[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