Land use changes and timberland use by ownership and forest type in Alabama
and Georgia between 1972 and 2000 are analyzed using a modified multinomial
logit approach. Low average land quality, federal cost-share incentives, and
favorable returns to forestry relative to agriculture were the main factors
associated with timberland increase. Higher forestry returns helped increase
industrial timberland but not nonindustrial private forests. An increase in
hardwood forests at the expense of softwood and mixed forests was driven by
increasing hardwood returns. Increasing softwood returns and tree planting
assistance programs alleviated declines in softwood forests. Because factors
influencing timberland use changes differ by ownership and forest type,
treating all timberland as one major category may lead to incorrect
predictions.