MANAGEMENT OF FARM WOODLOTS AND WINDBREAKS - SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LANDSCAPE PATTERNS

This article reports on the relationship between measures of farmers' conservation attitudes and motivations on the one hand, and their self -reported and observed management of windbreaks and woodlots on the ot her. The study was conducted on historic farms where tenureship is, on average, over four generations. A survey instrument assessed farmers' attitudes about farming, the benefits of using trees on farms, the ae sthetics of the rural landscape, motivation and their self-reported co nservation practices. An analysis of landscape patterns on respondents ' farms was conducted by analysis of aerial photography. Findings sugg est that a conventional, externally motivated approach to farming resu lts in reduced use of farm woodlots and windbreaks. In contrast, an ap proach based upon aesthetic and intrinsic forces is predictive of incr eased use and maintenance of woodlots and windbreaks. It is suggested that the promotion of conservation practices on farms may benefit from subtle, non-economic interventions as well as from financial and regu latory approaches.