A meta-analysis of publications citing USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey core products through 2021

Abstract

The National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) is implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, and is aimed at understanding the social context of the forests of the United States by looking into the attitudes, behaviors, and general characteristics of forest landowners and their land. The surveys cover all types of private forest ownerships, but reporting of results often focuses on families, individuals, trusts, estates, and family partnerships, collectively referred to as family forest ownerships. Survey results are available in published reports and, depending on the iteration, through online data access tools. This paper summarizes citations associated with core NWOS products through 2021. The data show that the products cited most often were those from the 2006 NWOS cycle. The results also show that the most common sources for published documents that cite NWOS findings are the Forest Service and the Journal of Forestry, and that the most common document types are journal articles and reports. Common topics of documents citing core NWOS products include forest policies, such as property taxes and carbon offset programs, invasive plants, forest/woody biomass, and collective action. The results suggest that efforts toward making researchers more aware of published reports associated with more recent NWOS survey findings may encourage citation of newer NWOS findings.

Citation

Bowler, Morgan; Butler, Brett J. 2024. A meta-analysis of publications citing USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey core products through 2021. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-224. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 15 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-224.