Private Lands, Public Goods: Engaging Landowners in Ecosystem Management

California currently faces some daunting challenges to the sustainability of its natural ecosystems. Unnaturally high wildfire risk, urban and exurban expansion, the spread of invasive species, insect and disease outbreaks, and the effects of climate change all threaten to disrupt ecosystem function on a broad scale. These problems are complex, and operate at scales that cross jurisdictional boundaries, including those between private and public lands. To address problems at the scale of ecological processes will require ecosystem management, where practices and initiatives cross such boundaries. In California, this will require the engagement of a diverse and increasing group of private landowners./nForty-two percent of California's forests and rangelands are privately owned (34 million acres). These lands provide important ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, pollination and wildlife habitat, but little is known about the people who own and manage them, or how they might respond to cross-boundary ecosystem management initiatives. In this dissertation, I address this gap in understanding through the use of a statewide survey of forest and rangeland owners in California. I examined landowner characteristics, ownership motivations, management practices, and support for cross-boundary cooperation to better understand how landowners currently use their land, and how they might most effectively be engaged to participate in cross-boundary land management./nResults show that amenities and financial investment were the most important reasons for owning land, particularly among owners of small properties. Owners of large properties (500 or more acres) were significantly more likely to use their land for income production than owners of smaller properties. They were also more likely to carry out or be interested in environmental improvements or to have received advice about land management from an advisory organization or government agency./nAll landowners showed willingness to cooperate for pest and disease control, fire hazard reduction, and wildlife conservation, but their degree of willingness differed with ownership motivations, who they were expected to cooperate with, and the natural resource problem addressed. All were more willing to cooperate with neighbors and local groups than with state and federal agencies, and preferred to receive advice about land management from advisory organizations over regulatory or land management agencies. Landowners were most willing to cooperate to reduce fire hazard, which is the most direct threat to property and well-being./nThese results suggest that ecosystem management will be most effective if implemented with local partners and on topics landowners perceive as relevant. Some landowner groups already are active land managers and may be easy to engage in ecosystem management initiatives, especially using practices they already have experience with. Other landowners, in particular those that own small properties and are solely interested in amenities, were less experienced in land management and received less advice about managing their land. These owners may require more resources to engage in ecosystem management, but still expressed general support for the idea.

Advisor: Kelly, Maggi
Huntsinger, Lynn