A significant amount of forestland has been lost to agriculture and urban development in the last few decades. A variety of programs have been developed to maintain and increase key forest ecosystem services. These include stewardship of water resources and carbon sequestration programs. Financial incentives and technical assistance, such as one-on-one consultations and broader educational programs, are used to encourage participation.

The needs of private and Tribal landowners in revegetation and mitigation efforts and barriers to program participation are not well understood. In this multi-phase project, scientists will gather information that will help broaden participation in these programs. Initial efforts will focus on cataloguing revegetation programs in the United States. Next, researchers will use a national survey of private landowners to assess revegetation program effectiveness. The survey will use the USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey framework and methods and provide national and regional results.

The third phase of the project will focus on Tribal and ethnically, gender, and racially diverse landowners. Work will include developing networks of stakeholders and conducting focus groups and workshops. Scientists will use a participatory action approach to co-produce research questions and objectives and adaptively implement engagement activities. The product will be an effective set of guidelines for ensuring fair and equal participation and implementation of revegetation assistance programs.

Objectives

• Synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding private and Tribal landowners’ participation in financial and technical assistance revegetation programs.
• Assess the participation in and effectiveness of financial and technical assistance programs aimed at revegetation of private and Tribal lands in the United States.
• Assess the equity of financial and technical assistance programs aimed at revegetation of private and Tribal lands in the nation.
• Develop policy guidelines for implementing and assessing revegetation programs in the United States with the aim of increasing participation, effectiveness, and equity.

Expected Results

Outputs

• Catalogue of past and present revegetation assistance programs in the United States.
• Synthesis of peer-reviewed literature related to revegetation assistance programs.
• Summaries of private landowners’ participation and attitudes towards revegetation activities and willingness to participate in these programs.
• Assessment of the effectiveness of revegetation assistance programs in the United States.
• Simulation of the outcomes of alternative revegetation assistance programs.
• Co-produced research questions, objectives, and activities related to revegetation efforts and assistance programs for Tribal and ethnically, gender and racially diverse landowners.
• Engagement activities related to revegetation of lands owned by under-represented landowners.
• Policy guidelines for implementing and assessing revegetation assistance programs for private and Tribal landowners in the United States.
• Outreach and communication to a wide range of stakeholders, including policy makers and agricultural and forestry agencies.

Expected Outcomes

• New insights into the factors that impact participation in and the effectiveness of revegetation activities and revegetation assistance programs in the United States.
• New knowledge of landowners’ participation, needs, values, and barriers to participating in revegetation programs.
• Guidance for developing, implementing, and evaluating revegetation assistance programs.
• Development of effective tools for marketing and delivering revegetation assistance programs.
• Increased landowner awareness and participation in revegetation assistance programs.
• Increased revegetation of marginal lands and un-remediated mines. Fair and effective revegetation assistance programs.

Metrics of Success

• Increased tree cover and increased landowner participation in revegetation assistance programs.
• Greater equity in the implementation of USDA Forest Service revegetation programs.

Geographies and High-Risk Landscapes to Be Addressed

National

This project will cover all of the United States including territories as data permits.