How Reliable Are Woodland Owners' Intentions?

Abstract

Between surveys in 1970 and 1974, the proportion of Delaware landowners who said that they never planned to harvest timber remained constant (58 percent), but 35 percent of the individual owners had changed their minds about either harvesting or not harvesting. Forty-one percent were consistently opposed to harvesting, but they had only 15 percent of the state's growing stock. Rates of change in intention and ownership suggest that eventually most of the growing stock will be harvested, although at any one time about a third of the total volume may be off the market.