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MONTANA
The public/private partnerships that evolved from the forestry best
management practice education effort have led to many small successes across
Montana. Those small successes will breed major victories for water quality
protection in the state.
Conducting an Experiment in Forestry Education
A recent experiment under Montana's forestry education program has proven
that its section 319-funded public awareness and education efforts are working.
Since 1989, Montana has concentrated its voluntary forestry BMP education
program on presenting workshops for loggers and landowners, developing printed
literature, and distributing literature to thousands of loggers, landowners,
and professional land managers.
In 1991, Montana decided to determine if a new BMP education campaign could
make a measurable difference in knowledge among its target audiences. A new
34-page, full-color forestry BMP booklet--written by Bob Logan, a Montana State
University Extension forester, and Bud Clinch, a Department of State Lands
commissioner-- provided the material.
The experiment had two major objectives--to measure user knowledge before
the booklet's release and to measure knowledge 12 months later. In 1991, a
direct mail questionnaire was sent to 550 randomly selected potential
respondents--timber fallers, forest landowners, dozer/skidder operators, road
builders, logging contractors, and foresters. The survey document contained 38
true-false and multiple-choice questions covering such subjects as stream
crossings and their effect on water quality, streamside management and timber
harvesting BMPs, hazardous materials, forest roads, and other forest
activities.
All those who completed the questionnaire received the BMP booklet by
return mail. Approximately 12 months later, the same questionnaire was sent to
all who responded to the 1991 mailing. The return rate on the 1991
questionnaire was 36 percent. The return rate for the second questionnaire from
those who had previously - responded and had received the booklet was 53
percent (Fig. 8-1).
Scores of all six audiences responding to the second questionnaire showed
improvement (Fig. 8-2). Forest landowners showed the largest increase in
knowledge--with test scores increasing by 9 percent. Road builders and timber
fallers increased 5 percent, with logging contractors and dozer/skidder
operators increasing by 4 percent. Knowledge of stream crossings increased the
greatest of all subject areas--by 20 percent (Fig. 8-3). Prior to this
experiment, the prevailing attitudes to Montana's voluntary BMP education
program were "Don't tell me what to do," "I know all there is to know about
BMPs," and "BMPs are just a matter of common sense." However, the 1992
questionnaire indicated a dramatic change in attitude among respondents. For
example, when asked about the need for increasing attention to forestry BMPs,
the average respondent leaned heavily toward the opinion that this information
was long overdue (Fig. 8-4).
Montana's voluntary forestry BMP education program, using $86,430 in
section 319 funds, appears to be working. On-the-ground audits of forest
harvest sites, conducted regularly by the Department of State Lands Forestry -
Division, show that in addition to increasing the knowledge of critical
audiences in subjects important to water quality protection, application of
that knowledge in the forest has dramatically improved.
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