired a position as a Water Markets Analyst at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska. I am currently an advisor for three graduate students, two are international students and one is female. I also am serving on the committees of two female graduate students in the forestry program at Penn State. I am active on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee within my department. I recently conducted a survey assessing faculty response to the committee's recommendations on how to increase diversity within faculty searches (it was largely positive). I contributed to the implementation of a departmental workshop on unintentional intolerance in Spring 2019. I also work to represent the needs of underrepresented groups while serving on various other committees at the university. Outside of Penn State I served as a mentor for a female graduate student who received a fellowship to attend the Society of American Foresters National Convention in 2018. Michelle Audie is now working in the Source Water and UIC Section for the US EPA in Virginia. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?nothing to report

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? As of this year I accomplished my broader goal of acquiring a tenure track faculty position at a public university in the US. This post-doctoral grant opportunity was fundamental to my being hired as an Assistant Professor in Research and Extension in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at the Pennsylvania State University. I was hired before the grant expired so this final report includes my efforts and activities from my first year working as a university professor. I haveaccomplished some of the specific training objectives outlined in this section. Training Objective 2: In 2018-2019 I placed three new journal articles in top tier journals. Namely, the Journal of Ecological Economics, Land Use Policy and Forests. I have two more manuscripts in review with the Journal of Extension and three manuscripts planned for publication in peer reviewed journals after the data is analyzed. Training Objective 3: I recently received a $62,400 grant from the Penn State Collage of Agricultural Sciences that will support a PhD student working in forestry extension topics. I am currently working with colleagues in and outside my department on larger external grants that will be submitted in the coming year. Research Objective 1: Previous progress reports describe the bulk of my research activities and outcomes which will not be repeated here. I did complete the research examining how public welfare is impacted by environmental programs that alter forest landownership and the local timber economy. The role of my post-doctoral researcher was to help with project data management and drafting manuscripts and outreach publications. She also conducted additional research activity to help me understand how to increase the impact of the research coming from this grant. More specifically, she used findings from existing literature on common barriers to science transfer among professional audiences, to develop a survey tool that can be used to quantify the potential impact of an extension program on decision-making audiences (e.g., agency leaders, managers). This tool was tested on 78 professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region. Her findings suggest that enhancing the ability of professionals to make objective judgments about science information is very important. Overall decisionmakers wanted information to be presented in a way that was easy to understand, was transparent about uncertainty and that the approach not be biased.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: M. Kreye. (2018). Voter Behavior Towards Natural Areas Protection, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, https://extension.psu.edu/voter-behavior-towards-natural-areas-protection
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: R. Rimsaite and M. Kreye. (2018). Timber Harvesting on Private Lands: What does the public think?. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Forestry Association Quarterly Magazine (Winter issue).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Kreye. (2019). Understanding the value of Wildlife In Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, https://extension.psu.edu/understanding-the-value-of-wildlife-in-pennsylvania
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Kreye. (2019). Why Do Unplanned or Poorly Planned Timber Harvests Occur?, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, https://extension.psu.edu/why-do-unplanned-or-poorly-planned-timber-harvests-occur
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Kreye. (2019). Public Demand for Forest Conservation and Water Protection in PA, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, in press.
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Kreye. (2019). Pennsylvanias potential for reducing carbon emissions using private forests, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, in press.
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. Kreye. (2019). Communicating with Natural Resource Stakeholders through Strategic Messaging, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, in press
• Type: Other Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: M. kreye. (2019) Understanding the Economic Value of Conservation: What do conservation professionals want to know?, Pennsylvania State University Extension Article, in press.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Conservation Current Newsletter: Your source for understanding trends in ecosystems and society- Three editions, Spring, Summer and Fall
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kreye, M. M., Adams, D. C., & Ober, H. K. (2018). Protecting imperiled wildlife species on private lands: Forest owner values and response to government interventions. Ecological Economics, 149, 254-264.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kreye, M. M., Adams, D. C., & Kline, J. D. (2019). Gaining voter support for watershed protection. Land Use Policy, 89, 104227.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kreye, M. M., Rimsaite, R., & Adams, D. C. (2019). Public Attitudes about Private Forest Management and Government Involvement in the Southeastern United States. Forests, 10(9), 776.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kreye, M. D.C., Adams, J. Soto, and R. Rimsaite. (2019). Consumer and Citizen Perspectives on Willingness to Pay for Forest Management, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. In progress.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kreye, M., and D.C. Adams and J. Soto (2019) Landowner Compensation for Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration: Deliberative Monetary Valuation Method. Forests. In progress.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sharma, S., and M. Kreye (2019) Social Value of Bird Conservation in Pennsylvania. In progress.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Regmi, A., M. Kreye and J. Kreye (2019) Demand for Prescribed Fire on Private Lands in Pennsylvania. In progress.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kreye, M. D.C., Adams, and H. Ober.Protecting Imperiled Wildlife Species on Private Lands: Forest Owner Values and Response to Interventions, Society of American Foresters 2018 National Convention in Portland, OR. October 5, 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kreye, M. Managing for Ecosystem Services on Private Forest Lands: Best Practices for Encouraging Support Poster at the Pennsylvania State University Extension Conference, State College, PA, March 2, 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kreye, M. D.C., Adams, J. Soto, and R. Rimsaite. Social Value of Enhancing Ecosystem Services on Private Forest Lands in the Southeastern US. A Community of Ecosystem Services, Washington DC, December 6, 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: R. Rimsaite and M. Kreye. Non-Market Valuation and Natural Areas: Advantages and Limitations. A Community of Ecosystem Services, Washington DC, December 6, 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kreye, M. and D. Adams. Water Resource Protection at the Ballot Box: Understanding Voter Preferences and Behavior Poster at the Pennsylvania State University Extension Conference, State College, PA, March 2, 2018.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kreye, M. Understanding the Value of Wildlife in PA. Presentation at the 2019 Pennsylvania Forest Landowners Conference.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sharma S., and M. Kreye, Social value of Bird Conservation in Pennsylvania Natural Areas Association Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, October 8, 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kreye, M., R. Rimsaite and D.C. Adams, Public Attitudes Toward Timber Harvesting the Southeastern US, Society of American Foresters 2019 National Convention in Louisville, KY, November 2, 2019.