@article{hajjar_mcginley_charnley_frey_hovis_cubbage_schelhas_kornhauser_2024, title={Characterizing Community Forests in the United States}, volume={1}, ISSN={["1938-3746"]}, DOI={10.1093/jofore/fvad054}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={JOURNAL OF FORESTRY}, author={Hajjar, Reem and McGinley, Kathleen and Charnley, Susan and Frey, Gregory E. and Hovis, Meredith and Cubbage, Frederick W. and Schelhas, John and Kornhauser, Kailey}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{chizmar_parajuli_bruck_frey_sills_2023, title={Forest-Based Employment in the Southern United States amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Causal Inference Analysis}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1938-3738"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxad042}, DOI={10.1093/forsci/fxad042}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={FOREST SCIENCE}, author={Chizmar, Stephanie and Parajuli, Rajan and Bruck, Sonia and Frey, Gregory and Sills, Erin}, year={2023}, month={Nov} }
 @article{caldwell_martin_vose_baker_warziniack_costanza_frey_nehra_mihiar_2023, title={Forested watersheds provide the highest water quality among all land cover types, but the benefit of this ecosystem service depends on landscape context}, volume={882}, ISSN={["1879-1026"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163550}, abstractNote={Conversion of natural land cover can degrade water quality in water supply watersheds and increase treatment costs for Public Water Systems (PWSs), but there are few studies that have fully evaluated land cover and water quality relationships in mixed use watersheds across broad hydroclimatic settings. We related upstream land cover (forest, other natural land covers, development, and agriculture) to observed and modeled water quality across the southeastern US and specifically at 1746 PWS drinking water intake facilities. While there was considerable complexity and variability in the relationship between land cover and water quality, results suggest that Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorus (TP) and Suspended Sediment (SS) concentrations decrease significantly with increasing forest cover, and increase with increasing developed or agricultural cover. Catchments with dominant (>90 %) agricultural land cover had the greatest export rates for TN, TP, and SS based on SPARROW model estimates, followed by developed-dominant, then forest- and other-natural-dominant catchments. Variability in modeled TN, TP, and SS export rates by land cover type was driven by variability in natural background sources and catchment characteristics that affected water quality even in forest-dominated catchments. Both intake setting (i.e., run-of-river or reservoir) and upstream land cover were important determinants of water quality at PWS intakes. Of all PWS intakes, 15 % had high raw water quality, and 85 % of those were on reservoirs. Of the run-of-river intakes with high raw water quality, 75 % had at least 50 % forest land cover upstream. In addition, PWS intakes obtaining surface water supply from smaller upstream catchments may experience the largest losses of natural land cover based on projections of land cover in 2070. These results illustrate the complexity and variability in the relationship between land cover and water quality at broad scales, but also suggest that forest conservation can enhance the resilience of drinking water supplies.}, journal={SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT}, author={Caldwell, Peter V. and Martin, Katherine L. and Vose, James M. and Baker, Justin S. and Warziniack, Travis W. and Costanza, Jennifer K. and Frey, Gregory E. and Nehra, Arpita and Mihiar, Christopher M.}, year={2023}, month={Jul} }
 @article{chizmar_parajuli_frey_bardon_branan_macfarland_smith_ameyaw_2022, title={Challenges and opportunities for agroforestry practitioners to participate in state preferential property tax programs for agriculture and forestry}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2666-7193"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100176}, abstractNote={All 50 states offer preferential property tax programs that lower the taxes paid on enrolled agricultural and/or forest lands. While agroforestry is a land-use that combines elements of both agriculture and forestry, eligibility criteria and other rules and regulations may prevent landowners from enrolling agroforestry practices in one or more of the agricultural and forestry tax programs. This pilot-scale study developed conceptual and methodological frameworks to identify the current barriers to and opportunities in preferential tax policies applicable to agroforestry practices. We conducted an extensive review of state preferential property tax programs relevant for agroforestry practices, following focus group discussions with regional experts in five selected states across the United States: North Carolina, Nebraska, Wisconsin, New York, and Oregon. Based on a systematic review of statutes and their supporting documents, we developed a database of programs, which support or create barriers to enrollment of agroforestry practitioners into the programs. We found that agricultural tax assessments were more likely to favor multi-use agriculture and forestry systems than the preferential tax assessments of forestlands in the five states. Forest farming and silvopasture, followed by alley cropping, windbreaks, and riparian forest buffers, were found to be the most common agroforestry practices allowed under preferential tax classifications in the study states. This study provides a framework for cataloging and analyzing preferential property tax-programs to document barriers and facilitators to agroforestry practices in the United States.}, journal={TREES FORESTS AND PEOPLE}, author={Chizmar, Stephanie and Parajuli, Rajan and Frey, Gregory E. and Bardon, Robert E. and Branan, Robert Andrew and MacFarland, Katherine and Smith, Matthew and Ameyaw, Lord}, year={2022}, month={Mar} }
 @article{frey_wilkens_bruck_2022, title={Development of a framework for understanding unsold timber offerings from the US National Forest System}, ISSN={["1360-0559"]}, DOI={10.1080/09640568.2022.2108387}, abstractNote={Timber sales from the US National Forest System (NFS) can provide ecological and economic benefits. Unsold (“no-bid”) offerings can result in delays, additional costs, and missed targets. We used mixed methods, including analysis of administrative data, synthesis of research, and semi-structured interviews to understand situations considered “no-bid” offerings by different stakeholders. We measured prevalence, identified causes, and generated a framework for communicating interlinkages. From 2007 to 2020, the volume not sold at first offering was 11.9% nationally. However, a substantial amount is sold subsequently, leaving 2.7% never sold. Regions with the highest percentage never sold include Alaska, Southwestern, and Pacific Southwest. A new conceptual framework developed from a literature review and interviews with NFS and industry employees identified proximate causes and underlying factors. Proximate causes include road construction, equipment requirements, and timber condition; whereas underlying factors include staffing, communication, and appraisal methods. These insights can aid communication and help develop future strategies.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT}, author={Frey, Gregory E. and Wilkens, Philadelphia and Bruck, Sonia R.}, year={2022}, month={Aug} }
 @article{hovis_frey_mcginley_cubbage_han_lupek_2022, title={Ownership, Governance, Uses, and Ecosystem Services of Community Forests in the Eastern United States}, volume={13}, ISSN={["1999-4907"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101577}, DOI={10.3390/f13101577}, abstractNote={Over time, community forests (CFs) have been established across the globe to meet various social, economic, and ecological needs. Benefits of CFs include conserving resilient forests and natural resources and ecosystem services, enhancing social and economic capital, and leveraging local and indigenous knowledge in forest and natural resource management and decision-making. Research on CFs in the U.S. is quite limited, and cases that have been assessed show a wide spectrum in terms of CF ownership, organizational structure, governance, property rights, and uses. Through an exploratory research approach, this study enhances the understanding of the characteristics of CFs in the U.S. and the ecosystem services and other benefits that they provide. Through online web searches, we compiled one of the first comprehensive lists of CFs in the Eastern U.S. Prior to this study, there was no publicly available comprehensive database or list of CFs in the country. Subsequently, we conducted comparative case study research, which included semi-structured in-person interviews with key stakeholders from four CFs in the Eastern U.S. to understand CF ownership, governance, uses, and benefits. CFs benefits frequently included cultural services, such as recreation and education, and regulating and supporting services, such as water quality and wildlife habitat. Much less common was a focus on provisioning services such as timber or non-timber forest products. Maintaining collaboration and funding for CF efforts in the long run without significant CF revenues remains a challenge for most forests. Overall, this research sheds lights on CF characteristics and capacities in the Eastern U.S. and identifies potential opportunities and needs for the U.S. in the future. CFs researchers, managers, and community members.}, number={10}, journal={FORESTS}, author={Hovis, Meredith and Frey, Gregory and McGinley, Kathleen and Cubbage, Frederick and Han, Xue and Lupek, Megan}, year={2022}, month={Oct} }
 @article{chizmar_parajuli_frey_bardon_sills_2021, title={Allocation versus completion: Explaining the distribution of the Forest Development Program fund in North Carolina}, volume={132}, ISSN={["1872-7050"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102594}, abstractNote={The Forest Development Program (FDP) is a nationally renowned state-administered cost-share assistance program for forest landowners in North Carolina, primarily funded through taxation on primary forest products across the state. While the demand for FDP cost-share funds often exceeds available resources, over one-fourth of annual allocations on average go unused, due primarily to application cancellations and the divergence of actual costs and treated acres from the amounts approved originally. This study evaluates various factors related to the utilization of allocated funds based on actual cost-share fund usage data in the last six years. Results suggest that FDP applications associated with the piedmont region, shearing and chemical site preparation, hand-planting activities, and larger applied acres are more likely to be completed as defined in the initial application. The methods and findings of this study provide useful insights to administrators of other similar public incentive programs. The need for similar analyses evaluating the utilization of public funds will likely grow as state and federal governments increasingly rely on incentive programs to meet ambitious goals in conservation and sustainable management of natural resources.}, journal={FOREST POLICY AND ECONOMICS}, author={Chizmar, Stephanie and Parajuli, Rajan and Frey, Gregory E. and Bardon, Robert E. and Sills, Erin}, year={2021}, month={Nov} }
 @article{dunn_unruh snyder_mccarter_frey_idassi_schnake_cubbage_2021, title={Bioeconomic Assessment of an Alley Cropping Field Trial in North Carolina, US: Tree Density, Timber Production, and Forage Relationships}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su132011465}, DOI={10.3390/su132011465}, abstractNote={Silvopasture, the combination of trees, forage, and livestock, is a management practice that is gaining interest throughout the southeastern U.S. This research analyzed a hay-based alley cropping field trial that is transitioning into a silvopasture system. We planted four different tree spacings—2.4 × 2.4 m, 2.4 × 3.0 m, 3.0 × 3.0 m, and 1.8 × 3.0 m (8 × 8 ft, 8 × 10 ft, 10 × 10 ft, and 6 × 10 ft)—of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and used secondary data for the possible planting of two different grass species—big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). Tree inventories, forage samples, biometric modeling, and economic analysis of forage and timber monocultures and mixed systems were analyzed with discounted cash flow and capital budgeting analyses. Tree growth on the pasture site was exceptionally fast, generating high projected returns for timber monocultures, which exceeded returns for monoculture grass crops. Projected timber stand returns had the greatest Net Present Values (NPV) at the 4% discount rate, ranging between USD 3196 and USD 3552 per ha (USD 1294 and USD 1438 per ac) for a 2.4 × 3.0 m or 2.4 × 2.4 m tree spacing yield. Representative grass yields were obtained from secondary sources and had lower productivity, with switchgrass having the highest returns at USD 2581 per ha (USD 1045 per ac). Optimal NPVs for mixed silvopasture stands ranged between about USD 1500 per ha and USD 3500 per ha (USD 600/ac and USD 1400/ac), depending on the tree spacing within bands, the alley spacing, and the degree of competition between trees and grasses.}, number={20}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Dunn, Kenneth and Unruh Snyder, Lori and McCarter, James and Frey, Gregory and Idassi, Joshua and Schnake, David and Cubbage, Frederick}, year={2021}, month={Oct} }
 @article{cubbage_kanieski_rubilar_bussoni_olmos_balmelli_donagh_lord_hernández_zhang_et al._2020, title={Global timber investments, 2005 to 2017}, volume={112}, ISSN={1389-9341}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2019.102082}, DOI={10.1016/j.forpol.2019.102082}, abstractNote={We estimated timber investment returns for 22 countries and 54 species/management regimes in 2017, for a range of global timber plantation species and countries at the stand level, using capital budgeting criteria, without land costs, at a real discount rate of 8%. Returns were estimated for the principal plantation countries in the Americas—Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Mexico, and the United States—as well as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, China, Vietnam, Laos, Spain, Finland, Poland, Scotland, and France. South American plantation growth rates and their concomitant returns were generally greater, at more than 12% Internal Rates of Return (IRRs), as were those in China, Vietnam, and Laos. These IRRs were followed by those for plantations in southern hemisphere countries of Australia and New Zealand and in Mexico, with IRRs around 8%. Temperate forest plantations in the U.S. and Europe returned less, from 4% to 8%, but those countries have less financial risk, better timber markets, and more infrastructure. Returns to most planted species in all countries except Asia have decreased from 2005 to 2017. If land costs were included in calculating the overall timberland investment returns, the IRRs would decrease from 3 percentage points less for loblolly pine in the U.S. South to 8 percentage points less for eucalypts in Brazil.}, journal={Forest Policy and Economics}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Cubbage, Frederick and Kanieski, Bruno and Rubilar, Rafael and Bussoni, Adriana and Olmos, Virginia Morales and Balmelli, Gustavo and Donagh, Patricio Mac and Lord, Roger and Hernández, Carmelo and Zhang, Pu and et al.}, year={2020}, month={Mar}, pages={102082} }
 @article{frey_durmus_sills_isik_comer_2020, title={Potential Alternative Tree Species as Substrates for Forest Farming of Log-grown Shiitake Mushrooms in the Southeastern United States}, volume={30}, ISSN={["1943-7714"]}, DOI={10.21273/HORTTECH04721-20}, abstractNote={Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom-producing fungus. “Natural log-grown” shiitake mushrooms are favored by consumers and are often produced by small farmers and hobbyists in the United States. The tree species most often recommended as a substrate for shiitake is white oak (Quercus alba), which has many other economic uses. We tested two strains of shiitake in log substrates of three common, low-value tree species in the southeastern United States to identify potential alternatives to white oak. We found that sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) was a good substitute for white oak, both in terms of mushroom production and financial returns. Red maple (Acer rubrum) had less potential, with lower production and marginal financial returns, and ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima) was not a suitable alternative substrate. Of the two shiitake strains tested, a commercially available strain performed better than a naturalized strain that was isolated from an uninoculated log. Further research is needed to identify other potential alternative substrates and production techniques in the southeastern United States and other regions.}, number={6}, journal={HORTTECHNOLOGY}, author={Frey, Gregory E. and Durmus, Tank and Sills, Erin O. and Isik, Fikret and Comer, Marcus M.}, year={2020}, month={Dec}, pages={741-+} }
 @article{frey_cubbage_holmes_reyes-retana_davis_megevand_rodríguez-paredes_kraus-elsin_hernández-toro_chemor-salas_2019, title={Competitiveness, certification, and support of timber harvest by community forest enterprises in Mexico}, volume={107}, ISSN={1389-9341}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2019.05.009}, DOI={10.1016/j.forpol.2019.05.009}, abstractNote={Local communities own approximately 45% of Mexico's forests and have relative autonomy to manage them. Some of these communities have established community forest enterprises (CFEs) in order to generate benefits, such as jobs. However, if CFEs focus mainly on community benefits, and lose sight of financial competitiveness and ecological sustainability, they may fail in the long run. Government support programs and forest certification mechanisms have been established to address these concerns, but little is known about improvements in financial competitiveness. A detailed 2011 survey of the financial inputs and outputs of 27 CFEs in the predominately pine (Pinus spp.) and fir (Abies spp.) forests of Mexico was used to create statistical timber harvest production functions. The production functions showed that the CFEs generally fit the model of competitive firms, indicating that they have not lost sight of the importance of financial viability; however, there is also some evidence that CFEs may balance this with the objective of providing community income (employment and other community payments). Participation in capacity development support programs and forest certification jointly have a positive impact on productivity, but the individual impact of each was not possible to parse.}, journal={Forest Policy and Economics}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Frey, Gregory E. and Cubbage, Frederick W. and Holmes, Thomas P. and Reyes-Retana, Graciela and Davis, Robert R. and Megevand, Carole and Rodríguez-Paredes, Diana and Kraus-Elsin, Yoanna and Hernández-Toro, Berenice and Chemor-Salas, Diana Nacibe}, year={2019}, month={Oct}, pages={101923} }