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Emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis), an invasive nonnative beetle, is responsible for the mortality of ash trees in the eastern and midwestern United States. Despite efforts to contain this beetle through various control options, human-induced spread of EAB has caused damage to ash forests in many states. Because most ash trees are under private ownership, it is important to understand how landowners evaluate the risk of EAB and perceive the effectiveness of various control options. A mail survey of private forest landowners was conducted in Kentucky in 2020 to assess their awareness and perception of various control options of EAB infestation. Results from this survey suggest that landowners are concerned about EAB and the associated increased risks, reduced quality of scenic views, and increased cleanup costs. Landowners experiencing EAB infestation believed that EAB management needs collective actions and that current efforts by government agencies are not sufficient. However, few landowners are taking actions themselves to manage EAB on their property. These findings shed light on the extent to which landowners are concerned about EAB impact and emphasize the need for development of effective control options and outreach programs to increase landowner engagement and actions in EAB control and management.

Distributional specifications of the willingness-to-accept function affect the accuracy of welfare estimates when the contingent valuation model includes unsure responses. By exponentiating the bid variable, we implemented an improved methodological approach to estimate four discrete choice models reflecting treatment of unsure responses. Landowners required an average compensation of $93 acre−1 year−1 to participate in a 10-year conservation program. The probability of participation was positively influenced by payment amount, concern about wildlife habitat loss, contact frequency with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and education level. Findings will help determine regional-level budgets for various conservation scenarios facilitating an increased production of ecosystem services. Study Implications Conservation agencies can decrease landowner uncertainty that arises from limited information about conservation programs and motivate landowners to enroll in a conservation program facilitating an increased production of ecosystem services by offering adequate monetary incentives. Conservation agencies can provide similar financial compensation for conservation of bottomland hardwoods and pine stands but will most likely need to offer greater compensation for the protection of forests prone from impacts by wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Available funding should be prioritized for conservation of critical habitats and freshwater sources vulnerable to land disturbances.

Native ash species in the central hardwood region of the United States have been threatened by infestations of emerald ash borers (EAB), which have caused significant damage to the forests’ ecological and economic value. Because private landowners own most of these forestlands, their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are important in managing EAB effectively across the landscape. We conducted a mail survey of landowners in Kentucky, where EAB are spreading across the state and causing variable levels of damage depending upon how long they have been established, and assessed whether and how psychosocial and demographic factors help explain the landowner’s behavioral intention to manage EAB on their property. The results of an ordinal logistic regression model, grounded in a modified theory of planned behavior framework, suggested that severity of risk perception, knowledge about management options, importance of economic objectives, and perceived group efficacy were related positively to landowners’ intention to manage EAB. These findings shed light on landowners’ perspective of EAB’s effects and the role of psychosocial factors in their motivation to adopt EAB control options.Study Implications: Landowners’ active participation can be critical in managing EAB effectively in privately owned forests. This study found that landowners’ management intentions depended on their perception of EAB risks, knowledge of EAB prevention, and perceived cooperation among landowners. Raising awareness of EAB threats, educating landowners on the control options available, and promoting collaborative approaches to combat EAB at the regional scale can help increase landowners’ participation in EAB management. Taking a collaborative approach is important to address such transboundary problems as EAB infestations because such an approach ensures that relevant agencies will provide landowners with continuous legal, technical, and financial support.