Papers by Robert Lilieholm
Energy Policy, 2014
ABSTRACT Community views toward the risks and benefits of emerging renewable energy technologies ... more ABSTRACT Community views toward the risks and benefits of emerging renewable energy technologies are important factors in facility siting decisions and their eventual success. While the actual socioeconomic and biophysical impacts of proposed industrial developments are fraught with uncertainty, understanding public perceptions is critical in managing costs and benefits to local citizens. Here, we explore the social acceptability of forest-based biorefineries in Maine using random utility modeling to identify how project attributes and citizen characteristics interact to affect level of support. Using a statewide sample (Statewide) and a subsample of mill towns (Mill Towns), we found that: (1) in both samples, individual characteristics had similar coefficients and significance levels except for pro-environment attitudes; (2) the coefficients related to the industry’s negative attributes were notably different between the two samples, while positive attributes were not; (3) in both samples, positive industry attributes such as “producing products from a sustainable resource” and “increased economic development” were the most influential variables in determining the level of support for a new biorefinery in an individual’s community; and (4) in general, Mill Town respondents were more accepting of potential negative attributes such as increased levels of truck traffic, odor, noise, and air and water pollution.
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Population Research and Policy Review, 2003
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Given the interest in renewable energy sources across the United States, it is likely that biomas... more Given the interest in renewable energy sources across the United States, it is likely that biomass harvested directly from the forest will play an important role in creating and sustaining the forest bioindustry. This article shows that the Northeastern Region's strengths (abundant forest resources and an established forest sector) provide the framework for a sustainable and viable forest bioindustry. Careful consideration must also be given to existing infrastructure, resource conditions, forest operations, public policy, and the wide range of social values likely to emerge as the industry grows. Challenges that must be addressed include improvements to the overall condition of the forest operations community, integration of new technologies into existing facilities, and assessment of the impact social values may have on the supply of raw materials and processing. ABSTRACT policy
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Society & Natural Resources, 2010
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Society & Natural Resources, 2013
ABSTRACT An important goal of community-based management is to engage a wider network of stakehol... more ABSTRACT An important goal of community-based management is to engage a wider network of stakeholders in conservation and management decisions. Using mixed methods, we constructed a frame-based private landowner typology to identify landowner response patterns to vernal pool conservation and management in Maine. Drawing on data from interviews and focus groups, we identified two opposing frames that described landowner views on vernal pools (personal gain and personal loss). A mail survey identified three groups of private landowners (Supportive, Uncertain, and Opposing) with similar sociodemographic and property variables but different aesthetic preferences, economic concerns, and views on property rights and conservation. Our results suggest that frame-based typologies are useful for enhancing communications with different landowner groups and in identifying trusted information sources and communication preferences. Our approach represents a critical first step toward understanding and integrating a range of landowner perspectives into conservation practice and enhancing private landowner cooperation in proactive planning.
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Landscape and Urban Planning, 2011
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Environmental Management, 2010
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Environmental Management, 2012
During the post-World War II era, the Mojave Desert Region of San Bernardino County, California, ... more During the post-World War II era, the Mojave Desert Region of San Bernardino County, California, has experienced rapid levels of population growth. Over the past several decades, growth has accelerated, accompanied by significant shifts in ethnic composition, most notably from predominantly White non-Hispanic to Hispanic. This study explores the impacts of changing ethnicity on future development and the loss of open space by modeling ethnic propensities regarding family size and settlement preferences reflected by U.S. Census Bureau data. Demographic trends and land conversion data were obtained for seven Mojave Desert communities for the period between 1990 and 2001. Using a spatially explicit, logistic regression-based urban growth model, these data and trends were used to project community-specific future growth patterns from 2000 to 2020 under three future settlement scenarios: (1) an "historic" scenario reported in earlier research that uses a Mojave-wide average settlement density of 3.76 persons/ha; (2) an "existing" scenario based on community-specific settlement densities as of 2001; and (3) a "demographic futures" scenario based on community-specific settlement densities that explicitly model the Region's changing ethnicity. Results found that under the demographic futures scenario, by 2020 roughly 53% of within-community open space would remain, under the existing scenario only 40% would remain, and under the historic scenario model the communities would have what amounts to a deficit of open space. Differences in the loss of open space across the scenarios demonstrate the importance of considering demographic trends that are reflective of the residential needs and preferences of projected future populations.
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Protecting conservation values on privately owned lands is a significant issue in many parts of t... more Protecting conservation values on privately owned lands is a significant issue in many parts of the world. Early conservation strategies, which focused on setting-aside public lands from largely unpopulated ‘frontier’ regions, are becoming an increasingly limited option as populations grow, settlements spread, ownership patterns solidify, and land values rise. Yet as these human-defined boundaries proliferate across the globe and divide
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Papers by Robert Lilieholm