Forests provide crucial ecosystem services (ESs), including climate regulation, biodiversity, water regulation, and human well-being. However, demographic shifts in land ownership and ongoing land cover changes influence how forests are managed and the extent to which ESs are sustained, particularly in the southern United States (US). Female Forest Landowners (FeFLs) represent a growing but understudied stakeholder group in the southern US. Despite their increasing role in forest stewardship, research on gendered perceptions, values, and management priorities remains limited. At the same time, rapid urbanization poses challenges to forest-based ESs, necessitating proactive conservation strategies. This dissertation aimed to explore FeFLs’ socio-cultural perceptions of ESs; assess their ES preferences, trade-offs, and value orientations; and identify spatial prioritization of conservation areas for ESs amidst urbanization-driven land use/land cover (LULC) changes. Georgia, a prominent forestry state in the US was selected as a study area. For the first objective, I employed a mental model approach to explore FeFLs’ perceptions of ESs, revealing five key thematic areas: economics, personal enjoyment, family and heritage, social activities, and environmental benefits. For the second objective, I examined preferences, synergies, and trade-offs among FeFL about ESs using principal component analysis. FeFLs highly preferred cultural, regulating, and supporting services, with ES bundles grouped into the environment, economy, heritage & social cohesion, recreation & aesthetic benefits, and urban escape. The most pronounced trade-off occurred between the environment and the economy bundles. For the third objective, using the TerrSet Land Change Modeler and ESs estimation, I projected a future urban expansion (2021–2031) of 1.7% increase in urbanization in the Upper Oconee Watershed in Georgia, leading to a decline in habitat of importance (-0.7%) and carbon sequestration (-1.3%) along with an increase in annual stream flow (+20.5%). Using Pareto optimization, I identified 119 sub-basins, representing 21.8% of the total 545 sub-basins and covering 17.7% of the watershed area as priority conservation areas to balance ES synergies and mitigate urbanization impacts. By integrating principles of sustainable forest management, hydrology, social, and spatial perspectives, this dissertation advances the understanding of FeFLs’ role in the management of ES and offers a framework for spatial conservation planning to sustain the flow of ESs in changing landscapes. The findings inform equitable and inclusive sustainable forest management and conservation planning strategies in the southern US and beyond.
