ABSTRACT
Ownership group has simplified and structured both forest policy rhetoric and forest economic analysis in the United States since the 1800s. Although questions and focus on particular owner ship groups have evolved, analysis has distinguished between industrial private, nonindustrial private and public (generally national forest) owners’ roles in determining timber supply and forest conditions. This chapter reviews this policy history and the research addressing differences in forest production behavior by ownership group and lays out new research challenges defined by recent and rapid changes in forest ownership.
