Michael Jacobson

Pennsylvania State University | Penn State · Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

The southern African region suffers from drought and food system uncertainty with increased risks due to climate change, natural disasters, and global catastrophes. Increasing crop diversity with more appropriate and resilient crops is an effective way of increasing food system resilience. We focus on crop species that are native or naturalized to...

Azolla caroliniana Willd. is an understudied wild edible plant native to the Eastern United States. Other species of Azolla have been used across the world for several thousand years as a livestock feed and as “green manure.” The use of Azolla for human consumption is thought to be limited by its high total polyphenolic content (TPC). However, the...

Introduction Increased risks from global climate change and sun-blocking global catastrophic risks (such as a nuclear winter), warrant the reevaluation of our food systems and their resilience to these climatic changes. Increasing native agrobiodiversity is a simple way of increasing food system resilience, and despite the vast amount of native gen...

Highlights Technoeconomic analysis helps increase understanding of the potential of shrub willow debarking and provide assessment of economic opportunities. Harvest and transport costs are increased by debarking and account for more than 50% of total costs. The fraction of clean wood material is higher when shrub willow is harvested during the dorm...

A global sun-blocking catastrophe is more plausible than anyone would like to think. Models have consistently shown the devastating effects these events could have to the world's agricultural systems for upwards of 15 years. New shade-, drought-, and cool-tolerant crops and more food stockpile sources must be found if there would be any hope of fee...

A global, sun-blocking catastrophe like nuclear war, an asteroid strike, or super volcano eruption spells disaster for most aspects of life as we know it. There have been many studies on how differing magnitudes of sun-blocking catastrophes would affect the global climate, and many mention the effects of this cold, dark climate on forests and cropp...

Sufficiently valuing small-diameter-stem (diameter < 9 in.) woody material in Pennsylvania forest product markets may incentivize increased utilization of that material, a resource opportunity that would provide economic and ecological benefits to the state's forests and forest products community. Debarking is one primary process that could enhance...

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus facilitates understanding of the intricate and dynamic interlinkages among the three resources. Its implementation can enhance resource securities and sustainable development. Despite its potential, full adoption of the approach has been hindered by a lack of actionable strategies to guide its practical application...

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are derived from natural populations of plants or fungi, or farmed in forests. Harvesters and producers often benefit from NTFPs by selling them to generate income. This article explores research on the producers, production, marketing, and sales of NTFPs in the United States, including the continuum of production...

The mechanical behavior of the wood-bark interface of shrub willow was tested to investigate the influence of key factors: harvest season, moisture content, and cultivars. The mechanical properties enable the design and optimization of the performance of debarking equipment for short-rotation woody stems and can help improve understanding of the me...

In 1999, an article entitled Delivering on the Promise of Agroforestry in this journal showed that agroforestry, including improved fallow systems, had evolved from a collection of activities to a full-fledged recognizable science that was bringing promising results to African farmer needs. This case study specifically examines the promise of soil...

Debarking has the potential to make short rotation woody crops more economically attractive by both improving the quality of woody material and creating a new product stream from separated bark. Thus, in this research the ultimate strength of the wood-bark interface was studied relative to the development and optimisation of debarking systems and s...

Woody biomass is the main energy source in Kenya since most Kenyan households use fuelwood and/or charcoal for heating and cooking needs. It is expected that major reliance of wood fuels will continue for decades, in the face of dwindling feedstock supply due to severe forest loss. As an alternative to charcoal, wood pellets have potential to be wi...

Malawi has not yet transitioned from the use of wood to more sustainable and efficient means of energy production. This aggravates the already dire problem of deforestation and contributes to severe fuelwood scarcity. The rural sellers of fuelwood, whose livelihoods depend upon access to the commodity, are particularly incentivized to find means of...

This paper investigates the spatial heterogeneity of landowners’ willingness to supply three bioenergy crops: switchgrass, Miscanthus, and willow, in the Northeastern United States. Spatial heterogeneity might arise for several reasons. For example, landowners closer to bioenergy processing plants might be more likely to be willing to supply bioene...

As the largest consumer of petroleum and second highest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, the United States currently is a leading country in bioenergy production driven by a series of policies. One such public program that directly subsidizes biomass feedstock growers is the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which recently received atten...

One of the issues with large‐scale perennial energy crop production is increasing land use competition between ‘food and feed’ and ‘fuel’. A commonly suggested solution is to limit energy crop plantation to marginal lands. However, the concept and the methods used to assess marginal lands remain vague and inconsistent across bioenergy‐related studi...

Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) encompass a broad variety of edible, woodbased, decorative, and medicinal goods derived from various plant and fungus parts (Chamberlain et al. 1998). NTFPs provide signifcant economic benefts to users in the United States; however, many of these values have not been systematically researched or quantifed (Alexande...

A major critique of large scale biomass production is the land competition between food and energy crops. A commonly suggested solution is to limit energy crop production to marginal lands. Physical marginality is often used when discussing marginal lands. However, as important is the socioeconomic marginality. This research fills this gap by evalu...

Agroforestry systems may play an important role in mitigating climate change, having the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in plant parts and soil. A meta-analysis was carried out to investigate changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 0–15, 0–30, 0–60, 0–100, and 0 ≥ 100 cm, after land conversion to agroforestry. Data was...

Trees that produce oilseeds have the potential to improve rural livelihoods through the production of vegetable oil for energy and other purposes, as well as valuable co-products, such as animal feed and organic fertilizers. In Kenya, Croton megalocarpus (Croton) is a prolific and widely distributed tree with such potential being currently underuti...

Rapid urbanization and population growth have resulted in increasing demand for fuelwood and higher rates of deforestation in Malawi. Agroforestry fuelwood technology (AFT) offers a sustainable approach to addressing this problem. Adoption levels, however, remain low due to several factors. This study explores the influence and interactions among t...

Replacing row crops with perennial bioenergy crops may reduce nitrogen (N) loading to surface waters. We estimated the benefits, costs, and potential for replacing maize with switchgrass to meet required N loading reduction targets for the Chesapeake Bay (CB) of 26.9 Gg⁻¹. After subtracting the potential reduction in N loading due to improved N fer...

Farm scale pellet production is a promising opportunity for farmers and landowners interested in producing a renewable biomass fuel. However, the true costs and performance of these systems in a farm setting is not fully understood. A feasibility analysis was carried out on the farm-scale switchgrass production operation at Wood Crest Farm near Ber...

In order to develop climate adaptation strategies that address location and context-specific vulnerabilities, there is need to understand how communities perceive the variability in their climate as perception of climate variability is a critical component within which climate adaptation should operate. This paper examines communities’ perceptions...

This study investigates intra household level decision-making in two rural districts in the Mt Elgon region. Data was collected from 442 respondents using a household survey. Pearson Chi-Square (χ2), Multinomial and logistic regressions were used to understand the gender dimensions of decision making and barriers to climate change adaptation. The s...

The viability of bioenergy projects and policies depends in part on the economic availability (supplies and prices) of biomass feedstocks. The Northeast USA is poised with significant woody biomass resources, largely available from forest lands and urban wood waste. Further, the Northeast has great potential to augment feedstock supplies with short...

Forests are the dominant land use in the Northeast United States, and as such are of significant interest as a source of fuel to meet energy needs in a sustainable, renewable manner. Unlike fossil fuels which are often shipped thousands of miles from source to use, the production of forest bioenergy is often a much more local concern. The biogeogra...

Following its inclusion in Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the harvest, sale and trade of wild ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) for international commerce has been restricted by law in Pennsylvania since the late 1980s. Since then, exports from the state have declined driving the...

Non-timber forest products' (NTFP) market potential to achieve livelihood development and poverty reduction objectives is often constrained by socioeconomic factors. This paper explores NTFP market constraints from village households' perspective and examines how different socioeconomic factors may influence those constraints. This case study focus...

Exploring extent and pattern of non-timber forest product (NTFP) income contribution to livelihoods of forest-adjacent people and the income related socio-economic factors is crucial in designing any development and conservation initiative. This paper examines NTFPs' role in contributing to the household economy and how different socio-economic fac...

Evaluating environmentally sustainable and culturally sensitive approaches to natural resource management issues is a necessary step towards improving livelihoods in rural South Africa. This study assessed the applicability of various agroforestry practices to natural resource management issues in the village of GaMothiba located in the northwester...

Preferential property tax treatment of forested land is part of legislative policy in all 50 states. West Virginia's Managed Timberland (Managed Timberland) is designed to retain private forest land in forested use. In West Virginia, although private forest land owners hold 9.7 million acres of forest land (83% of forest land), Managed Timberland e...

Selected forestry officials in each of the 13 western states were surveyed in 2005 concerning their opinions on the public and private financial incentive programs available to nonindustrial private forest owners in their state. The officials were asked to name and describe the programs and to assess forest owners' awareness of each one, its appeal...

This research explores the intersection between the various federal and state forestry incentive programs and the adoption of sustainable forestry practices on non-industrial private forest (NIPF) lands in the US. The qualitative research reported here draws upon a series of eight focus groups of NIPF landowners (two each in Minnesota, Oregon, Penn...

South Africa is a world leader in the forest products industry and this industry contributes significantly to the country's economy. Challenges to the industry's future include land reform, water use, global competition, regulations, outsourcing and privatisation (the decreased role of government in forest management). These issues impact forestry...

Forest riparian buffers are an important means of conserving land. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offers financial incentives to landowners to install forested riparian buffers under 10–15year contracts. This study explores whether Pennsylvania CREP participants who had established a riparian buffer would also place it under a...

A Web site that lists forestry and conservation financial incentive programs available to non-industrial private forest owners is described. Federal, state, and private sources are included, and the listing is on a state-by-state basis. The site is interactive and very easy to use. All the federal USDA and Department of Interior programs, state cos...

Selected forestry officials in each of the 20 northern states were surveyed concerning their opinions on the public and private financial incentive programs available to nonindustrial private forest owners in their state. The officials were asked to name and describe the programs and to assess forest owners' awareness of each one, its appeal among...

State forestry officials responsible for forestry incentive programs in each of the 13 southern states were surveyed concerning their opinions on financial incentive programs available to nonindustrial private forest owners. The forestry officials were asked to name and describe the public and private programs available in their state, to assess fo...

The forest flora of eastern North America includes many herbaceous plant species traded in domestic and international medicinal markets. Conservation concerns surrounding wild-collection exist and transitioning to cultivation in agroforestry systems has potential economic and ecological benefits. Costs and revenues associated with adopting forest c...

Conservation incentive programs have substantial impacts on the nation's forests and wildlife habitat. There are eight major conservation incentive programs. The Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) provides forest landowner assistance by focusing on resource management plans embodying multi-resource stewardship principles. The Forest Land Enhancement...

Financial incentive programs were evaluated to assess their contribution to promoting sustainable forestry practices on the nation's family forests. The evaluation consisted of an extensive review of the literature on financial incentive programs, a mail survey of the lead administrator of financial incentive programs in each state forestry agency,...

In an effort to assess agroforestry adoption potential among a diverse Pennsylvania landowner population, a mail survey instrument was sent to 250 members of the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and 250 members of Woodland Owner Associations (WOA). Current management objectives and production strategies, agroforestry aware...

Forestry incentive programs are of high interest to non-industrial private forest owners. They can involve cost share for things like reforestation or stand improvement, income tax credits, property tax benefits, technical assistance, and regulatory streamlining. These benefits go a lot farther than the timber-oriented programs of the past. Objecti...

Commonly used timber species with the longest time series in the Pennsylvania Timber Market Report (TMR) fell into three distinct groups of price growth over the 1984 to 2003 lifespan of the TMR. Black cherry and hard maple had the highest growth rates, followed by northern red oak, soft maple, and yellow-poplar that grew at lesser but still high r...

In the United States, agroforestry adoption has lagged behind progress in agroforestry systems research. This study sought to facilitate the communication of landowner land management objectives, values, knowledge and perceptions of the barriers and benefits to agroforestry through applied social marketing research methods and market segmentation a...

Pennsylvania is a major hardwood lumber producing state. Since 1984, the Pennsylvania Timber Market Report (TMR) has provided quarterly stumpage and mill-delivered prices for important timber species groups for four subregions within the state. Stumpage price data covering the period from 1984 to 2000 are available for eight species groups. These s...

South Africa, the largest industrial roundwood producer in Africa, is a water-scarce country. To ensure adequate water for all South Africans, the post-apartheid government has made a radical shift in water policy, under which timber plantations are now categorized as streamflow reduction activities requiring licenses and incurring water charges. A...

Since the late 19th century, many states have offered tax relief to forest owners. Pennsylvania has had three special forest tax programs. The first, passed in 1887, was a rebate to forest landowners and was intended to slow forest exploitation. In 1906, a county court ruled that the rebates violated the state's constitution. In 1913, the state pas...

Many factors influence forest landowner management decisions. This study examines landowner decisions regarding participation in ecosystem management activities, such as a landscape corridor cutting across their private lands. Landscape corridors are recognized worldwide as an important tool in biodiversity conservation. For ecosystem management ac...

In the south-east United States, 70% of the forest area is privately owned, by an estimated 5 M landholders. If ecosystem or landscape-level management is to work, cooperation across private ownerships is essential. As a first step in garnering cooperation among landowners, a mail survey was carried out to understand their characteristics, attitude...

Our profession struggles with its identity. Are we timber brokers, ecosystem managers, or who knows what? How many times have we heard the familiar, “Oh, you're a forester. You sit in a fire tower, right?” We're pretty sensitive about it, but the confusion of names and misapplied meaning is not limited to professional titles. Like it or not, the na...

At the turn of the 20th century, timber harvesting and other factors resulted in the high-value hardwood forests we see in Pennsylvania. One-half million private forest landowners own three-quarters of this forested area. Providing resource management information of these forest landowners demands that agencies and organizations cooperate to use li...

This overview and the accompanying case studies (Finley and Jacobson, Glover and Jones, and Reed) showcase three models for encouraging forest stewardship through informal education. All three cases are rooted in a fundamental premise that knowledge leads to better forestry decisions by landowners. Each case characterizes and emphasizes the importa...

PART ONE: THE MAKING OF AMERICA'S ANCIENT FORESTS. The Great Cold. Glacial Ages. Climate and Ice. Land of the Great Cold. End of the Ice Age. Ice Age Forests. Life Near the Ice. The Spruce Forest. Western Forests. Southern Forests. Finding the Lost Prairies. Creatures of the Ice Age. The Birth of Modern Forests. Trees Begin to Move. Pioneer and Set...

On fragmented forest lands, ecosystem or landscape management approaches must cut across multiple ownerships. Therefore, communication and joint planning between neighboring landowners may be necessary for successful implementation of ecosystem management. This study examines landowners' interest in, and attitude toward, ecosystem management. Speci...

This study examined the compatibility between sustainable forestry practices and the framework of public and private financial ince toward nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners. The incenti tax, cost-share, and other types of rograms. The study consisted of four components: a literature review, a mail survey of selecte ntive programs directed...

This paper is based on a presentation at the SAF Convention that assesses the potential of financial incentives for enhancing the practice of sustainable forestry on the nation's private forests. The evaluation consisted of an extensive review of the literature on financial incentive programs, a mail survey of the lead administrator of financial in...