Browsing by Subject "Landowners"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Assessing forest structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions between public and private tropical dry secondary forests, a case study in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
    (2014-08) McClellan, Moana L.
    For this dissertation, I was interested by how human decisions may affect forest ecology and, in turn, how those ecological effects may feedback to influence social systems. Humans are the dominant force driving global environmental changes, yet we are still working towards quantifying how humans affect ecosystem functions, environmental services, and biodiversity across varying environmental and human land use gradients. I conducted a case study in Guanacaste, Costa Rica to evaluate ecological differences in public and private tropical dry secondary forests and assessed what factors influenced private landowners' decisions to allow forest regeneration on their farms. For the forest study, I found that public and private forests did not differ significantly in integrative metrics of forest structure or biodiversity. Yet there were tree species compositional differences with tell-tale signs of a human signature: highly prized timber species were more abundant in public forest, suggesting high-grading in private forests and the most abundant species in private forests was a species favored and consumed by cattle, Guazuma ulmifolia. In the farmer land-use study, I found that landowners appreciated the multiple benefits and services that their forests provided for them and for society; however, landowners noted that market prices were the main factor affecting their farm land use decisions regarding production expansion or contraction. Finally, I was interested in conducting a combined assessment of ecological and human use traits that may differentially affect ecosystem functions in private versus public lands. I expected that the patchy forest characteristics on private lands would favor plant species that have low seed mass, fast relative growth rate, and high leaf N. I acquired functional plant trait data for the majority of tree species in the forest inventory analysis from international databases. I also created a human use plant trait summary for traits I expected to be less evident in private forests (`harvest traits' e.g. timber) and traits that I expected to be more evident private forests (`on farm use traits' e.g. ornamentals, living fences). Seed mass was the only trait that was significantly different between public and private forests: public forests had higher seed mass relative to private. Likely, this is due to differences in animal dispersal vector behaviors between continuous and patchy forest. I also found a trend of `on farm use traits' more evident in private forests, so the species that people select to use on their farms may be more abundant in nearby naturally regenerating forests. I found differences in species composition, seed mass, and `on farm use traits' between public and private forests that appear to be caused by differences in management yet, overall, these differences to not appear to influence ecological function between public and private forests.
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    Expanding Landowner Adoption of Snow Control Measures Through a Better Understanding of Landowner Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2019-12) Current, Dean; Motschke, Collin; Serra, Airton Jr.; Wyatt, Gary; Zamora, Diomy
    Previous research demonstrated the ability of snow fences to significantly lower both public and private costs related to the control of blowing and drifting snow. Follow-up research specifically addressed the knowledge of MnDOT staff and attitudes and practices related to the promotion and implementation of snow control measures. These efforts identified a need for a better understanding of landowners' knowledge, attitudes and practices related to snow control measures to develop more effective outreach and foster the adoption of snow control measures. We identified four regions of the state with highway corridors with snow problems. In each region, we carried out listening sessions with landowners and MnDOT personnel, and based on those sessions while applying the KAP (knowledge, attitudes and practices) methodology, we designed a landowner survey to explore landowner knowledge, attitudes and practices related to snow problems and the willingness of landowners to implement snow fences to address the problems. The survey was carried out once prior to an outreach effort and then again after the outreach effort to measure any changes in landowner knowledge, attitudes and practices resulting from the effort. We found that landowners were generally not aware of MnDOT's program to address snow problems and were able to identify constraints to adoption as well as incentives that might be required to promote adoption. We also identified the most acceptable channels for outreach to landowners as well as ways to better structure the MnDOT program to address constraints identified by landowners and provide the assistance and incentives needed to promote greater adoption.
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    Promoting the Adoption of Snow Fences through Landowner Engagement
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2022-05) Current, Dean; Read, Aidan; Serra Jr., Airton; Wyatt, Gary; Gullickson, Dan
    Snow and ice problems on Minnesota roadways represent a cost of close to $100 million annually to MnDOT in addition to the associated public safety and environmental costs. MnDOT and the University of Minnesota have collaborated to estimate the costs and benefits of snow control measures as well as the constraints that landowners face to adopt snow fences to control snow and ice problems. Benefits outweigh costs, often by a wide margin, but landowners are constrained by the lack of knowledge and the real and perceived inconvenience of installing, maintaining, and farming around a snow fence. Landowners think that the payments provided by MnDOT to install and maintain a snow fence are an important incentive but want more information about the issues involved with installing and maintaining a snow fence from a trusted source, a peer, or a testimonial. The project goal is to promote greater adoption of measures to address blowing and drifting snow problems through greater landowner and public engagement. To move toward that goal, we 1) carried out and prepared a minimum of 30 case studies of landowners who have implemented snow control measures; 2) entered the case studies into a computer and smartphone-based program that can be accessed by MnDOT and landowners; 3) revised and improved a MnDOT snow fence inventory to assist MnDOT in identifying and reporting on snow fences; and 4) developed curriculum and training materials for MnDOT personnel to prepare them for promoting snow control measures.