Location
201 Holdsworth Hall

Primary Interests

My current research focuses on survey methods for collecting information from private forestland owners, analyzing trends in private forest-land owners and the land that they own, and studying the factors that influence decisions made by private landowners. I am the director of the U.S. Forest Service’s National Woodland Owner Survey and co-director of the Family Forest Research Center.

Current Projects

  • USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey (www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos/)
  • Assessing the Participation, Effectiveness, and Equity of Revegetation Assistance Programs for Private and Tribal Landowners in the US.
  • Inventory Data to Analyze Spatio-temporal Drivers of Nordic Forests

Recent Publications

  • Bengston, D.N.; Hujala, T.; Butler, B.J. 2020. The “Coming Age of Wood” and Family Forest Owners: An Implications Wheel® Exploration. Small-scale Forestry. 19(2): 145–157. 10.1007/s11842-019-09423-7.
  • Butler, B.J. 2021. America’s family forest owners. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 116 p. http://bit.ly/AMCERICAS_FFOS. ISBN: 978-0-939970-69-8.
  • Butler, B.J.; Butler, S.M.; Caputo, J.; Dias, J.; Robillard, A.; Sass, E.M. 2021. Family forest ownerships of the United States, 2018: Results from the USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-199. Madison, WI: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 52 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-199.
  • Butler, B.J.; Butler, S.M.; Floress, K. 2023. Studies of Family Forest Owners in the USA: A Systematic Review of Literature from 2000 through 2019. Small-scale Forestry. 22(1): 1–35. 10.1007/s11842-022-09529-5.
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J. 2022. National Woodland Owner Survey. P. 35–49 Sampling and estimation documentation for the enhanced Forest Inventory and Analysis program: 2022. Westfall, J.A., J.W. Coulston, G.G. Moisen, and H. Anderson eds. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station.Available at https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-207
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J. 2020. nwos: An R package for working with USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey data. https://github.com/familyforestresearchcenter/nwos.
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J. 2021. Weighting for the USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey. General Technical Report NRS-GTR-198. Madison, Wisconsin, United States: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 25 p. https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/62743 (accessed on October 19, 2021).
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Crocker, S.J.; Garner, J.D.; Hemmer, B.; Kurtz, C.M.; Lister, T.W.; et al. 2022. Forests of Southern New England, 2017. Resour. Bull. NRS-RB-125. Madison, WI: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 15 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RB-125.
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Henderson, J.D.; Pugh, S.A.; Riitters, K.H.; Sass, E.M. 2022. An assessment of the sustainability of family forests in the U.S.A. Forest Policy and Economics. 142: 102783. 10.1016/j.forpol.2022.102783.
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Henderson, J.D.; Pugh, S.A.; Riitters, K.H.; Sass, E.M. 2022. Cross-boundary sustainability: Assessment across forest ownership categories in the conterminous USA using the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators framework. Forests. 13(7): 992. 10.3390/f13070992.
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.A.; Sass, E.M. 2023. Chapter 6: Forest resources: Trends in forest ownership. Future of America’s Forests and Rangelands: Forest Service 2020 Renewable Resource Planning Act Assessment. USDA Forest Service ed. Washington, DC: USDA Forest Service.
  • Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Robillard, A.L.; Sass, E.M.; Sutherland, C. 2021. One size does not fit all: Relationships between size of family forest holdings and landowner attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Forestry. 119(1): 28–44. 10.1093/jofore/fvaa045.
  • Butler, B.J.; Sass, E.M. 2023. Wood Supply from Family Forests of the United States: Biophysical, Social, and Economic Factors. Forest Science: fxad034. 10.1093/forsci/fxad034.
  • Butler, S.M.; Butler, B.J.; Sass, E.M. 2023c. Wildfire and Family Forest Owners: Concern, Advice, and Wildfire Reduction Behaviors from the United States National Woodland Owner Survey. Forest Science: fxad048. 10.1093/forsci/fxad048.
  • Butler, S.M.; Butler, B.J.; Sass, E.M. 2023d. Wildfire and Family Forest Owners: Concern, Advice, and Wildfire Reduction Behaviors from the United States National Woodland Owner Survey. Forest Science. : fxad048. 10.1093/forsci/fxad048.
  • Butler, S.M.; Schelhas, J.; Butler, B.J. 2020. Minority family forest owners in the United States. Journal of Forestry. 118(1): 70–85. 10.1093/jofore/fvz060.
  • Caputo, J.; Butler, B.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Catanzaro, P. 2023. A Survival Analysis of Family Forest Owners in the USA: Estimating Life Expectancy and 5-year Survivorship. preprint. In Review. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2928435/v1 (accessed on May 30, 2023).
  • Caputo, J.; Butler, B.J.; Brandeis, T.; Riitters, K. 2020. Changes in land use, forest ownership, parcel size, and fragmentation in forests of the U.S. South. e-Res. Pap. SRS–63. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 16 p. https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/60404 (accessed on July 3, 2020).
  • Danley, B.; Caputo, J.; Butler, B.J. 2021. A burning concern: Family forest owner wildfire concerns across regions, scales, and owner characteristics. Risk Analysis. 42(5): 1056–1072. 10.1111/risa.13816.
  • Hargrave, J.R.; Harper, R.W.; Butler, B.J.; Mullins, J.T. 2023. Municipal forest program management in the United States of America: A systematic review. Forests. 14(1): 35. 10.3390/f14010035.
  • Harris, V.; Caputo, J.; Finley, A.; Butler, B.J.; Bowlick, F.; Catanzaro, P. 2021. Small-Area Estimation for the USDA Forest Service, National Woodland Owner Survey: Creating a Fine-Scale Land Cover and Ownership Layer to Support County-Level Population Estimates. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 4: 745840. 10.3389/ffgc.2021.745840.
  • Holt, J.R.; Borsuk, M.E.; Butler, B.J.; Kittredge, D.B.; Laflower, D.; MacLean, M.G.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Orwig, D.A.; Thompson, J.R. 2020. Landowner functional types to characterize response to invasive forest insects. People and Nature. 2: 204–216. https ://doi. org/10.1002/pan3.10065.
  • Holt, J.R.; Butler, B.J.; Borsuk, M.E.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; MacLean, M.G.; Thompson, J.R. 2021. Using the theory of planned behavior to understand family forest owners’ intended responses to invasive forest insects. Society & Natural Resources. 34(8): 1–18. 10.1080/08941920.2021.1924330.
  • Huff, E.S.; Butler, B.J.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Hewes, J.H. 2019a. Longitudinal data on family forest owners: The US Forest Service’s National Woodland Owner Survey. Landscape and Urban Planning. 188: 93–96. 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.03.007.
  • Hujala, T.; Butler, B.J. 2020. Transformations Towards a New Era in Small Scale Forestry: Introduction to the Small-Scale Forestry Special Issue. Small-scale Forestry. 19(2): 123–128. 10.1007/s11842-020-09449-2.
  • Hujala, T.; Toppinen, A.; Butler, B.J., eds. 2019. Services in family forestry. Springer International Publishing. 359 p. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030289980 (accessed on July 17, 2020). ISBN: 978-3-030-28998-0.
  • Kurttila, M.; Butler, B.J.; Hujala, T.; Miina, J.; Vanhanen, H.; Vacik, H. 2019. The diversifying use of family forests—Opportunities for new services. P. 67–81 Services in Family Forestry. World Forests. Hujala, T., A. Toppinen, and B.J. Butler eds. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28999-7_4 (accessed on November 27, 2019). ISBN: 978-3-030-28999-7.
  • MacLean, M.G.; Holt, J.; Borsuk, M.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Butler, B.J.; Kittredge, D.B.; Duveneck, M.J.; et al. 2020. Potential impacts of insect-induced harvests in the mixed forests of New England. Forests Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. 11: 498. 10.3390/f11050498.
  • Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Borsuk, M.E.; Butler, B.J.; Duveneck, M.J.; Holt, J.; Kittredge, D.B.; Laflower, D.; MacLean, M.G.; Orwig, D.; Thompson, J.R. 2020. Compounding the Disturbance: Family Forest Owner Reactions to Invasive Forest Insects. Ecological Economics. 167: 106461. 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106461.
  • Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Brandeis, C.; Butler, B.J. 2023a. USDA Forest Service Timber Products Output Survey Item Nonresponse Analysis. Forest Science. 69(3): 321–333. 10.1093/forsci/fxad003.
  • Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Catanzaro, P.; Robillard, A.; Butler, B.J.; Orwig, D.A.; D’Amato, A.W.; Thompson, J.R.; Laflower, D.M.; MacLean, M.G.; Itter, M. 2023c. Forester and Logger Response to Emerald Ash Borer in Massachusetts and Vermont: a Secondary Disturbance. Journal of Forestry: fvad019. 10.1093/jofore/fvad019.
  • Murray, H.; Catanzaro, P.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Butler, B.J.; Eichman, H. 2021. Economic contributions from conserved forests: Four case studies of the USDA Forest Service Forest Legacy Program. Forest Science. 67(6): 629–632. 10.1093/forsci/fxab039.
  • Pandit, K.; Bevilacqua, E.; Newman, D.H.; Butler, B.J. 2021. Understanding the spatial pattern and driving factors associated with timberland ownership change in the northern United States. Journal of Forestry. 119(4): 376–392. 10.1093/jofore/fvab017.
  • Poudyal, N.C.; Butler, B.J.; Hodges, D.G. 2019. Spatial analysis of family forest landownership in the southern United States. Landscape and Urban Planning. 188: 163–170. 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.10.018.
  • Robillard, A.; Johnson Gaither, C.; Schelhas, J.; Butler, B.J. 2023. Black Family Forest Owners in the Southeastern United States: A Case Study in Six Counties. Journal of Forestry. : fvad042. 10.1093/jofore/fvad042.
  • Robillard, A.; Sass, E.; Dias, J.; Butler, B. 2019. Female Family Forest Owners in New England: Ownership and Management Trends. New England Society of American Foresters News Quarterly. 80(3): 4–7.
  • Sass, E.M.; Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Huff, E.S. 2023. Trends in U.S. family forest owners’ attitudes, behaviors, and general characteristics: A Longitudinal analysis of the USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey 2006-2018. Forest Science 10.1093/forsci/fxad040.
  • Sass, E.M.; Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Robillard, A.L. 2023. Family forest owner attitudes toward oak forests and management in the Central and Eastern U.S. Small-Scale Forestry: 1–18.
  • Sass, E.M.; Butler, B.J.; Markowski-Lindsay, M. 2020. Estimated Distribution of Forest Ownerships Across the Conterminous United States, 2017. Madison, WI: Forest Service, Northern Research Station. https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/rmap/rmap_nrs11.pdf.
  • Sass, E.M.; Butler, B.J.; Markowski-Lindsay, M. 2020. Forest ownership in the conterminous United States, 2017: Geospatial dataset. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0044 (accessed on October 8, 2020).
  • Sass, E.M.; Caputo, J.; Butler, B.J. 2022. United States Family Forest Owners’ Awareness of and Participation in Carbon Sequestration Programs: Initial Findings from the USDA Forest Service National Woodland Owner Survey. Forest Science. 68(5–6): 447–451. 10.1093/forsci/fxac026.
  • Sass, E.M.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Butler, B.J.; Caputo, J.; Hartsell, A.; Huff, E.; Robillard, A. 2021. Dynamics of large corporate forestland ownerships in the United States. Journal of Forestry. 119(4): 363–375. 10.1093/jofore/fvab013.
  • Shanafelt, D.W.; Caputo, J.; Abildtrup, J.; Butler, B.J. 2023. If a tree falls in a forest, why do people care?  An analysis of private family forest owners’ reasons for owning forest in the United States National Woodland Owner Survey. Small-scale Forestry. 22: 303–321. 10.1007/s11842-022-09530-y.
  • Simoes, J.; Markowski-Lindsay, M.; Butler, B.J.; Kittredge, D.B.; Thompson, J.; Orwig, D. 2019. Assessing New England family forest owners’ invasive insect awareness. Journal of Extension. 57(3): v57-3rb2.
  • Snyder, S.A.; Butler, B.J.; Markowski-Lindsay, M. 2019. Small-Area Family Forest Ownerships in the USA. Small-scale Forestry. 18(1): 127–147. 10.1007/s11842-018-9410-9.