@article{hovis_cubbage_smith_zuniga-teran_varady_shear_chizmar_lupek_baldwin_fox_et al._2023, title={Estimating landowners' willingness to accept payments for nature-based solutions in eastern North Carolina for flood hazard mitigation using the contingent valuation method}, volume={78}, ISSN={["1941-3300"]}, DOI={10.2489/jSWC.2023.00131}, abstractNote={FloodWise is a pilot program that proposes nature-based solutions (NBS) for flood hazard mitigation (risk reduction) in eastern North Carolina to control stormwater runoff for brief periods of time. The program would provide financial incentives and technical assistance to rural landowners to adopt NBS on their properties. In this study, we assessed landowners’ willingness to accept (WTA) payments for adopting NBS on their properties using a payment card contingent valuation method (CVM) via a mail survey. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) incentivize landowners to participate in conservation efforts, as well as provide additional opportunities for revenue. Factors such as income, age, contract term length, revenue lost from previous storm events, and size of farm operation influenced one’s willingness to accept payments. The payment levels required for traditional farm conservation practices and NBS flood control practices were not significantly different, indicating that past program methods could help guide new FloodWise or similar NBS efforts. These results can help guide new NBS program development and funding deliberations in North Carolina, and perhaps other rural locations in the US Southeast.}, number={6}, journal={JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION}, author={Hovis, M. and Cubbage, F. and Smith, G. and Zuniga-Teran, A. and Varady, R. and Shear, T. and Chizmar, S. and Lupek, M. and Baldwin, M. and Fox, A. and et al.}, year={2023}, pages={500–514} }
 @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} }