Values, emotions and desired outcomes reflected in public responses to forest management plans

Abstract

This paper reports the results of analyses of six years of written public comments on forest management plans and projects pertaining to the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana. The goal of the research was to gain an understanding of public concerns for the use of the forest lands, within the fabric of their underlying values and emotions. Research methods included the development of a comprehensive taxonomy of expressed values, emotions, and desired outcomes found in the data set, followed by the computerized coding and analysis of the text. Quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a wealth of information on emotions and values expressed by the public, and provide support for previous theoretical positions and empirical findings.