The Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) recently published research-based communication strategies to help the conservation community achieve the goals of the American Woodcock Conservation Plan by encouraging private landowners to create and conserve early successional forest habitat on private lands.

This project, conducted in concert with D.J. Case and Associates, focused specifically on owners of small (10- to 100-acre) woodlands in 10 eastern states. This project was not designed to address communication needs of large landowners, industrial landowners or public lands. However, it was intended to provide foundational insights, approaches and communication strategies that could be applicable in other areas as well.

The following activities were conducted to develop a communication strategy.

Literature Review. The research team collected and reviewed pertinent literature regarding private, nonindustrial woodland owners and management of their forested lands.??

Interviews. The team identified and spoke with 30 key natural resource professionals who engage in early successional habitat management and outreach on private lands, to learn about their efforts, messages, audiences and assessment of such efforts.

Focus Groups.
Phase I. The team conducted four focus groups with private, nonindustrial woodland owners to determine why they might choose either to manage their land actively for early successional forest habitat or not, and to test the appeal of potential messages that might be used in a communication campaign.
Phase II. The team conducted three additional focus groups to test images, messages, tag lines and print ads that might be used to encourage private landowner participation in early successional habitat management.

National Woodland Owners Survey Analysis. The team reviewed results of the National Woodland Owner Survey for small woodland owners in Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) 14 and 28, to determine understanding of and attitudes toward forest ownership and management, and other conservation issues. It also compared demographics of and results from survey participants with participants in the Phase II Focus Groups, to determine to what degree focus group participants were "representative" of the broader woodland owner population, and whether results and insights obtained in focus groups could be applied to the broader population.

Based on results from this research, the team identified the top five target audiences for a communication campaign (objectives and broad strategies for achieving them are contained in the communication strategy).

1.?????? Private, non-industrial woodland owners of 10-100 acres in BCRs 14 and 28. ?These are the "end users"?people who must implement young forest habitat management on their lands.?????

2.?????? Conservation professionals with direct contactwith small parcel landowners as part of their normal operations/activities.

3.?????? Other conservation professionals who have potential contact with end users, and/or whose agencies/organizations have programs or efforts that encourage young forest management.

4.?????? Residents of forested communities who live in or near communities that have significant forested acreages (or lands that could be managed as young forest habitat).

5.?????? Hunters, especially woodcock and grouse hunters, with a vested interest in young forest habitat because of the positive impacts it has on the species they like to pursue.

The team proposed the following actions for encouraging small parcel landowners to implement young forest management on their lands.

Comprehensive Web Site
Design and develop a comprehensive Web site that provides the information and resources needed by each of the target audiences. Segment the site so the various sections can be customized very specifically to each of the target audiences. Early successional management is a complex topic, and a well-built Web site affords the opportunity to tell the full story in nested fashion, so people can access as much or as little information as they need.

Develop "Five-county Pilot Areas"
Create detailed pilot communication campaigns to increase young forest habitat management on private lands in one or more limited areas (five counties within one state, perhaps). There is far too much variability (habitat, programs, social norms, etc.) across the area of interest to implement a single communication campaign effectively. Each of the pilot areas should be large enough to show impacts, but small enough so a reasonable amount of communication can be delivered and impacts assessed in a meaningful manner. These campaigns should be customized to the local landowners, ecology, assistance programs and wood markets. If these pilot campaigns show positive results, expand them to encompass broader areas.

Large-scale Partnerships
Broad-scale communication efforts to landowners across large geographical regions to support young forest habitat for woodcock conservation is not strategically justifiable. That is, there probably are not enough landowners interested in woodcock conservation to make such a strategy succeed. (That approach probably is not economically feasible, either). However, there are other organizations and partners that are interested in young forest management, though not necessarily specifically interested in woodcock conservation. Deer, grouse, turkeys and a wide array of other wildlife and plants are dependent on young forests, as are woodcock. A wider array of species of interest will bring a much larger support base to bear on the issue. Messages that all such groups hold in common include:????????

• Young forest habitat is important for healthy ecosystems
• Timber harvest and other forest management, when done responsibly, are good for many types of plants and wildlife.
• Recognize that not all early successional management efforts will benefit woodcock. For instance, no amount of young forest on arid, upland sites will attract or hold woodcock. But partnerships can create synergy of effort for all partners, and help create informed consent for young forest management with the broader public.

These are final results from a two-year study funded by the Webless Migratory Game Bird Research Program (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). You can view all research reports, results,? recommendations and the communication strategy.

WMI and its partners will be using the communication guidance as they work to implement the Woodcock Conservation Plan. Currently, woodcock habitat initiatives are located in the Northern Forest Region, Northern Appalachian Mountains, Upper Great Lakes and Atlantic Coast.