[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19065-19067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08134]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection; National Woodland Owner Survey
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the reinstatement with change for the information
collection, National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS).
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or June 8, 2015 to be
assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to Brett
Butler, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 160 Holdsworth
Way, Amherst, MA 01003.
Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to 413-545-1860 or by
email to [email protected].
Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available
to the public through relevant Web sites and upon request. For this
reason, please do
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not include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such
as sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you
send an email comment, your email address will be automatically
captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the
public docket and made available on the Internet. Please note that
responses to this public comment request containing any routine notice
about the confidentiality of the communication will be treated as
public comments that may be made available to the public
notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice.
The public may inspect the draft supporting statement and/or
comments received at Northern Research Station during normal business
hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to 413-545-1387 to
facilitate entry to the building. The public may request an electronic
copy of the draft supporting statement and/or any comments received be
sent via return email. Requests should be emailed to
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brett Butler, by phone at 413-545-
1387. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: National Woodland Owner Survey
OMB Number: 0596-0078
Type of Request: Reinstatement with change
Abstract: There are an estimated 831 million acres of forest and
other wooded land across the United States. Of this forest and other
wooded land, 58 percent is owned by millions of corporations, families,
individuals, tribes, and other private groups with the remaining 42
percent owned by over a thousand different Federal, State, and local
government agencies. Understanding the attitudes and behaviors of the
owners and managers of the forest and other wooded land is critical for
understanding the current and future state of the nation's forests. The
Forest Service conducts the NWOS to increase our understanding of:
Who owns and manages the forest and other wooded lands of
the United States;
Why they own/manage it;
How they have used it; and
How they intend to use it.
This information is used by policy analysts, foresters, educators, and
researchers to facilitate the planning and implementation of forest
policies and programs.
The Forest Service's direction and authority to conduct the NWOS is
from the Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974
and the Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Act of 1978. These
Acts assign responsibility for the inventory and assessment of forest
and related renewable resources to the Forest Service. Additionally,
the importance of an ownership survey in this inventory and assessment
process is highlighted in section 253(c) of the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 and the recommendations of
the Second Blue Ribbon Panel on the Forest Inventory and Analysis
program (FIA).
Previous iterations of the NWOS were conducted in 1978, 1993, 2002-
2006, and 2011-2013. Approval for the last iteration of the NWOS
expired on August 31, 2013. As planned, approval for the information
collection was allowed to lapse after 2013 to permit a full assessment
of the program that has now been completed. If reinstated, the NWOS
will operate for another 3-year cycle.
Information will be collected related to:
The characteristics of the land holdings;
Attitudes and perceptions of the owners and managers;
Resource uses and management activities; and
Where applicable, landowner demographics.
Separate survey instruments are being developed for families and
individuals, corporate, and public ownerships. In addition, the owners
in urban areas will be sent a different survey instrument. For the
families and individuals, the dominant ownership group of forest and
other wooded land, a subset of ownerships will be sent survey
instruments addressing the following topics, in addition to the core
questions from the base survey instrument:
Climate change;
Wildfires;
Invasive species;
Land owner values; and
Decision making.
The NWOS provides widely cited benchmarks for the number, extent,
and characteristics of owners of forest and other wooded land in the
United States. These results have been used to assess the
sustainability of forest resources at national, regional, and State
levels; to implement and assess forest-land owner assistance programs;
and to answer a variety of questions with topics ranging from
fragmentation to the economics of timber production. This is the only
effort to collect in-depth information about owners of forest and other
wooded land at the national scale. It provides longitudinal data to
track ownership trends and broad spatial data to allow for comparisons
across regions of the country.
The respondents will be a statistically selected group of
individuals, families, American Indian tribes, partnerships,
corporations, nonprofit organizations, and other private groups that
own forest and other wooded land in the United States in addition to a
statistically selected group of Federal, State, and local government
agencies that manage forest and other wooded land. A well distributed,
random set of sampling points has been established across the country.
At each point, remotely sensed data, such as aerial photographs or
satellite imagery, will be used to identify forested/wooded points. For
the forested/wooded points, public records will be used to identify the
owners on record--the names and addresses of the landowners we will
contact. The number of owners of forest and other wooded land to be
contacted in each State will be a function of the number of owners of
forest and other wooded land and the sampling intensity.
The NWOS will utilize a mixed-mode survey technique involving
cognitive interviews, focus groups, self-administered questionnaires,
and telephone interviews. Cognitive interviews will be used to test the
questionnaires. Focus groups will be used to provide more in-depth
understanding of the responses and to explore new areas of inquiry.
The implementation of the self-administered survey will involve up
to four contacts. First, a pre-notice postcard will be sent to all
potential respondents describing this information collection and why
the information is being collected. Second, a questionnaire with a
cover letter and pre-paid return envelope will be sent to the potential
respondents. The cover letter will reiterate the purpose of this
information collection and provide the respondents with all legally
required information. Third, a reminder will be mailed to thank the
respondents and encourage the non-respondents to reply. Those who have
yet to respond will be sent a new questionnaire, cover letter, and pre-
paid return envelope. Telephone interviews will be used for follow-up
with non-respondents. For corporations and public agencies, the primary
survey instrument will be electronic, and for all other owners, the
primary survey instrument will be paper forms with the
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option for completing the survey electronically online.
Forest Service researchers will coordinate all components of this
information collection. Forest Service personnel with assistance
provided by contractors and cooperators, such as university
researchers, will conduct the mail portion of the survey, cognitive
interviews, and focus groups. The U.S. Department of Agriculture,
National Agricultural Statistics Service will conduct the telephone
follow-ups. Data will be compiled and edited by Forest Service
personnel with assistance provided by contractors and cooperators as
appropriate. Forest Service researchers and cooperators will analyze
the collected data. National, regional, and State-level results will be
distributed through print and/or electronic media.
This information collection will generate scientifically-based,
statically-reliable, up-to-date information about the owners of forest
and other wooded land in the United States. The results of these
efforts will provide more reliable information on this important and
dynamic segment of the United States population; thus facilitating more
complete assessments of the country's forest and other wooded land
resources and improved planning and implementation of forestry programs
on state, regional, and national levels.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, the Private Sector
(Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations, and/or State, Local or Tribal
Government.
Estimate of Burden per Response: 25 minutes for families,
individuals, and other private groups with small holdings; 30 minutes
for corporations with large holdings; 15 minutes for public agencies.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 7,925
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 3,726
Comment is Invited:
Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the
functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments received in response to this notice, including names
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record.
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.
Dated: April 2, 2015.
Carlos Rodriguez-Franco,
Associate Deputy Chief, Research & Development.
[FR Doc. 2015-08134 Filed 4-8-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P