Conjoint analysis is used to examine landowner attitudes toward specific management program attributes and requirements. Our results suggest that the majority of respondents are very reluctant to convey landowner rights, such as timber rights or public access, without unrealistic levels of compensation ($ 53 to $ 185 per hectare per year). This implies the need to develop alternatives to the conventional economic incentive based approach to forest management. It is envisioned that the conjoint methodology used here could readily be applied to study landowner decision making in other countries.