Ecological Momentary Assessment of Family Forest Owners in New England 2016

Family forest owners (FFOs) across the U.S., and particularly in New England, are critically important to the health and future of the nation’s forests. It is important to understand the behavior of FFOs because they in the United States collectively own more forested land than the federal government or any other type of owner, and their actions and decisions will impact the public goods these forests provide. Typical studies of FFO behavior use self-reported survey data; participants are asked to recall past behavior or predict future behavior. These surveys are prone to bias, as it can be difficult to remember when things occur or to accurately predict what one will do in the future. Ecological momentary assessments, used commonly in medicine, are a fresh approach to measuring behavior by querying the subject in real-time. The PING project was designed to reduce this bias and provide a more accurate snapshot of how landowners engage with their land on a short-term basis. Participants in two experimental groups were invited to take part in a month-long survey, where the same questions were sent to them in the method of their choosing (text, via social media, or e-mail) once per week, asking about woodland engagement that week. Participants also took a pre- and post-survey to capture both demographics and feedback on the method. Over 61% of participants completed all 4 surveys and there was no statistically significant difference between the day a participant received their survey. Demographics were consistent with national statistics on woodland owners. A plurality of woodland owners in the study harvested timber for personal use and collected non-timber forest products. Finally, 86% of participants found the method of contact and number of questions reasonable, while 77% found the weekly contact reasonable. A plurality of respondents reported that their answers were typical of a given week, but that the survey question made them think more about their woods than they would have otherwise, suggesting that this contact method could be useful for both research and outreach. Use of this ecological momentary assessment approach over a longer time period may yield useful (and quality) information about when and how woodland owners engage to inform conservation-based programming.