Reconsidering the role of public participation in the Finnish forest planning system

Abstract

The article examines the role of public participation rights in the Finnish forest planning system and considers the need for improvement, with a particular focus on private forests. Public participation is approached here as one of the tools for achieving social and ecological sustainability in forestry. The paper shows that public participation rights are very limited in the forest planning and management schemes in Finland. Among other things, access to environmental information is restricted, which is exceptional in modern environmental and natural resource law. The article concludes that there is a need to strengthen the participatory elements in forest planning if the aim is to improve environmental and social sustainability in forestry.

Public Participation in Forest Landscape Management Planning (FLMP) in Italy

“…Public Participation in FLMP 467 history, founded, as it is, on well-documented experience, although not all the requirements considered desirable, in terms of participation, can be considered achieved (Aasetre, 2006;Kangas et al, 2010;Leskinen, 2004;Pappila & Pölönen, 2012;. In Central Europe the situation is more varied, with some areas still characterized by a traditional approach to forest planning (Maier, Lindner, & Winkel, 2014).…”

Finnish forest policy in the era of bioeconomy: A pathway to sustainability?

“…While timber production and economically sustainable harvesting have traditionally been the two foci of Finnish forest policy (Kotilainen and Rytteri, 2011), the issue of biodiversity has increasingly surfaced as the most important forest value for citizens (Valkeapää and Karppinen, 2013). In spite of this, a legitimacy deficit has persisted due to perceived continued dominance of economic goals and interests, both in the governance of publicly owned forests (Raitio and Harkki, 2014) and in the overall national forest policy and planning processes (Pappila andPölönen, 2012 andValkeapää, 2014).…”

Public Perceptions and Acceptance of Intensive Forestry in Sweden

“…Given that any forest policy influences various forest functions, and that forest policy in a democratic society such as Sweden, at least in theory, is influenced by public opinion, it is of interest to understand what the public acceptance of intensive forestry is, and what factors it may depend on. Incorporating the public opinion in the forest policy may result in greater acceptance of forest practices and policies (Pappila and Pölönen 2012) and reduce risk of activist behavior (McFarlane and Hunt 2006). The implications of the public acceptance of intensive forestry are vast, since public policies may change the behavior of many people and organizations (Stern 2000).…”