Evidence of lay and professional forest-based development discourses in three contrasting regions of Finland

Abstract

The paper examines the perceived importance of forests and forestry for rural development in three contrasting districts in Finland: an area of intensive farming and moderate forest cover, and two dairying farming regions with extensive forest cover, one of which has long suffered from socio-economic marginalisation. Forest-related rural discourses that have been elicited in other European countries are identified in Finland: namely, a private-use, production-oriented discourse, a collective-use non-timber benefits discourse and an environmental benefits discourse. Farmers in the intensive farming district do not identify strongly with any of the forest discourses. Conversely, farmers in the poorer farming regions with extensive forests identify with each of the discourses. Advisors in each district identify mostly with the production-oriented discourse. A strong dichotomy therefore exists between lay farmers (who own the land) and professional advisors (who often administer policy) with respect to forest-related discourses. The dichotomy can have considerable repercussions on how forest policy instruments and rural policy programmes are promoted, as advisors do not seem to recognise that non-timber resources are a basis for rural enterprise.