Family forest landowner management in southern Illinois: a qualitative study of goals, trends, and opportunities

Non-industrial privately-owned forest (NIPF) land accounts for more than half of forested land in the United States. In southernmost Illinois, NIPF landowners own nearly 75% of forested land in the area. The owners of these lands are in a unique position to provide pure air and water, a habitat for native flora and fauna, valuable timber resources, pristine aesthetic values, and a space for unfettered recreation within southern Illinois. Without forest management activities, a once-healthy forest may suffer from overpopulation, a loss of native species, an increase in non-native invasive species, and a resulting loss of diversity. Methods of forest management include timber stand improvement, prescribed burning, invasive species management, and native species planting for the benefit of the forest as a whole. In addition to government programs aimed at supporting or increasing NIPF landowners' forest management practices via education, regulation and/or incentives that have been in existence for some time, the state of Illinois and local governments have created several programs and pieces of legislation that exist to provide technical and financial assistance to those wishing to begin or continue to manage trees on their land.ACES Undergraduate Research Scholarship ProgramOpe