Determinants of nonindustrial private forest landowner willingness to accept price offers for woody biomass

Nonindustrial private forests (NIPF) of the southern U.S., containing large quantities of small diameter trees are often viewed as the potential sources of woody biomass for future bioenergy production. Use of logging residues and non-marketable small diameter trees available in these forests, are thought to create economic opportunities for NIPF owners and contribute in maintaining healthy forest systems. However, in the absence of a well-defined market, it is difficult to predict the willingness of landowners for supplying biomass from their forests. This study uses multinomial logit models to understand landowners' willingness/unwillingness to supply biomass at hypothetical price levels and examines landowner, forest, and demographic characteristics underlying these decisions. The results indicate significant association between landowners' bid acceptance decisions and factors such as, forest tract size, size of trees in the forest, distance of landowners' residence from the forest, landowners' age, previous harvesting experience, price of timber, and forest management objectives. ► Southern forest owners primarily seek to maximize returns on their investment. ► Timber producers are more likely to harvest woody biomass for energy. ► Those with large number of small trees are more willing to supply biomass. ► Older landowners tend to have reservations about supplying biomass. ► Better understanding of bioenergy could promote biomass harvesting.