Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Peer Influence Of Non-Industrial Private Forest Owners In The Western Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Jillian R. Schubert, Audrey L. Mayer

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Publications

Understanding how non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners gain and share information regarding the management of their property is very important to policy makers, yet our knowledge regarding how and to what degree this information flows over privately owned landscapes is limited. The work described here seeks to address this shortfall. Widely administered surveys with close-ended questions may not adequately capture this information flow within NIPF owner communities. This study used open-ended questions in interviews of clusters of NIPF owners to determine whether and to what extent owners influence each other directly (through conversations or referrals to sources of advice) or …