The Supporting Statement
OMB No. 0596-0078
National
Woodland Owner Survey
February 2010
Note: This request is for the reinstatement of the previously approved information collection OMB 0596-0078, the National Woodland Owner Survey. The USDA Forest Service allowed the collection to expire in order to process all data collected to date, produce the summary reports from these data, and plan for the next iteration of the survey. The Forest Service has completed this assessment (see Family Forest Owners of the United States, 2006 available on-line at www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/15758) and requests approval from OMB to once again collect information from private woodland owners.
A. Justification
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.
Statutes and Regulations:
Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-278 Sec. 3)
Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-307 Sec. 3)
Agriculture Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-185 Sec. 253)
Food Security Act of 1985 as amended through Public Law 106–580 (Pub. L. 99-198 Sec. 1770)
In the United States, there are estimated 11.3 million private woodland1 owners who control over half of the nation’s woodland, which is approximately 423 million acres. The number of private woodland owners has increased by 14 percent between 1994 and 2006. To better understand this link in the forest system, the USDA Forest Service request permission to survey woodland owners on why they own woodland, how they use it, and what they intend to do with it. The collection provides vital up to date information on woodland owners.
The main authority for this collection is The Forest and Range Land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. The Act states that the Forest Service is tasked with “assessing the Nation’s renewable resources” and this “must be based on a comprehensive assessment of present and anticipated uses, demand for, and supply of renewable resources from the Nation’s public and private forests.” A “comprehensive assessment” and a statement that “the majority of the Nation’s forests and rangeland is under private, State, and local governmental management and the Nation’s major capacity to produce goods and services is based on these nonfederally managed renewable resources, the Federal Government should be a catalyst to encourage and assist these owners in the efficient long-term use and improvement of these lands and their renewable resources consistent with the principles of sustained yield multiple use” has been interpreted to mean the need to understand land ownership patterns and the attitudes and behaviors of private owners. A landowner survey was deemed appropriate for meeting this mandate.
Rationale for Reinstatement: The Forest Service allowed OMB 0596-0078, National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS), to expire so that a comprehensive review of the survey and the data it collected could be conducted. The review is complete and the findings were published in reports (see Family Forest Owners of the United States, 2006 available on-line at www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/15758). The Forest Service now requests the approval from OMB to reinstate the NWOS survey for private woodland owners.
Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
What information will be collected - reported or recorded? (If there are pieces of information that are especially burdensome in the collection, a specific explanation should be provided.)
For the new iteration of the NWOS, the Forest Service proposes the use of three families of forms: long, short, and state. The long forms will ask the greatest number of questions. The short form will be a subset of the long form. The short form will allow for increase accuracy of results while minimizing the over-all burden on respondents. Because not all issues are relevant for all regions of the country, the state forms, which will be built on the short forms, will allow for state-specific questions to be asked.
The NWOS Long Form will ask information pertaining to:
Size of woodland holdings and number of parcels owned.
Ratings of importance of possible reasons for owning woodland.
Whether the woodland is part of a primary home, secondary home, and/or farm.
Type of ownership (e.g., individual, trust, corporation, etc.) and number of people in each ownership.
Who the primary decision maker is.
How the land was acquired, from whom the land was acquired, and when it was required.
Whether land was disposed of and if so, to whom.
Whether the land has been leased and if so, for what purposes.
Awareness of and participation in conservation easements.
Awareness of and participation in green certification programs.
Awareness of and participation in cost-share programs.
Awareness of and participation in current use property tax programs.
If timber products have been harvested and whether they were sold, used for personal use, and/or removed to improve the woods.
If a professional forester or certified logger was used for the most recent harvest.
What, if any, non-timber forest products were harvested and whether they were sold or used personally.
If they have a written forest management plans. Why or Why not.
Forest management activities that have occurred in the past 5 years.
Forest management activities that are likely to occur in the next 5 years.
What, if any, recreational activities have occurred on their land and by whom.
If the land is posted to prevent access by the general public and if so, the activities which are restricted.
If they have received advice about their woodlands. If so, what it was about, how they got it, and who they got it from.
Rating of owners’ concerns about potential threats to their woodland.
If they plan to sell or pass their land on in the next 5 years and if so, why and who is likely to receive it.
Their attitude towards keeping woods as woods.
Demographics including age, occupation, gender, education, race/ethnicity, income, and percent income derived from their woodland.
The NWOS Short Form will be a subset of the Long Form. Many of the same questions will be asked, but less detail will be collected. The Short Form data elements include:
Size of woodland holdings and number of parcels owned.
Reasons for owning: Likert ratings of possible reasons.
Whether the woodland is part of a primary home, secondary home, and/or farm.
Type of ownership and number of people in each ownership.
Who the primary decision maker is.
How the land was acquired and when.
Whether the land has been leased.
Participation in conservation easements.
Participation in green certification programs.
Participation in cost-share programs.
Participation in current use property tax programs.
If timber products were harvested and if so, why.
If non-timber forest products were harvested and is so, why.
If they have a written management plan.
Forest management activities that have occurred in the past 5 years.
What, if any, recreational activities have occurred on their land.
If the land is posted to prevent access by the general public.
If they have received advice about their woodlands.
If they plan to sell or pass their land on in the next 5 years.
Their attitude towards keeping woods as woods.
The following data elements will be included in one or more of the NWOS State Forms, but no state will include all of the elements. Over half of the states will have no additional state-specific questions asked. The other states will have on average 3 additional questions. No state form will have more than 6 additional questions.. The elements and where they will be applied are:
If they know a forester, service forester, or land trust. (MA, MD)
Awareness and use of services provided by state forestry agencies. (DE, MA, VA)
The quality of the advice received. (NC)
Awareness of, participation in, and barriers to ecosystem services markets. (MA, VA)
Fire prevention and awareness. (CA)
Forest land loss and potential solutions. (DE, KY)
Future of their forest land in next 50 years. (MD)
Mining of resources on their lands and neighboring lands. (KY)
Intentions for active management including specific activities, use of professionals, and willingness to pay. (MO, VA)
Interest in learning more about their land and preferred learning methods. (MD)
Acres covered by management plan and whether it is certified as a Stewardship Plan. (AR, WI)
Strength of local timber markets. (MA)
Membership if natural resource organizations. (MD)
Interactions with neighbors and willingness to cooperate. (MA, MD, PA)
Awareness of details of current use program. (ME)
Reasons for not participating in current use programs. (ME, MO)
Planning for and conducting timber harvests. (AR, FL, NC, WI)
Reasons for not harvesting timber. (WI)
From whom will the information be collected? If there are different respondent categories (e.g., loan applicant versus a bank versus an appraiser), each should be described along with the type of collection activity that applies.
Information will be collected from a statistically selected sample of the individuals, families, businesses, tribes, and other private groups that own woodland in the United States. With the exception of demographics, the same information will be gathered from each group. Demographics will only be collected from individual and family ownerships.
What will this information be used for - provide ALL uses?
Data from the National Woodland Owner Survey will be used by Federal and state forestry agencies, academics, private consultants, landowners, non-governmental organizations, and other groups interested in understanding private woodland owners. This information is used to describe ownership patterns in national reports, such as Forest Resources of the United States, 2007, and was included in many state-level forest resource reports. Federal and state agencies use this information to design, implement, and monitor forestry assistance programs, such as the Forest Stewardship Program.
Forestry consultants, non-governmental organizations, and the forest industry use this information to make strategic planning decisions, such as where to site new biomass processing facilities, what services to offer, or where to concentrate conservation efforts. Extension agents use the information to design educational materials and programs. University and other researchers use the data for myriad reasons ranging from assessments of minority landowners to factors influencing participation rates.
Past publications containing NWOS data have included, but are not limited to:
Birch, T. & Butler, B. 2001. Private Forest-Land Ownerships of New York: 1980 and 1994, USDA Forest Service RB-NE-153.
Past publications containing NWOS data (continued):
Birch, T. 1984. Private forest-land owners of New York. National Woodlands 7(5): 8-10.
Birch, T. 1996. Private forest-land owners of the Northern United States, 1994. USDA Forest Service RB-NE-136.
Birch, T. 1996. Private forest-land owners of the Southern United States, 1994. USDA Forest Service RB-NE-138.
Birch, T. 1996. Private forest-land owners of the United States, 1994. USDA Forest Service RB-NE-134.
Birch, T. 1996. Private forest-land owners of the Western United States, 1994. USDA Forest Service RB-NE-137.
Birch, T. et al. 1982. The private forest-land owners of the United States. USDA Forest Service RB-WO-1.
Butler, B. & Carr, M. 2008. Who owns America's forests? USDA Forest Service NRS-INF-06.
Butler, B. & Leatherberry, E. 2004. America's family forest owners. Journal of Forestry 102(7): 4-9.
Butler, B. et al. 2007. Understanding and reaching family forest owners: Lessons from social marketing research. Journal of Forestry 105(7): 348-357.
Butler, B. 2003. Forest land ownership. In New York - New Jersey Highlands Regional Study Technical Report. USDA Forest Service NA-TP-04.
Butler, B. 2008. Forest ownership patterns are changing. National Woodlands 31(2): 8-9.
Butler, B. 2008. Family forest owners of the United States, 2006. USDA Forest Service GTR-NTR-27.
Butler, B. 2009. Forest ownership. In: Forest resources of the United States, 2007. USDA Forest Service GTR-WO-78.
Butler, B. 2009. The Timber Harvesting Behavior of Family Forest Owners: Theoretical and Empirical Individual-choice Models for the Southeastern United States. VDM Verlag.
Butler, B. et al. 2005. Design, implementation, and analysis methods for the National Woodland Owner Survey. USDA Forest Service GTR-NE-226.
Butler, B. et al. 2008. National Woodland Owner Survey Tabler web-application version 1.0. USDA Forest Service [http://fiatools.fs.fed.us/NWOS/tablemaker.jsp].
Conner, R. et al., 2004. The state of South Carolina's forests, 2001. USDA Forest Service RB-SRS-096.
Crocker, S. et al. 2009. Illinois' forests 2005. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-29.
Kittredge, D. et al. 2008. Estimating ownerships and parcels of non-industrial private forest in Massachusetts. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 25(2): 93-98.
Majumdar, I. et al., 2009. Income, Motivations, Intentions, Planning and Decision-Making by NIPF Land Owners: Comparing Inheritors to Non-inheritors. Forest Science 55(5): 423-432.
Majumdar, I. et al., 2009. Effect of urbanization on forest land use change in Alabama: a nested logit approach. International Journal of Ecological Economics and Statistics, 14(9), 77-93.
Past publications containing NWOS data (continued):
Majumdar, I. et al. 2008. Characterizing family forest owners: a cluster analysis approach. Forest Science 54(2): 176-184.
Majumdar, I. et al. 2009. Using extant data to determine management direction in family forests. Society and Natural Resources, 22(10), 867-883.
Mater, C. et al. 2005. The new generation of private forest landowners: Brace for change. The Pinchot Letter 10(2): 1-4.
McWilliams, W. et al. 2005. Forests of Maine, 2003. USDA Forest Service RB-NE-164.
McWilliams, W. et al. 2007. Pennsylvania's forest 2004. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-20.
Meneguzzo, D. et al. 2008. Nebraska's forests, 2005. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-27.
Moser, W. et al., 2008. Kansas forests 2005. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-26.
Moser, W. et al., 2009. Farmers’ objectives toward their woodlands in the upper Midwest of the United States: implications for woodland. Agroforestry Systems 75(1).
Pan, Y., Zhang, Y. & Butler, B., Trends among family forest owners in Alabama, 1994-2004. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry.
Perry, C. et al., 2008. Wisconsin's forests, 2004. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-23.
Piva, R.J. et al., 2009. South Dakota's forests 2005. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-35.
Pugh, S. et al. 2009. Forests of Michigan, 2004. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-34.
Solari, K. et al. 2004. Private forests on the frontline. USDA Forest Service, Wildland Waters Summer 2004.
Widmann, R.H. et al. 2009. Ohio forests: 2006. USDA Forest Service RB-NRS-36.
Woodall, C. et al. 2005. Indiana's forests 1999-2003 (Part A) . USDA Forest Service RB-NC-253A.
Zhang, Y. et al. 2009. The Increasing Importance of Small-Scale Forestry: Evidence from Family Forest Ownership Patterns in the United States. Small-scale Forestry, 8(1), 1-14.
How will the information be collected (e.g., forms, non-forms, electronically, face-to-face, over the phone, over the Internet)? Does the respondent have multiple options for providing the information? If so, what are they?
A self-administered questionnaire will be the primary data collection method. Woodland owners respond on-line or via a mail-back survey. Telephone follow-ups will be used to increase response rates and test for non-response biases (please see Supporting Statement part B: Question 3). Standard survey methods (i.e., Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method by D. Dillman) will be used to contact owners and maximize responses rates. In addition to the self-administered questionnaires, focus groups will be conducted. Prior to the first mail-out, the focus groups will be used to test questions, get a deeper understanding of the responses, and to investigate emerging topics. Subsequent focus groups will be only for getting a deeper understanding of the responses and investigating emerging topics (i.e., question wording or formatting will not be changed based on these latter focus groups).
How frequently will the information be collected?
The survey cycle is five years. No woodland owner will be asked to respond more than once per survey cycle.
Will the information be shared with any other organizations inside or outside USDA or the government?
The record-level (raw) data will not be shared and no statistical summaries will be released that could potentially be used to identify individual respondents. The statistical summaries will be widely distributed through publications, on-line data access tools, and custom analyses. These products will be available to public agencies, private organizations, and individuals.
If this is an ongoing collection, how have the collection requirements changed over time?
The NWOS is a renewal of a previously approved information collection and the basic data collection requirements have remained constant. Many of the questions from previous information collections will remain consistent, however some questions will be removed and some added. The questions retained from the previous information collections will provide consistency through time and allow for trend analyses. The questions that will be dropped were deemed to be no longer necessary or now available from other sources. New questions will be added to ascertain information on emerging issues.
Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
The primary data collection instrument is a self-administered survey. All respondents will be given the option to complete the form on-line or to complete a hard-copy survey. The multi-modal approach will reduce burden by allowing respondents to select the method that is easiest and most convenient for them.
In the telephone interview follow-ups, computer aided telephone interview (CATI) instruments will be used. These computer programs include predefined skip patterns based on the answers already provided by the respondent. These automated skip patterns can significantly reduce the amount of burden placed on respondents by limiting the number of questions that they are asked.
Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.
The NWOS personnel work closely with other Federal and state agencies as well as universities to constantly monitor research related to woodland owners. There are no other studies of similar extent or content. Some smaller scale (e.g., state or sub-state) studies have been conducted. However, these smaller studies are generally incompatible with each other because the sampling procedures are inconsistent and the data collected usually vary. Most of these smaller studies use the NWOS to provide the context for their studies. There are no other surveys that address woodland owners’ concerns and activities from a national perspective.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
The population of interest for the NWOS is all private woodland owners in the United States which includes some small businesses. This collection will contact approximately 1,500 small-businesses per year. No small business will be asked to participate more than once every five years. The collection has limited the number of responses requested, the length of the survey, and provides multiple response options (e.g., paper and electronic) to minimize the burden on small businesses.
Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
Data gathered from this information collection are not available from other sources. If this data is not collected, the Forest Service’s information and knowledge of private woodland owners and their concerns and activities will be severely limited. In particular, the ability to analyze trends in woodland ownership issues and ascertain the emerging issues would be nonexistent. The gaps in information will result in poor planning and implementation of Federal programs, such as Federal landowner assistance programs; incomplete assessments of the country’s resources; and a general lack of data about this important and dynamic group of owners who control a substantial portion of the Nation’s woodland resources. The Forest Service’s inability to assess issues and activities associated with woodland owners is problematical because society is placing increasing demands on these lands through demand for recreational access, ecosystem services, etc.
A partnership committee of people representing public agencies with an interest in the information collected on the NWOS was formed to help make strategic decision about the information collection. The partnership committee recommended that the NWOS be conducted on a five year cycle to meet the needs of the client groups. To meet the mandated 5-year reporting timeline of the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, of which the NWOS is a component, the survey cycle should not be reduced.
Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:
Requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;
Requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
Requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;
In connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;
Requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or
Requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.
There are no special circumstances associated with this information collection.
If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8 (d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.
The notice of the Agency’s intent to reinstate this collection was published in the Federal Register on 11/5/2009 (Volume 74, Number 213, pages 57286-57288). No comments were received.
Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.
All groups and individuals conducting research in this field and those who are the primary end-users of the results were invited to provide feedback on this information collection. The feedback was reviewed by a partnership committee consisting of public employees including:
Ted Beauvais, USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry;
Linda Casey, State Forester of Alabama;
Larry Kotchman, State Forester of North Dakota;
Dave Lytle, State Forester of Ohio;
Eric Norland, National Institute of Food and Agriculture;
Andy Mason, Natural Resources Conservation Service; and
Greg Reams, USDA Forest Service, Research and Development.
Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years even if the collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.
In addition to consultation with the people representing the woodland owners, the Forest Service ask permission to conduct focus groups, as outlined in this information collection proposal, to solicit feedback directly from the potential respondents.
Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than re-enumeration of contractors or grantees.
Responses are voluntary, and no payments or gifts are made to any respondents. In a previous iteration of the NWOS, non-monetary incentives were tested, but no significant differences in response rates were found. Logistic constraints hamper our ability to use monetary incentives.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
As mandated by section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (Pub. L. 99-198 Sec. 1770), any data collected by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program, of which the National Woodland Owner Survey is a component, that allows “the identification of the person who supplied particular information” to be identified is explicitly prohibited from being disclosed.
A confidentiality statement is included with each questionnaire that states: “Your participation in this survey is voluntary. Your answers to the questions will be kept confidential and will be combined with those of others. The results will only be used to determine patterns and trends.”
All records that include personally identifiable information will be protected as described in the NWOS of System of Records.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
No information of a sensitive nature will be collected or asked.
Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.
• Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form.
a) Description of the collection activity
b) Corresponding form number (if applicable)
c) Number of respondents
d) Number of responses annually per respondent,
e) Total annual responses (columns c x d)
f) Estimated hours per response
g) Total annual burden hours (columns e x f)
(a) Description of the Collection Activity |
(b) Form Number |
(c) Number of Respondents |
(d) Number of responses annually per Respondent |
(e) Total annual responses (c x d) |
(f) Estimate of Burden Hours per response |
(g) Total Annual Burden Hours (e x f) |
Self-administered questionnaire |
NWOS 5.0 Long |
2,950 |
1 |
2,950 |
0.42 |
1,239 |
Self-administered questionnaire |
NWOS 5.0 State |
1,000 |
1 |
1,000 |
0.33 |
330 |
Self-administered questionnaire |
NWOS 5.0 Short |
1,150 |
1 |
1,150 |
0.25 |
288 |
Focus groups |
NWOS 5.0 Focus Group Guide |
240 |
1 |
240 |
1.50 |
360 |
Totals |
--- |
5,340 |
--- |
--- |
--- |
2,217 |
*An estimated 5,340 private woodland owners will participate in this information collection on an annual basis. Each respondent will be instructed to complete the questionnaire for the woodland that they own in a given state. No owner will be contacted more than once every five years. The estimated burden for each respondent varies from 15 to 25 minutes depending on which form they receive. This burden was calculated by timing how long it took a sample of individuals to complete the survey instrument. The estimated total annual burden is 2,217 hours.
Record keeping burden should be addressed separately and should include columns for:
a) Description of record keeping activity: None
b) Number of record keepers: None
c) Annual hours per record keeper: None
d) Total annual record keeping hours (columns b x c): 0
No record keeping is required by respondents for this information collection.
• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.
(a) Description of the Collection Activity |
(b) Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents (Hours) |
(c) Estimated Average Income per Hour* |
(d) Estimated Cost to Respondents |
Self-administered questionnaire |
1,857 |
$19.88 |
$36,917 |
Focus groups |
360 |
$19.88 |
$7,157 |
Totals |
2,217 |
--- |
$44,074 |
* Based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 Statistical Abstract “Mean hourly earnings and weekly hours by selected characteristics” (www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/labor_force_employment_earnings.html; last accessed on 6-Jan-10)
Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.
There are no capital operation and maintenance costs.
Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.
The response to this question covers the actual costs the agency will incur as a result of implementing the information collection. The estimate should cover the entire life cycle of the collection and include costs, if applicable, for:
Employee labor and materials for developing, printing, storing forms
Employee labor and materials for developing computer systems, screens, or reports to support the collection
Employee travel costs
Cost of contractor services or other reimbursements to individuals or organizations assisting in the collection of information
Employee labor and materials for collecting the information
Employee labor and materials for analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, and/or reporting on the collected information
The total cost to the Federal government for implementing the NWOS will be $180,450 per year. This cost includes:
Task |
Cost |
Project coordination |
|
Labor |
$ 7,170 |
Survey design and production |
|
Labor |
$ 9,250 |
Materials (printing) |
$ 9,000 |
Data collection |
|
Labor |
$ 31,590 |
Materials |
$ 10,050 |
Telephone follow-up* |
$ 40,000 |
Data processing |
|
Labor |
$ 31,590 |
Focus Groups |
|
Labor |
$ 11,320 |
Expenses, such as room rental |
$ 6,000 |
Travel |
$ 9,000 |
Data analysis |
|
Labor |
$ 15,480 |
Total |
$ 180,450 |
* To be conducted by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
Labor costs are based on the estimated number of hours to complete each task, the grade level of the people required to complete it, and the salaries as reported in the Office of Personnel Management – 2010 Salary Tables. Other expenses were based on the proposed sample size and the prevailing costs for procuring the necessary materials.
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in items 13 or 14 of OMB form 83-I.
This information collection is a reinstatement with change of a previously approved, but now expired, information collection. The previous information collection was approved for an annual burden of 2,500 hours. The annual burden for this approval will be reduced to 2,110 hours. Burden was reduced by introducing a short form version and limiting the sample size in some states.
For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.
Following data processing, the results will be distributed in tabular format. These tables will be available on-line and in publications. An on-line data access tool will allow end users to generate custom tables. The Forest Service has developed the NWOS Table Maker for the previous iteration of the NWOS and plans to update this tool when the new data become available. (The link to the Table Maker is http://fiatools.fs.fed.us/NWOS/tablemaker.jsp)
The results will be published in technical reports, scientific articles, and popular articles. Tabular results will be provided in national and state reports. A stand alone report, such as Family Forest Owners of the United States, 2006 (NRS-GTR-27; www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/15758) published as part of the last iteration of the NWOS, will be produced and chapters will be submitted to other national reports, such as Forest Resources of the United States, 2007 (WO-GTR-78; www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/17334). Data will also be distributed in state-level reports produced by FIA. In addition, we have published the methods used to conduct the NWOS: Design, implementation, and analysis methods for the National Woodland Owner Survey (NE-GTR-336; www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/20830).
If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
The OMB expiration date will be displayed on all survey forms.
Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in item 19, "Certification Requirement for Paperwork Reduction Act."
The agency is able to certify compliance with all provisions in item 19.
1 The terms woodland and forest land are used synonymously in this document. Private land owners tend to refer to their land as woodland, and not forest, and hence our choice of terms in the survey.
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| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | DRAFT |
| Author | PCxx |
| Last Modified By | Butler, Brett |
| File Modified | 2010-08-12 |
| File Created | 2010-02-01 |