Willingness to pay for forest amenities: The case of non-industrial owners in the south central United States

We analyze the willingness to pay for non-timber values (NTV) by non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners of uneven-age mixed species forest stands in the south central United States. The preferences of NIPF owners are revealed by the way they manage their timber. Many NIPF owners maintain a more diverse and natural stand structure than that of a more profitable even-aged industrial plantation. In so doing, the average NIPF owner was willing to forego 60% of the timber profit for the NTV of their more natural stands compared to a less diverse industrially managed even-aged plantation.