- Connections between social systems and landscape change
- Effecting landscape outcomes through social network analysis
- Behavior of landowners and other actors related to forest-based ecosystem services
- Cross-boundary coordination on highly parcelized landscapes
Current Student and Trainee Collaborators
Social networks and decision-making [link to project]: Through two projects in Wisconsin and Massachusetts, we are investigating how social networks inform decision-making at the landholding scale. Our initial focus is on landowner decision-making related to timber harvest and conservation easements. This aspect of the work is led by David Kittredge and I and includes two summer students that are part of the Harvard Forest REU program. We will also apply this approach to understanding Best Management Practices for Water Quality (BMP) implementation by private landowners in Wisconsin as part of WDNR's BMP monitoring program with the help of Tricia Knoot.
Social networks and ecological systems: We are also exploring how social networks span and connect working landscapes. Through one project, we are exploring the connection between resource professionals, working landscapes (farms & forests), and water quality [link to project] This project forms the basis of Jon Breschak's PhD work. A separate project--primarily led by Tricia Knoot and starting later in 2008--will explore the connection between fiber production, water quality, and landscape-scale management in Nothern Wisconsin [link to project]. Both studies are a collaboration with Phil Townsend and Christina Prell.
Landowners and Small-scale Forestry [link to project]: Tom Steele, Tricia Knoot, and I are investigating the effects of operational constraints in forestry on forest owner decision-making. First, we will identify policy-relevant ownership categories that reflect on-the-ground implications. Second, we will assess the effects of operational constraints (as well as other factors) on owner decision-making through the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Third, we will evaluate to effects of a "just-in-time" extension program to assist forest owners.
Local revenue effects of the Managed Forest Law: Working with stakeholders, we will assess the local (i.e., townships, school districts, and counties) revenue effects of increased and decreased participation in the state's primary incentive program for private forest owners. This project is partially funded by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry.
Select Recent Publications (full CV [pdf])
- Rickenbach & Kittredge. In press [subscribers only]. Time and distance: Comparing motivations among forest landowners in New England. Small-scale Forestry.
- Gass, Rickenbach, Schulte, & Zeuli. In press [subscribers only]. Cross-boundary coordination on forested landscapes: Investigating alternatives for implementation. Environmental Management.
- Schulte, Rickenbach, & Merrick. 2008. Ecological and economic benefits of cross-boundary coordination among private forest landowners. Landscape Ecology 23(4):481-496.
- Wisconsin's Forest Sustainability Framework Advisory Committee (Rickenbach, chair). 2007. Wisconsin Forest Sustainability Framework: Report submitted to the Wisconsin Council on Forestry. Madison, WI. 90 pp.
- Rickenbach & Steele. 2006. Logging Firm Specialization in the Northwoods: Identifying Dependency on Nonindustrial Private Forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 36(1):186-194.
Appointments, Affiliations, & Memberships
Extension Specialist, UWEX Cooperative Extension Service
Member of AAAS, International Network for Social Network Analysis, SAF, and the IUFRO's Small-scale Forestry Working Group.
Personal (not really)
I am married to Zoë and we have a son, Elijah, and a daughter, Ada Elizabeth. We also have two black cats, Merri and Pippin. I enjoy cycling, reading, and crosswords. I am originally from Berks County, Pennsylvania.