“Why don't landowners just do what they are told?”: Potential mismatches of values and objectives between family forest landowners and professionals

Abstract

An often-heard complaint in the forestry and forest conservation fields is that private forest landowners – especially individuals and families – do not implement the recommended practices of forestry and conservation specialists or experts. Furthermore, it is commonly assumed that this disregard stems from a lack of information and knowledge regarding the "correct" and approved practices. Consequently, attempts to address the situation have historically been predicated on a knowledge transfer model. In this viewpoint commentary, we offer the perspective – informed by self-determination theory – that family forest ownerships (FFOs) may not follow the advice of experts – not because of lack of knowledge or awareness – but because their values, objectives, and needs may not always align with the assumed objectives underlying experts’ recommendations. In other words, they may disregard the experts because in many cases this disregard is reasonable. We offer future researchers two specific propositions as to where this may be the case: Proposition 1, that landowners’ preferences and priorities may be different from what are assumed by experts; and Proposition 2, that forests provide disservices as well as services to landowners and these are not always fully appreciated by experts.

Citation

Caputo, Jesse; Ma, Zhao; Snyder, Stephanie A. 2026. “Why don't landowners just do what they are told?”: Potential mismatches of values and objectives between family forest landowners and professionals. Land Use Policy. 161: 107883. 7 p. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2025.107883.