Perceived values from forestry Best Management Practices in Mississippi

Numerous studies in the United States have shown that, in addition to accomplishing their primary objective of preventing or reducing non-point source (NPS) pollution, silvicultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) provide additional direct and indirect benefits. These benefits are valuable to a host of forestry-related groups because they improve forest habitat, improve the public\u27s perception of the timber industry, and increase the overall value of the timber asset. In an effort to gauge the perceived value that forestry-related groups place on BMPs, Mississippi non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners (n=63), forestry consultants (n=30), and timber industry professionals (n=8) were surveyed using a combination of in-person, telephone interviews, and mail surveys in spring 2001. Each group was asked to rank 35 potential benefits from 1 to 5 (1 being least beneficial; 5 being most beneficial) according to their perceived value of the benefit. Results showed little variation in the overall mean response for all benefits among groups. In general, all groups assigned a ranking of average, more beneficial, or most beneficial to 31 of 35 (88%) potential benefits. Results indicated that, although these groups may have differing perceptions of the value of some benefits, all have a largely positive perception of the potential benefits from BMPs. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B%3AWAFO.0000012820.88013.8