MIRAGE.NEWS • February 5, 2025
Many U.S. forests are privately owned, particularly in the Eastern and North Central part of the country. This makes control of invasive plants and pests challenging because efforts must be coordinated across landowners. A new study of Maine and New Hampshire family forest landowners explores how differences in ownership motivation affects willingness to control, and how economic incentives can be implemented most efficiently. Study author Shadi Atallah, an associate professor in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, found that in most scenarios, the recreationist would not control an invasive shrub without cost-share payment, while the timber owner would choose to control regardless of subsidies. "My conclusion is that we should provide the subsidy to the weakest link, which in this case is the recreationist.”