• Kemp, William P.
  Michigan State University
  
• Simmons, Gary A.
  Michigan State University
  

Forty-nine percent of the total commercial forest land in the state of Maine is privately owned. Among the owners are thousands of individuals who possess 10 to 500 acre parcels. Historically, these small, private land owners have received little assistance with either forest management or spruce budworm management programs. Those who wish to participate in aerial spray programs have only very gross information to go on. Generally, each individual parcel is not assessed for budworm outbreak potential. This points to an important need to establish both a vulnerability and a hazard rating system specific for small land owners. Our analysis indicates that several things should be done; 1)an accurate ownership mapping system should be established for the state of Maine; 2) a vulnerability rating system specific for small ownerships should be developed and tested; 3) a budworm population/damage assessment system should be developed specific for small land owners; 4) forest management strategies for small land owners should likewise be developed and education programs to teach such methods implemented; 5) to assist in extending this information to small owners, the FIDM demonstration projects should be used as a vehicle to illustrate what can and should be done.