The logging policy of private woodlot owners : an analysis of a data sample by means of the AID method

The aim of this study was to analyse a multivariate and non-experimental data sample to determine the factors that influence the logging policy of private woodlot owners in Sweden. The sample was obtained from interviews with some 2 000 woodlot owners. The method of analysis is known as the Automatic Interaction Detector (AID). For a given population, this method can be used to explain the variation in a criterion variable (dependent variable) through the use of a set of predictors (independent variables). The study results establish that in the majority of cases the state of the forest is apparently the most important factor influencing the determination of the cut by the woodlot owners. However, other groupings are considered in the AID "trees", for example, according to whether or not the woodlot owner participates in forest management courxes. owners.)