Values and motivations of private forest owners in the United States: a framework based on open-ended responses in the national woodland owner survey

The National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) is a recurring and comprehensive national survey of private forest landowners in the United States, and is a social complement to the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program's biologic resource inventory. An open-ended question in the NWOS explores private forest owners' motivations and values related to their woodland. This paper describes the system of values and motivations that emerged from analysis of responses to the open-ended question. Respondents expressed diverse and multidimensional motives.