Acceptable practices in Ontario's forests: Differences between the public and forestry professionals

Abstract

We compare and contrast survey responses to statements about 1) environmental values, 2) agreement with forest management goals and approaches, 3) perceptions of risk, 4) trust in science and government, and 5) acceptability of forestry practices between the public and three groups of forestry professionals (government biologists, government foresters, and industry foresters) in Ontario. The survey emphasized issues surrounding forest vegetation management due to the contentious nature of herbicide use. Responses were gathered from a 140-question telephone survey administered from September and November 1994 to 1,500 members of the general public and 201 forestry professionals across the province. Forestry professionals tended to be less supportive of some environmental values and forest management goals, perceive everyday and forestry activities to be less risky, be more trusting of science and government, and be more accepting of forestry activities than the general public. Among the three groups of forestry professionals, industry foresters tended to be most different from the public, followed by government foresters, and government biologists. These differences reveal potential sources of conflict and miscommunication between the public and forest managers. Recognizing these differences can help improve communications with the public about forest management plans.