(26) Characterization of Alabama Forestland Owners by Gender and Landholding Size

Rebecca J. Barlow - Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

Session: Concurrent session B1:  Marketing and Delivery of Programs

Recent research focused on female forestland owners (Warren, 2003; Lidestav, 1998) has shown that females own smaller acreages, are older individuals, and have a greater interest in conservation-based management than their male counterparts. Personal observation indicates that women attend outreach programs in smaller numbers than do men.  Recently, programs targeting female forestland owners have been conducted in several states, including Alabama.  However, little or no information is available detailing how many females own forestland, where female-owned land is located, or how much land they own.  This type of information would be extremely useful in the planning and delivery of outreach targeting this under-served population.

Fire tax data for the years 2000 or 2001 was obtained for 43 of Alabama’s 67 counties.  In 2007, updated county tax roll information was obtained for 20 counties in western Alabama.  Initial review of the landowner names on these rolls indicated that a significant number of the landowners were female.  A demographic database is being developed by characterizing the landowners of select counties from the NE, NW, SE, and SW portions of the state.  The landowner lists for each county were hand-sorted into the following categories: obviously male, obviously female, multiple owner and female, multiple-owner and mixed gender, multiple-owner and male, corporate owner, owner’s gender unknown.  Sorting into male or female was done by keying in on title (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) or by evaluation of the first name.  In cases where the first name was typically considered gender-neutral the individual was placed in the “owner’s gender unknown” category.  Within each category, holdings were grouped into size categories of <10 acres, 10-49 acres, 50-99 acres, 100-199 acres, 200-499 acres, 500-999 acres, and 1000+ acres.  The 2007 data allows comparison of landownership patterns over time for selected counties.

Kathryn M. Flynn
Auburn University
3301 SFWS Building
Auburn, Alabama, 36849-5418, USA
Phone: 334-844-1036
Fax: 334-844-1084
flynnka@auburn.edu