[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2604-2605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-776]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection; Request for Comments; National Woodland 
Owner Survey

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
USDA Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals 
and organizations on a previously approved information collection, the 
National Woodland Owner Survey, that the Forest Service is seeking to 
reinstate. This information collection will help the Forest Service and 
others assess the current state of the nation's forest resources, 
identify opportunities and constraints of private forest-land owners, 
and facilitate planning and implementation of forest policies and 
programs. Information will be collected from private forest-land owners 
in the United States.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before March 15, 2005 
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after this date will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to 
National Woodland Owner Survey, Attn: Brett Butler, Northeastern 
Research Station, Forest Service, USDA, 11 Campus Boulevard, Suite 200, 
Newtown Square, PA 19073.
    Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to (610) 557-4250 or 
by e-mail to [email protected].
    The public may inspect comments received at 11 Campus Boulevard, 
Suite 200, Room 2040, Newtown Square, PA. Visitors are encouraged to 
call ahead to (610) 557-4002 to facilitate entry to the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brett Butler, Northeastern Research 
Station, (610) 557-4045. Individuals who use telecommunication devices 
for the deaf (TDD) should 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.
    Expiration Date of Approval: December 31, 2004.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement.
    Abstract: The National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) will collect 
data

[[Page 2605]]

to characterize and increase our understanding of private forest-land 
owners, the critical link between forests and society, in the United 
States; to determine the opportunities and constraints confronting 
private forest-land owners; and to facilitate the planning and 
implementation of forest policies and programs.
    The Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 
and the Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Act of 1978 provide 
the Forest Service with the legal authority to conduct the NWOS. 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.
    The Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program 
has conducted the NWOS on a periodic basis since 1978. The NWOS 
collects information to help answer questions related to the 
characteristics of the landholdings and landowners, ownership 
objectives, the supply of timber and non-timber products, forest 
management practices, delivery of education and financial assistance, 
and the concerns/constraints perceived by the landowners. The 
information collected provides widely cited benchmarks of the private 
forest-land owners 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 the success of forest-land 
owner assistance programs; and to answer a variety of questions with 
topics ranging from fragmentation to the economics of private timber 
production.
    The respondents will be a statistically selected group of 
individuals, families, American Indian tribes, partnerships, 
corporations, nonprofit organizations, clubs, and other private groups 
that own forest land in the United States. This group will be selected 
by using public records to collect the names and addresses from a 
systematic set of points identified as forest land from across the 
country. The number of forest-land owners to be contacted in each state 
will be determined by the number of private forest-land owners and the 
sampling intensity.
    Respondents will be asked to answer questions related to (1) The 
general characteristics of their forest land, (2) their reasons for 
owning it, (3) how they use and manage their forest land, (4) their 
concerns related to their forest land, (5) their intentions for the 
future of their forest land, and (6) demographic information.
    As in past information collections, respondents will be asked to 
answer questions related to the characteristics of their landholdings, 
their reasons for owning forest-land, the supply of timber and non-
timber products, forest management practices, delivery of education and 
financial assistance, the concerns/constraints perceived by the 
landowners, their intentions for their forest-land, and general 
demographics.
    The information collection will collect data using a mixed-mode 
survey technique that will involve a self-administered mail 
questionnaire and telephone interviews. First, a prenotice letter or 
postcard will be sent to all potential respondents describing this 
information collection and why the information is being collected and 
why their assistance is needed. Second, a questionnaire with a cover 
letter will be mailed to the potential respondents. The cover letter 
will reiterate the purpose and importance of this information 
collection and provide the respondents with legally required 
information. Third, a reminder will be mailed to thank the respondents 
and encourage the non-respondents to respond. The last stage of the 
mail portion of the information collection will be mailing a second 
questionnaire and cover letter to those individuals who have yet to 
respond. Telephone interviews will be used for follow-up surveys of the 
non-respondents to maximize our response rate.
    The Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) 
will administer the mail portion of this information collection. The 
telephone interview portion of the information collection will be 
implemented by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. Data will be compiled and edited by FIA 
personnel.
    FIA personnel will analyze the collected data. At a minimum, 
national and regional reports of the data will be distributed through 
print and electronic media. In addition, the data will be made 
available to the public. The publicly released data will be formatted 
to ensure the anonymity of the respondents.
    This information collection will generate reliable and up-to-date 
information on private forest-land owners in the United States. The 
results of these efforts will provide more reliable information on this 
important and very dynamic segment of the United States population and 
facilitate more complete assessments of the country's forest resources 
and improved planning and implementation of forestry programs.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: 15 minutes.
    Type of Respondents: Individuals, families, American Indian tribes, 
partnerships, corporations, nonprofit organizations, clubs, and other 
private groups that own forest land.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 10,000.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,500 hours.
    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 for Office 
of Management and Budget approval.

    Dated: January 3, 2005.
Ann M. Bartuska,
Deputy Chief for Research & Development.
[FR Doc. 05-776 Filed 1-13-05; 8:45 am]
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