Brett J. Butler
U.S. Forest Service
Presentation for the conference on
Taking stock of smallholders and community forestry
Montpellier France
March 24-26, 2010
15. Behavior: Land Tenure 0.5-4 5-9 10-19 20-39 40-399 400+ Size of Forest Holdings (Hectares)
16. New Approaches/New Terms/New Profession? New Terms Suburban forestry Backyard forestry Boutique forestry Woodscaping New Professions Not Arborists Not Foresters “General Land Contractors”?
17. Comments? Brett Butler U.S. Forest Service bbutler01@fs.fed.us www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos OctavioOcampo
Notes de l'éditeur
NumbersLocationObjectivesManagementIntentionsTrendsProfessional forestry in the United States was initially developed for public lands and large estates. As industrial ownership increased, these methods were successfully modified for large-scale, commercially-oriented owners. The adaptation of these methods for small-scale owners has been less successful. Fifty-six percent of the forestland in the United States is privately owned and of this, nearly two-thirds is owned by families and individuals. Of the 10 million family forest owners in the U.S.: most own less than 5 ha, most are not actively thinking about the future of their forests, most are not actively managing it, and most are not receiving professional assistance or advice. The forestry profession is failing to connect with the average family forest owner. If the profession desires to stay relevant and meet the needs of the rising number of family forest owners, particularly those with smaller landholdings, a paradigm shift must occur. We need programs and services that meet the needs of the landowners: what they need, when they need it, and how they want it. The average landowner will fare better with a natural resource generalist rather than a forester. Unfortunately, these generalists are few and far between. Universities produce specialists and employers reinforce it. If the collective talents and resources of the natural resource professionals and intuitions are better aligned with the needs of the landowners we will be able to help landowners manage their land for their own good and the common good.