Reaching Non-industrial Private Forestland Owners with Their Preferred Methods of Information Delivery

In North Carolina, non-industrial private forestland owners control approximately 78% of the state's forested resource (18.8 million acres). Because they provide benefits that contribute to the health and economic well-being of the state, it is critically important that this diverse group of people is supplied with research-based forestry information and education to ensure the sustainable management of North Carolina's natural resources. Researchers have evaluated the efficacy of non-traditional methods of information exchange and have determined overall preferences for information delivery methods, but have been unable thus far to satisfactorily connect particular information delivery preferences with other characteristics of landowners. The objective of this study was to seek out and describe groups within the population of non-industrial private forestland owners with particular information delivery method preferences. Identification of these groups will allow educational efforts to be more directed, making outreach efforts more efficient and cost-effective. A questionnaire was mailed to a stratified random sample of 2600 non-industrial private forestland owners from both urban and rural counties found within each of North Carolina's seven Cooperative Extension districts. A cluster analysis was performed to identify distinct clientele groups among landowners based on their preferences for delivery methods. These groups were used to correlate preference for information delivery methods with more easily identifiable socio-demographic, land, or management characteristics of individuals. Based on the results, recommendations are made to assist Extension Forestry at North Carolina State University increase its impact on the citizens of the state.