Abstract
This study aims to explain the anti-forest management（i.e., non-thinning）practices of resident and non-resident forest owners in an underpopulated rural area. Data from separate mail surveys among resident and non-resident forest owners of Nichinan town were analyzed through a binary logistic regression. This study found the following results.1）The size of a forest and recognition of the forest area can underpin the forest management behaviors of both resident and non-resident owners.2）Legal registrations for the forest can underpin the forest management behavior of resident owners.3）Education, ties with Nichinan town, and distance from the forest can underpin the forest management behavior of non-resident owners. The results contribute to the local government's forest policy in two ways. First, this study confirmed the importance of economic and cognitive factors in forestry policy research. Second, the analysis clarified that different factors affect the forest management behavior of resident and non-resident owners. Therefore, although the local government and forest owners' cooperatives can adopt the same measures for both resident and non-resident owners in some cases, they need to employ different strategies for both in other contexts.
