Assignment 4
Example of a format for Assignment 4
Question: What themes are present in the public comment on Pilot Joe submitted by Forest Protection and More Board Feet, and how do they differ?
Qualitative Data: The following table summarizes …..
Table 1: Prominent Value and Attitude Themes in Interest Group Comments (Name orgs) on Pilot Joe
| Organization | Theme | Memo | Frequency |
| Forest Protection (Comment submitted by Julia Butterfly) | Forest Aesthetics (Value) | Several statements mentioned beauty. For example, “We love looking at the forest” | |
| Forest Protection (Comment submitted by Julia Butterfly) | Oppose Restoration (Attitude) | Declared opposition to the restoration forestry methods proposed in Pilot Joe. For example, “ We don’t support thinning old growth, even in the name of restoration. Leave the land alone.” | |
| More Board Feet (comment submitted by Paul Bunyan) | Forest Health (Belief) | Statement indicating a belief that the forest is unhealthy. For example: “… | |
| Etc. |
Results: It is clear from my summary that two themes, one a value and one an attitude, drive the comment from Forest Protection. They value the beauty of forested landscapes and oppose active management because tree stumps are ugly. On the other hand, More Board Feet encouraged the BLM to….
Conclusions: Thinking back to my exploration of public opinion about forests, it seemed that people in the region were concerned about fire and therefore were willing to support forest restoration as long as ecological goals were driving that work and there was public oversight (Shibley, 2012). In this way, it seems like public opinion is more moderate than the perspective of either of the interest groups I studied in this assignment.
