The Knowledge and Value Basis of Private Forest Management in Sweden: Actual Knowledge, Confidence, and Value Priorities

Eriksson, Louise; Fries, Clas

doi:10.1007/s00267-020-01328-y

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Environmental forest values, on the other hand, positively affected restoration, leaving forests untouched and applying more mixed and broad-leaved species. This result is in line with studies that show that values affect management behavior (e.g., Eriksson and Fries 2020). Based on our analysis, we argue that the methods and tools for management planning (e.g., forest management plan and certification schemes) and forestry operations (e.g., mechanized harvesting) are typically standardized, production-oriented, and influenced by the economy of scale adapted to the logistic and production systems of the large-scale forestry.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

The Impact of Swedish Forest Owners’ Values and Objectives on Management Practices and Forest Policy Accomplishment

Lindgren

Westin

2023

Small-scale Forestry

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Swedish forestry policy principles rest on voluntarism and a mutual interest among forest owners, the industry, and the state that timber production continuously be kept at a high level at the same time as environmental goals are achieved. An estimated 313,000 small-scale forest owners own half of Sweden’s forestland, and thus their objectives and values, and how these impact their management behavior, are matters of national policy interest. From a survey targeting a random sample of small-scale Swedish forest owners (n = 652), we found that overall forest owners found consumption objectives to be more important than production objectives. In line with this, they perceived social values, such as recreation, to be more important than economic values. Yet, on an aggregate level, timber production goals were fulfilled. Further, most forest owners left some of their productive forest untouched and applied restoration management, which could be interpreted as either intentional or unintentional considerations of the environmental goals. However, the environmental goals were not met on a national level. It can therefore be concluded that the voluntariness of the current forest policy seems to work when supported by the market’s interest in and mechanism for timber production but fails when only “soft” instruments such as information campaigns, advisory services, and education are at hand to promote environmental goals. Additional economic incentives, such as payment schemes, might be required.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

The Impact of Swedish Forest Owners’ Values and Objectives on Management Practices and Forest Policy Accomplishment

Lindgren

Westin

2023

Small-scale Forestry

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“…Gender has also been connected to the group of passive forest owners. In the review of Matilainen and Lähdesmäki (2023), being female (Eriksson and Fries 2020) or being a highly educated male (Malovrh et al 2015) were both attributes connected to passive forest owners.…”

Section: The Concept Of 'Active Forest Owner'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging the concept of active forest ownership: the perspective of women forest owners in Finland

Kuhlman

2024

Diss. For.

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In Finland, women comprise 41% of private forest owners. However, studies examining forest ownership from the gender perspective are scarce. Forestry and forest ownership is a field dominated by masculine and techno-economic values. For example, this is manifested in the ideal of ‘active forest owner’ in forest policy documents. Therefore, this dissertation studied the concept of ‘active forest ownership’ from the perspective of women forest owners. Different conceptual lenses were used, such as the gender theory and service-dominant logic. Specifically, the thesis focused on four questions: 1. Are women less active than men when a variety of forestry related activities are studied? (Article I); 2. How do women forest owners understand the concept of active forest owner, how does it differ from the one from Finnish forest policy and what kind of attributes impact women forest ownership? (Article II); 3. Do women forest owners have differing objective structure compared with men? (Article III); and 4. Is the relationship between objectives and activity different between women and men? (Article IV). Both quantitative (Articles I, III and IV) and qualitative (Article II) methods were applied. Articles I and III employ exploratory factor analysis and Article IV confirmatory factor analysis. Two sets of data were used: a questionnaire of the Finnish Forest Owner 2020 research project (n=6558) and 22 semistructured interviews. In this thesis, women were found to be less active than men when a selection of forestry related activities were studied (Article I). Women forest owners also had more diverse objective structure compared with men (Article III). In addition, the relationship between forest owner objectives and activity differed between genders (Article IV). Women also defined the concept of ‘active forest owner’ as a much wider concept than Finnish policies. (Article II). These findings suggest that forest ownership is a gendered performance and that there is a lack of service-dominant logic, that is, value cocreation corresponding to the objectives of women. More specifically, the results indicate that women owners need support, especially when forest ownership is something new. Furthermore, gendering and the prevailing forest values impact the whole forest owner population, their behaviour and forest owner research. Understanding this can enable the design of more equal and inclusive forest policies and services.

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“…Forest owners with medium to large scale properties were wellrepresented within the CM category (data not shown). Owners with larger property sizes have in previous studies been shown to have more objective knowledge of forest management and of adaptation to climate change (Eriksson & Fries, 2020).…”

Section: Societal Challenge # 1: Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the given responses for undertaken forest management activities, our study revealed a more active approach to forest management among CMs compared to the other categories, resulting in a more frequent establishment of broadleaved stands and mixed forest (Fig 3). Increased social interaction among owners can contribute to a greater openness and connectedness, which may motivate them to become more active forest owners (Eriksson & Fries, 2020). CMs more frequently took part in meetings arranged by the SFA (Fig 9 , Appendix A).…”

Section: Societal Challenge # 1: Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Maintenance and enhancement of forest ecosystem services: a non-industrial private forest owner perspective

Bergkvist

Nikoleris

Fors

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The transition to a fossil-free society in Sweden is expected to cause an increased demand for forest-derived products which may intensify existing conflicts between environmental goals. This study investigated the role of non-industrial private forest owners in sustaining multiple forest values and their prioritizations among forest ecosystem services, management strategies, as well as their views on future needs. The study results were generated through the means of a survey which revealed a consistent high valuation among all respondents of ecosystem services relating to water quality, timber quality, recreation, and biodiversity. A majority of the respondents desired increasing proportions of mixed species and broadleaved stands within the future forest landscape. Certified forest owners who were members of a forest owner association (CMs) were characterized by favoring values relating to forest production, such as high stand growth and high timber quality, with carbon substitution as the preferred means of mitigating climate change. Forest owners lacking both certification and membership in a forest owner association valued the ecosystem services recreation and biodiversity significantly higher, and also preferred retaining more old forest within the landscape. The survey results revealed a higher management activity among CMs, resulting in a more frequent establishment of mixed and broadleaved stands. Forest owners with medium to large scale properties were well-represented within the CM-category. The results indicated that while the CMs are more interested in production than owners of small properties, they are also more likely to have taken adaptive measures favoring risk management and biodiversity.

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The Knowledge and Value Basis of Private Forest Management in Sweden: Actual Knowledge, Confidence, and Value Priorities

Cited by 21 publications

References 88 publications

The Impact of Swedish Forest Owners’ Values and Objectives on Management Practices and Forest Policy Accomplishment

The Impact of Swedish Forest Owners’ Values and Objectives on Management Practices and Forest Policy Accomplishment

Challenging the concept of active forest ownership: the perspective of women forest owners in Finland

Maintenance and enhancement of forest ecosystem services: a non-industrial private forest owner perspective

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