Working the Land (WTL) Owners
WTL landowners are the second largest segment, constituting 30% of all woodland owners and holding 37% of the total land owned by individuals and families with 10-999 acres of land.
Demographic Information
- WTL owners' education and income levels do not vary much from those for family forest owners overall. Slightly more than one-third have a college degree while two in five (42%) did not attend college at all. Half report household incomes under $50,000, and only 14% report incomes of $100,000 or more.
- WTL owners tend to be somewhat younger than Supplemental Income (SI) or Uninvolved (UN) owners, but the differences are small. Like other segments, about half of WTL owners are retired. The vast majority of WTL landowners are Caucasian men, though the proportion of male owners is lowest for the WTL segment (but still high at 70%).
Plot Size and Ownership Characteristics
- The average plot size for this group is 58 acres, which is second only to the Supplemental Income (SI) owners and higher than the overall sample average of 50 acres. Almost half of WTL owners have two or more parcels of woodlands. Along with Woodland Retreat (WR) owners, WTL owners are most likely to have a home or a cabin on their woodland(s), and 38% also have an attached farm or ranch.
- The average time for which WTL owners have owned their land is 24 years, and just 6% are new owners who have owned their woods for less than five years. They are somewhat more likely than other segments to have purchased their woodland(s) (82%) and less likely to have inherited the property (27%).
Top Concerns
- WTL owners value their woods highly--as a productive asset, as an investment, and for ongoing recreational use. The breadth and depth of their interest is reflected in the fact that this segment's expressed levels of concern for all 18 items listed in the NWOS were higher than or equal to any other segment. Their top concern is about insects, followed by a concern for keeping the land intact for heirs, high property taxes, fear of trespassers, and a fear of fire. Each of these concerns was cited by at least 60% of all WTL owners.
Harvesting Behavior
- WTL owners are the second most likely of all segments (after SI owners) to report harvesting trees on their land (61% have done so; 28% in the past five years). About half (48%) report harvesting for commercial purposes, a figure that is lower than SI owners but higher than the other segments. Just over one-third (36%) say they consulted with a professional to help plan and/or execute their harvest. This figure is also a little lower than the SI owners but higher than the other two segments.
- The most frequently mentioned reasons for harvesting were: feeling that the trees were mature (32%); desiring to improve the quality of remaining trees (30%); salvaging damaged trees (23%); for personal use (19%); because they needed the money (15%); or because it was part of a management plan (15%). Consistent with their interest in preserving the value of their land, WTL owners are more likely than other segments to say they harvested to salvage damaged trees or improve the quality of the remaining trees. But they are also more likely to harvest because they needed the money.
Proactive Land Management Activities
- Like other segments, the vast majority of WTL owners say they have no specific 5-year plans for their woods. A little over a quarter (28%) say they plan to harvest firewood. 19% plan to harvest sawlogs and 12% sat they want to keep their land intact of their heirs.
- Over 40% of WTL owners have owned their land for 25 years or more and only about a quarter reports having sold any part of their woodland. WTL owners typically sell their land to family members or other individuals.
- Although only 9% of all WTL owners have a management plan for their land, they are the second most likely segment to do so (trailing SI owners). A similar trend is seen with respect to participation in cost-share programs (12% participate) and awareness of certification programs (17%). Only 2% are actually enrolled in certification programs and just 3% have an easement on their land.
Information Seeking: Behaviors and Channels
- One in four WTL owners say they have received woodland management advice, and they typically mention the same sources of advice as other landowner segments--state foresters and forestry departments are mentioned most frequently, followed by other landowners, the NRCS, loggers, and their extension service.
- WTL owners are more likely than other segments to say they receive forestry information and advice from a variety of sources. Almost half said they receive forest management information from print material (publications, books, or pamphlets) and from foresters or other natural resource professionals. Newsletters, magazines, or newspapers (43%), loggers (33%), and videos (29%) round out their top five sources of information.
