Comparing Perceived Preferences and Feasibility of Different Silvicultural Practices for Increasing Forest Carbon Stocks in Georgia, United States

Abstract

Forest management practices affect stored carbon stocks differently. Therefore, understanding the mismatch between stakeholder groups’ preferences for forest management practices and the likelihood of their adoption can highlight areas where socioeconomic externalities should be addressed. In addition to preference–feasibility gaps at the individual level, low participation in forest carbon programs can also reflect broader structural and economic constraints (e.g., monitoring/verification and transaction costs, aggregation/minimum-acreage requirements, contract duration/permanence requirements, and carbon price uncertainty). This study used the Analytical Hierarchy Process to explore stakeholder preferences for six forest management practices to increase carbon stocks in Georgia, USA, and compared them with their perceived feasibility. The results showed that increasing the capacity for sustainable forest management, using biochar and afforestation, can enhance the potential to increase carbon stocks, as their preference was higher than their perceived feasibility. Increasing awareness of the potential of conservation and longer rotation ages, which are more feasible but less preferred, will help improve stakeholder preferences and further increase their adoption. Priorities differed between men and women; however, gender-based comparisons are interpreted as exploratory, given the limited number of women respondents. These findings can benefit forest carbon program managers, landowners, and policymakers. Given the small, workshop-based sample, the findings should be interpreted as a pilot assessment intended to inform larger follow-on studies.