Attitudes Toward the Kansas Forest Service Conservation Tree and Shrub Seedling Program

1
Attitudes Toward the Kansas Forest Service
Conservation Tree and Shrub Seedling Program

• By
• Brett Zollinger, Ph.D.
• Docking Institute of
• Public Affairs

2
Project Overview

• Kansas Forest Service sought a quality assessment
  of their Conservation Tree and Shrub Seedling
  Program (CTP).
• Populations surveyed
• purchasers
• general population of landowners
• cooperating agency personnel
• KFS also sought to use survey findings in the
  design of a marketing effort to promote CTP.

3
Survey of Purchasers Methods

• Telephone survey of 418 randomly selected
  1996,1997,1998 CTP purchasers using CSRs 15
  station CATI system
• Contacts 434
• Response rate 96
• Using 95 confidence level, margin
  of error /-4.8
• Survey instrument jointly developed by the KFS
  and Docking Institute

4
Demographics of CTP Purchasers

• Above average household income for Kansas
• Modal sample hh income category 70,000
• Median hh income for Kansas 36,700 (1998)
• Above average educational levels for Kansas
• College graduates in sample 26
• Kansas population (over age 25) college
  graduates 14 (1990)
• 63 of sample have an agric operation
• Mean acres owned 270
• Median acres owned 85

5
Type of CTP Plant Purchased by Quantity Purchased
6
Demographic Factors Positively Associated with
Number of Plants Purchased

• Agric operator (all types of plants)
• Number of acres in the operation (all)
• Number of acres owned (all)
• Educational level (for deciduous tree purchases
  only)
• Total family income (for deciduous tree purchases
  only)

7
Sources of Information About the CTP
8
Current Uses of CTP Plants
9
Plan to Purchase CTP Plants Within the Next Five
Years
10
Reasons for Not Planning to Purchase CTP Plants
Within the Next Five Years (N72)
11
Perceived Benefits of Windbreaks
12
Continued
13
Perceived Value of CTP Plants
14
Interest in CTP Labor Assistance (N 267)
For a charge that depends on the number of trees
or shrubs purchased, would you be very
interested, somewhat interested, or not at all
interested in assistance at preparing the site,
planting, weed control, watering, and replanting
dead trees and shrubs.
15
Information on Internet Would be Helpful
16
Would be Interested in Placing Orders on the
Internet (N215)
17
Survey of General Landowner Population Methods

• Three wave mail survey of 532 landowners from
  Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service lists
• Deliverable surveys 1246
• Response rate 43
• Telephone survey of 205 metro adjacent Rural
  Route residents as listed by telephone directory
• Contacts 297
• Response rate 69
• 698 completions after screening for those who did
  not own both their home and lot (important for
  CTP decision-making).
• Using 95 confidence level,
  margin of error /-3.7

18
Awareness of CTP WithinRegion of State
90
78
77
19
Percentage Purchasing CTP Plants Within Each
Region (N272)
59
36
34
20
Demographics of General Landowner Population Non
Purchasers and Purchasers Analyzed Separately

• 39 of general landowners sample have purchased
  CTP trees
• Household income of purchasers tends to be
  greater than non purchasers
• Level of education tends to be much higher among
  purchasers than non purchasers
• The mean and median sizes of agricultural
  operations tends to be much higher among
  purchasers than non purchasers

21
Plan to Purchase CTP Plants Within the Next Five
Years (N427, non purchasers)
Non purchasers were read a brief description of
the CTP in order for them to have some basis for
answers.
22
Important Reasons for Planning to Purchase CTP
Plants Within the Next Five Years (N146, non
purchasers)
23
Reasons for Not Planning to Purchase CTP Plants
Within the Next Five Years (N166, non
purchasers)
Very similar to findings among purchasers, but
slightly more concern with maintenance and risk
of investment among non purchasers.
24
Perceived Value of CTP Plants (N 427, non
purchasers)
Very similar to purchasers
25
Interest in CTP Labor Assistance (N146, non
purchasers)
Larger percentage with an interest (72) than
among purchasers (54)
26
Survey of Agency Personnel Methods

• Two wave mail survey of 276 agency personnel
• Contacts 349
• Response rate 79

27
In general, are you satisfied with?
An open-ended follow up to those expressing
dissatisfaction with quality of plants shows
that by far the majority of complaints involve
poor quality of red cedar right now.
28
Summary

• Purchasers of CTP plants tend to be of higher
  socioeconomic status than non purchasers surveyed
  and the population of Kansas in general.
• Level of CTP awareness is quite high (80) among
  general landowner population highest rate of
  awareness is in the Plains.
• More than half (61) of landowners have purchased
  CTP plants higher rate of purchasing in the
  Plains
• Satisfaction with the CTP plants and program
  aspects are quite high.

29
Summary Continued

• Most (65) of purchasers expect to purchase again
  within next five years.
• Over a third (37) of non purchasers would
  consider purchasing within next five years.
• By far the most common reason for not expecting
  to purchase is lack of need for more plants.
• A solid majority feel that people get their
  moneys worth or more in CTP plants.
• About half of all respondents would benefit from
  CTP information delivered via the web, and about
  85 of those would place orders via the web.

30
Some Actions Taken by KFS

• Encourage private contractors to offer planting
  assistance
• Encourage increased governmental cost share
• Working with nurseries to solve eastern red cedar
  problem
• Keep prices low
• Develop website ordering capabilities
• Implement new web address www.kansasforests.org
• capitalize on strengths of program in marketing
  efforts

31
The Docking Institute of Public Affairs Center
for Survey Research Fort Hays State
University 600 Park Street Hays, Kansas
67601 785-628-5881 www.fhsu.edu/docking