Presentation 5.3: Interface Entrepreneurs:

A New Service Industry for Small Forest Landowners

Outline

• Introduction• Serving Interface Forest Owners• Who are Interface Entrepreneurs?• Challenges and Opportunities• Summary

Introduction

• Development pressure and forest conversion present many challenges for managing interface forests.

• These challenges bring about numerous opportunities for interface entrepreneurs.

Interface forest landowners

• <10 acres – management for amenities is dominant

• 10-20 acres – management for amenities and/or timber

• >20 acres – Traditional forest management possible

Serving interface forest owners

• Motivations are changing–<concern with income generation,

>concern with amenity value– Interested in active management but

less likely to manage trees for profit

• Distrust of natural resource professionals– Question environmental ethics of foresters

Who are interface entrepreneurs?

• Traditional forestry or logging background

• Green industry background

Obstacles and opportunities

Green industry background

• Opportunities– Possess people skills– Use appropriate

terminology

• Obstacles– More suitable equipment

needed– Lacking technical

knowledge about landscape-level management

– Limited services offered

Forestry background

• Opportunities– Take on “big picture”

landscape-scale approach– Possess silvicultural and

timber harvesting skills

• Obstacles– Use large equipment that

is not suitable for small scale forestry

– Landowners are not familiar with forestry terminology

– Need to learn how to manage for amenity values

Interface entrepreneur skills

• Diversification of services

• Tailoring of services• Minimizing damage

to sites• Maximizing and

adding value to materials

Payment schedules

– Approach varies by background• Forestry or logging background

– Commission based approach

• Green industry professionals– Hourly, daily, or job rates

– Payment structure may depend on • type of work being done • value of wood taken from site• management objectives of landowner

Challenges and opportunities

• Perceptions and markets• Networks• Diversification• Adaptability• Amenity values and environmental

ethics• Adding value• Skills and training

Perception and markets

• Marketing– Consistent terminology – Visibility

• Landowners– Lack of knowledge – Unrealistic expectations

• Natural resource professionals– Promote education programs in urbanizing areas– Help landowners identify and access resources

Networks, diversification, and adaptability

• Networking with companies or individuals with complementary services is key– Diverse services– Networks of related services

Amenity values and environmental ethics

Shift in mindset from focus on timber values to aesthetics and amenity

values

Adding values

Remain creative and innovative to find the highest and best use for timber from small lots– Niche markets– “Green” marketing– Support “do-it-yourself” landowners

Skills and training

• Business-related training• Technical training– Silviculture, forest health, amenity value– Arborists can learn about optimizing

value from harvested trees, cutting and processing trees and logs for maximum value

• State cooperative extension training for landowners

Summary

• Urbanization and forest conversion are dramatically transforming the U.S. forestry industry.–Many smaller forests in the interface

could benefit from natural resource management

– Interface entrepreneurs must retool and shift their focus to meet the needs of this growing number of interface landowners.

Credits

• Carl Firley• Larry Korhnak• South Carolina Forestry Association• Michelle Atkins