OWNERSHIP OF FOREST LAND AND TIMBER 



311 



men, bankers, owners of recreational resorts, and 

 other businesses. 



Wage earners constituted the second most im- 

 portant group of owners in most of the study 

 areas. Housewives were third in importance in 

 many areas. Retired persons likewise were of 

 considerable importance, although the classifica- 

 tion used in some studies did not include retirees 

 as a separate group. Additional types of owners 

 of varying local importance included public 

 utilities, real estate dealers, various nonwood- 

 using industries, estates, churches, clubs, institu- 

 tions, etc. In some areas not considered in the 

 studies referred to in table 177, it is known that 

 mining companies, timber-growing enterprises, 

 and railroads represent important types of "other" 

 private owner. 



Occupations of Most Private Owners 

 Not Connected With Forestry 



Most farm and "other" private owners are en- 

 gaged in occupations not directly connected with 

 timber growing. There are some exceptions, in- 

 cluding timber holding companies and certain 

 farmers and others who manage their land for 

 timber crops which they sell as stumpage or round 

 forest products to the forest industries. Some 

 owners classed as farmers also operate small saw- 

 mills as a supplementary enterprise, or find part- 

 time employment oft" the farm in forest industries. 

 Thus, in the Mississippi study cited in table 177, 

 7 percent of the farmers, with 26 percent of the 

 forest land in farm ownerships, either operated 

 small sawmills or otherwise obtained a substantial 

 share of their income from the sale of forest 

 products during the year of the ownership survey. 



According to data for a few sample areas, 

 many farm and "other" private forest landowners 

 do not recognize timber values as a primary 

 reason for holding forest land, and to most of 

 these owners timber growing is at best a sideline 

 enterprise. Perhaps this is to be expected since 

 most farm and other private owners earn their 

 livelihood primarily in occupations outside the 

 forest industries. Alany owners have more than 

 one reason for holding forest land. Some owners 

 have difficulty in defining any reason at all. 



In the New England study, timber values were 

 recognized as one of the primary reasons for 

 ownership by 65 percent of the farmers and only 

 35 percent of the "other" private owners. Rec- 

 reation, satisfaction in owning land, residence, 

 and speculation were all cited as important reasons 

 for forest land ownership. In the Tennessee 

 VaUey, timber production was found to be of 

 major or primary interest to only 3 percent 

 of all private forest landowners, including a 

 limited number of owners of wood-using plants. 

 Thirteen percent of the owners cited interest in 



timber as equal to other interests, but, for more 

 than 80 percent of the owners, interest in timber 

 production was no more than secondary. 



Length of Tenure of Forest Land 

 Varies Widely 



The length of time land is held by a given 

 owner varies widely. In the New England study, 

 23 percent of the farm and "other" private 

 owners had held their property less than 3 years, 

 and 41 percent less than 9 years. About one- 

 third of all owners, with 42 percent of the acreage, 

 had owned their land for more than 19 years. 

 In the Tennessee Valley, only 19 percent of private 

 forest owners had held their lands for 20 years 

 or more. 



Farmers Mostly Resident Owners: 

 Many Other Owners Absentee 



Most farmers and some "other" private forest 

 owners reside on their forest properties, others live 

 nearby, but many live at a considerable distance. 

 In the New England study, for example, about 

 half of all the private forest owners resided in the 

 town where their forest property was located. 

 These sample towns varied in total land area from 

 about 5 to 70 square miles. In northwestern Cali- 

 fornia, only 50 percent of the private commercial 

 forest land was held b\' owners residing within the 

 same county; 50 percent was held by owners 

 residing outside the county, including 8 percent 

 held by owners living outside the State. 



Individual Ownerships Predominate 



In the New England study, 93 percent of the 

 private holdiTigs (including lands of forest in- 

 dustries) were classed as individual ownerships; 

 these represented 69 percent of the total forest 

 acreage. Only 4 percent of the o^^alers were 

 corporations, including wood manufacturing com- 

 panies, although these accounted for 28 percent 

 of the total acreage. About 3 percent of the 

 owners were classed as estates. 



In the Arkansas-Louisiana-Mississippi area, 

 84 percent of the farm and "otiier" private owners 

 were classed as individuals, 11 percent as estates, 

 3 percent as partnerships, and 2 percent as cor- 

 porations. In some regions sucli as the Lake 

 States, there are numerous hunting camps and 

 other recreational properties in group ownerships, 

 and some properties are held in undivided owner- 

 ships. 



A significant number of owners are housewives, 

 and some owners in other occupational groups are 

 women. In the Arkansas-Louisiana-Mississippi 

 study, for example, women made up 18 percent 

 of the farm and other private owners, and their 



4;;".ii;"ju o— 5s- 



■21 



