approved: ______________________________________________________ Eric N. Hansen Policy makers in ... more approved: ______________________________________________________ Eric N. Hansen Policy makers in the United States (US), following recommendations made by the international scientific community, have drafted national emissions reduction legislation in hopes of minimizing the harmful effects of global climate change. Included in this legislation is a national cap-and-trade system with provisions for carbon offsets. Specific provisions for forest carbon offsets include reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) as well as other forestry-related offsets both domestically and internationally. Given that the majority of forestland in the US is privately owned and little extant work examines this population in relation to forest carbon offsets, the goal of the current research was to employ survey methodology to measure the intentions of US forestland owners (non-industrial and industrial) to participate in emerging carbon offset markets. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen 1991) as a theoretical framework, the current research examined the effects of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions to participate in carbon sequestration and
Off-the-shelf GIS toolboxes are inadequate for pedagogic purposes. Urban Worh', an Arcview applic... more Off-the-shelf GIS toolboxes are inadequate for pedagogic purposes. Urban Worh', an Arcview application, attempts to address this shortcoming by including special features designed to foster student progress towards a better understanding of urban environments. This paper provides context for the Urban World system in an active, authentic learning environment for students of urban geography and planning at junior and senior levels in undergraduate curricula at universities in the United States. The paper describes the rationale for, and implementation of, several components of Urban WorM a special g r a p h i d user interface; productivity tools for facilitating the acquisition of practical skills of mapping and spatial analysis; tools for accessing, undertaking, and submitting homework assignments in a paper-less class;
Carbon Storage on Non-industrial Private Forestland: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior
Small-scale Forestry, 2013
ABSTRACT Leading scientific experts in the field of climate change suggest that a multifaceted re... more ABSTRACT Leading scientific experts in the field of climate change suggest that a multifaceted response to global warming should include the use of forest carbon offsets (also known as forest sinks). Emerging emissions reduction legislation in the United States (US) accounts for this recommendation by allowing for carbon offsets derived from domestic forestry projects (e.g. reforestation, afforestation, avoided deforestation). Given that the majority of US forestland is privately owned and non-industrial, the current research employs a behavioral model to measure intentions of private non-industrial forestland owners to participate in carbon sequestration and trading. Results suggest that very few (5.1 %) of these forestland owners are currently involved in carbon sequestration and trading, but half (50.4 %) were at least somewhat interested in exploring opportunities to do so. The Theory of Planned Behavior, acting as the theoretical frame of reference, was extended in the current research to include environmental orientation, innovativeness, perceived risk and tested knowledge, all of which had significant effects on core model constructs: attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intentions. The extended model explained a significant amount of the variance related to behavioral intentions to sequester carbon on private US forestland (R2 = .53).
Factors Affecting the Attitudes of Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners Regarding Carbon Sequestration and Trading
Journal of Forestry, 2012
ABSTRACT Leading climate change experts within the international scientific community support the... more ABSTRACT Leading climate change experts within the international scientific community support the use of forest carbon sinks as a climate change mitigation tool. Functioning regulatory and voluntary carbon offset frameworks within the United States recognize forest offsets with varying levels of stringency. Emerging carbon emission reduction legislation outlines a regulatory cap-and-trade system with provisions for significant domestic forest-related offsets. Given the opportunity for forest carbon offsets in the United States, there exists minimal enquiry regarding the attitudes of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners regarding the management of their forestland for carbon sequestration and trading. The current research uses a nationwide survey of forest landowners and investigates the effect of land characteristics, land-use planning, and demographics on NIPF owners' attitudes toward these carbon sequestration opportunities. Overall, only 37% of respondents held positive attitudes regarding the management of their forestland for carbon sequestration and trading. Results suggest that increasing acreage size and absentee ownership tended to negatively influence attitudes whereas plans to harvest timber, plans to bequeath to heirs, and education level positively influenced attitudes.
There is a general consensus within the scientific community that human activity is causing the e... more There is a general consensus within the scientific community that human activity is causing the earth to warm. The use of forests as carbon sinks is increasingly recognized as a mitigation option. Emission trading frameworks throughout the world have emerged as the chosen means to manage emissions. This is also evident within the large area, high emission countries of Australia and the United States which both incorporate the use of forest sinks within existing or proposed emission trading frameworks. This paper evaluates and compares the frameworks in each country and reviews the corresponding literature to identify knowledge gaps that currently exist regarding forest sink development. While extensive work has been carried out to understand the potential contribution of forest sinks, little has been done in a uniform manner to clarify the likely uptake and implementation of forest sinks by forest owners. Using innovation theory to understand the interactions between the relevant actors and institutions influencing the development of carbon sinks and as a means to frame the required research, this paper highlights why knowledge of the intentions of the forest owner is integral to the success of forest sinks as a mitigation option. The Theory of Planned Behavior is suggested as a means of examining and understanding the intentions of forest owners to implement forest sinks.
Firms engage in environmental marketing in order to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers... more Firms engage in environmental marketing in order to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. Within the context of the forest product industry, this research uses data from two studies to empirically test whether a relationship exists between demographic/psychographic characteristics and reported environmentally conscious intentions. In both studies, the results indicate that the environmental marketing of certified/ecolabeled forest products appeals to a segment of environmentally conscious consumers. This appeal occurs for both a value-added product (furniture) and a non-value-added product (plywood). Thus, there is support for the argument that environmental marketing to environmentally conscious consumers can result in 'green segmentation'. Key findings from this study suggest that those consumers reporting the strongest preferences for environmentally certified forest products were more willing to pay a premium for certified products, more likely to display environmentally conscious behavior and more likely to perceive that green consumer purchases effectively benefit the environment. These characteristics were most common among females and those familiar with the concept of environmental certification.
The aim of this research is to examine the market potential for wood plastic composite (WPC) prod... more The aim of this research is to examine the market potential for wood plastic composite (WPC) products in the highway construction sector in place of nonrenewable materials (e.g. virgin plastic and steel) and preservative-based products (treated wood). State-level transportation officials indicate that the majority of highway construction purchases are conducted by highway construction contractors. Results from a mail survey of highway contractors in eight western U.S. states indicate that a substantial volume of highway construction material may be suitable for substitution with WPCs. Overall, respondents were not familiar with WPC as a material, but compared it favorably with other materials commonly used in the sector. When making purchase decisions, respondents were most concerned with products meeting regulatory specifications, cost, availability, and trust in quality. Attributes related to sustainability, location of manufacture, and content of recycled material were viewed as less important.
Purpose -The aim of this paper is to examine the social responsibility orientation (SRO) gaps bet... more Purpose -The aim of this paper is to examine the social responsibility orientation (SRO) gaps between the forest industry executives and societal members in the US Pacific Northwest. Design/methodology/approach -Using mail survey responses to pre-existing SRO scales, the two samples are grouped into distinct social orientation clusters and compared based on demographic and firm characteristic variables. Findings -The forest industry executives were found to have a significantly lower SRO than societal members, indicating a more individualistic social orientation. Demographic analyses suggested that individualistic beliefs were more prominent in males and rural residents among general society respondents. However, SRO among business executives showed no significant differences based on demographics or firm characteristics.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one of the ways through which companies gain legitimacy.... more Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one of the ways through which companies gain legitimacy. However, CSR actions themselves are subject to public skepticism because of increased public awareness of greenwashing and scandalous corporate behavior. Legi timacy of CSR actions is indeed influenced by the actions of the company but also is rooted in the basic cultural values of a society and in the ideologies of evaluators. This study examines the legitimacy of CSR actions of publicly traded forest products companies as compared to family-owned forest products companies. Results indicate a lower legitimacy for CSR actions of publicly traded companies than for family-owned companies. The study also examines the effect of social responsibility orientation (SRO) of evaluators on the legitimacy accorded to companies' CSR actions. We found that SRO was negatively associated with legitimacy, especially for women. Perceived profitability of companies was negatively associated with legitimacy of CSR actions for publicly traded but not for familyowned companies.
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Papers by Derek Thompson