U'S' Forest Landowner Cooperatives: What Do Members Expect What Can Coops Offer

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U.S. Forest Landowner CooperativesWhat Do
Members Expect?What Can Co-ops Offer?

• Kris Tiles-
• University of Wisconsin Extension
• Mark Rickenbach-
• UW Forest Ecology Management
• Kim Zeuli-
• UW Applied Agriculture Economics
• Emily Sturgess-
• UW Forest Ecology Management

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It sounded like they might be the intermediary so
that you wouldnt have to deal with the
stereotypical logger who just wants to rape your
land and bug out.thought at the beginning
that the co-op would be a way to make a little
bit of money without selling my own soul.
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Overview

• Background
• Private Forest Landowners (NIPFO)
• Collective Action
• Cooperatives
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

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Wisconsin Other States W/ Co-ops
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Co-ops in Wisconsin
Living Forest Washington Island Prairie
Ridge Partners in Forestry Kickapoo Hiawatha Sus
tainable Woods
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Exceedingly Broad Description of NIPF Owners

• Lots of people who own forest and produce most
  timber.
• Aesthetics, wildlife, place to live and timber
• Economies of scale work against them.
• Most are ill-prepared for the marketplace.

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Collective Action for Owners

• Counter economies of scale.
• Create knowledge, market and otherwise.
• Provide voice.
• Foster optimal investment strategies?

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What Is a Cooperative?

• A cooperative is a user-owned and
  user-controlled business that distributes
  benefits on the basis of use.

USDA
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Methods

• Selected two cooperatives
• Living Forest Cooperative (LFC)
• Sustainable Woods Cooperative (SWC)
• Mail Survey
• Self-administered
• 80 (SWC) 83.6 (LFC) response rates
• Semi-structured Interviews
• 26 members
• 1- 2 hours

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Study Subjects

• Sustainable Woods Co-op
• Located in SW WI
• 1998-2003
• 150 members
• 20,000 acres

• Living Forest Co-op
• Located in NW WI
• Est. 2000
• 81 members
• 8,000 acres

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Study Subjects

• Living Forest Co-op
• Management Services
• Processing Services
• Contracted out
• Marketing Services
• FSC/ Smartwood
• Education

• Sustainable Woods Co-op
• Management Services
• Sawmill Services
• Owned Kiln and Sort Yard
• Marketing Services
• FSC certified sales
• Education

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ResultsWhy Are They Joining?

• Services
• Education/ Information
• Empowerment

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ResultsWhy Are They Joining?

• Services
• Management planning (beyond timber)
• Responsible harvesting
• Other services (marketing value-added)
• Education/ Information
• Empowerment

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A group of landowners I know never really
imagined even harvesting, but they joined. They
paid their membership because they wanted a
management plan. They wanted some guidance about
how they could manage their woods.
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ResultsWhy Are They Joining?

• Services
• Education/ Information
• Field days
• Better insight into sustainable forestry
• Cost-share and tax programs
• Written materials
• Empowerment

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I think the biggest thing Ive gotten is the
materials that they send in terms of learning and
understandingthe newsletters were fantastic with
information and graphics.
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ResultsWhy Are They Joining?

• Services
• Education/ Information
• Empowerment
• Landowner Network Building
• Creating Identity
• Sustainable Forestry
• Cooperatives

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I enjoy being with people that have a commitment
towards taking care of their woodlands. I enjoy
being with people who wanna share information and
help each other out and so forth.
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I like the idea that they are collecting private
landowners and preaching the word about
sustainable forestry.
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ConclusionsBenefits to Landowners

• Join

Stay

• One stop shopping

• Alternative resource

• Access to certification

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ConclusionsChallenges

• Leaders Members
• Involvement and commitment of members
• Variety of landowner organizations

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ConclusionsWhat needs to be in place?

• Committed members

• Effective business plan
• I mean, in some respects, everybody was
• just kind of in love with these ideas, but
• when you get down to brass, youre
• running a business. And you have to have
• these skills

• Organized, efficient leader (manager)

• Representative Board of Directors

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• THANK- YOU.
• QUESTIONS?
• Funding
• University of Wisconsin McIntire-Stennis Program
• USDA Forest Service North Central Research
  Station
• Renewable Resources Extension Act
• Community Forestry Research Fellowship