PNNL

Abstract

Despite research identifying increases in non-operating agricultural and absentee forest landowners across the U.S. and Europe, our understanding of this group remains relatively limited. In this paper, we conduct a systematic literature review on these two groups of landowners to provide a current lay of the land in terms of a base understanding of what we know about these landowners and suggestions for future research. Eighty-one articles are identified in our search of empirical literature on non-operating agricultural or absentee forest landowners. For each of the two landowner types, we discuss their demographics and the three primary themes that emerged related to land management, including: participation in land management decisions, attitudes regarding land use and ownership, and resource needs in working with these landowners. For agricultural non-operating landowners, we find limited participation in land management decisions, particularly among women, and that a variety of individual and social factors play a role in involvement. Our findings also indicated that agricultural landowners in the U.S. have pro-conservation orientations, yet implementation of conservation practices is more limited. Absentee forest landowners may be more willing to use management plans, yet less willing to engage in active management and risk reduction. These landowners have a range of attitudes for land use, with almost equal numbers of studies highlighting recreation, conservation, and profit motivations. Our study identifies a need for more information and outreach for both landowner groups, particularly women and racial minority landowners. Overall, our review highlights that these landowners are not a monolithic group and that researchers, policy makers, and practitioners who work on land management and conservation, recognize these nuances.