Focus groups were organized with individuals owning between 15 and 720 forested acres in northern Minnesota to better identify their understanding of, questions about, and interest in forest certification; factors that would encourage or discourage their participation in certificationprograms; and the types of certification program characteristics they preferred. Family forest landowner participants were generally unfamiliar with the concept of forest certification. They expressed concern about certification costs and benefits, its impact on land-use decisionmaking, eligibility requirements, and program administration. They also expressed clear preferences about how forest certification programs should be tailored to family forest landowners. The availability of financial assistance to help cover initial and ongoing certification costs, assurance that certification will not encumber property rights, and clear and tangible benefits were found to positively influence their interest in participation. The perspectives of other family forest landowners influenced individual attitudes toward certification. Moreover, initial attitudes toward forest certificationonly became more entrenched as landowners were provided additional information about certification—skeptics became more disinterested while those inclined to participate became even more so. Recommendations for foresters, forest policymakers, and forest certification program leaders are presented that would encourage more family forest landowner participation in certification.

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This publication reports research involving pesticides. It does not contain recommendations for their use, nor does it imply that the uses discussed here have been registered. All uses of pesticides must be registered by appropriate State and/or Federal agencies before they can be recommended.CAUTION: Pesticides can be injurious to humans, domestic animals, desirable plants, and fish or other wildlife if they are not handled or applied properly. Use all herbicides selectively and carefully. Follow recommended practices for the disposal of surplus pesticides and their containers.