Factors influencing nonindustrial private forest landowners' policy preference for promoting bioenergy

Woody biomass has gained considerable attention in the U.S. as a feedstock for producing renewable bioenergy. Though these resources are generally not cost competitive with fossil fuels under current technology and market conditions, they are likely to generate numerous socioeconomic and environmental benefits to the entire nation. Since the positive externalities associated with wood-based bioenergy production are not fully accounted for in the market place, policy incentives could play an important role in its promotion in the future. Nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) of the southern United States, representing a large percentage of timberlands in the nation, are often viewed as potential sources of woody biomass for future bioenergy production. It is therefore critical to understand landowners' policy preferences for promoting wood-based bioenergy. This study examines policy alternatives preferred by landowners for promoting wood-based bioenergy and utilizes binary logit models to identify the factors influencing these policy preferences. The results indicate that landowners in general prefer tax based policies over direct subsidy support. A significant relationship was observed between landowners' decision to support or not to support different policy instruments and their income, age, distance of residence from the forest, size of the forest owned, size of trees in the forests, forest management objectives, and previous experience of using government cost-share programs.