Family forest landowners’ decision-making about reforestation and timber salvaging post hurricane

Abstract

Reforestation is critical to maintaining ecosystem functions and socio-economic benefits, particularly after extreme disturbances such as hurricanes. This study assessed the management efforts of family forest landowners in the Panhandle, Florida following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Michael (2018). We mailed a survey to 1,000 randomly selected landowners impacted by Hurricane Michael to examine 1) their reforestation and timber salvaging plans, 2) their ownership and management plans and 3) the impacts of the novel Florida Timber Recovery Block Grant (TRBG) program on forest management including any significant differences between landowners who did and did not apply for the program. We found that family forest landowners who were members of environmental or woodland owners’ organizations, had written forest management plans, had larger forest lands, or owned their forest lands for timber products were more likely to engage in reforestation. Landowners who applied for the TRBG funding were more likely to have salvage harvested timber and indicated plans to reforest their lands in the future, in comparison to those who did not apply for the grant. Our study provides insights on policy that can support family forest landowners to reforest their lands, primarily highlighting that although financial assistance is invaluable, these support programs should be thoughtfully implemented to increase landowner accessibility.