Assessing objectives of regional forest policy in northern Finland

Abstract

Stakeholders’ objectives regarding regional forest policy were evaluated for the area covered by four northernmost Forestry Centres in Finland. The data were collected through a postal questionnaire with 431 respondents, and the judges were asked to assess the importance of the objectives of the regional forest policy on a ratio scale. The data were analysed applying statistical techniques developed for preference elicitation in forestry-related decision making. The results showed that the stakeholder group is the most important characteristic describing the objectives of regional forest policy. Regional characteristics in the form of different Forestry Centres had only a minor impact on assessments. Among other things, the analysis indicates that the objectives in utilizing forests more effectively without increasing cuttings are supported throughout the stakeholder groups. A comparison of the results with the corresponding Regional Forest Programmes indicates that some stakeholders have objectives that are not implemented properly. Further research is needed to find out whether this is a problem from the viewpoint of sustainable forest management.