Grounds for improving the implementation of game-oriented forest management – A double sampling survey of Finnish forest owners and professionals

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the current level of awareness, implementation and need for knowledge of game-oriented forest management (GOFM) among forest owners and professionals. This information is necessary to understand the grounds for improving awareness and implementation of new forest management guidelines and to evaluate suitable policy instruments for the future. The study joins the body of research on innovation diffusion and institutional adaptation, in regard to new forest management methods. Our results from Finland indicated that a high proportion of forest owners have not adopted GOFM, despite the information provided. A wider implementation of the method might require other knowledge dissemination methods, such as providing tangible examples and peer learning to forest owners. The role of forest professionals as change agents was seen to be important for the generalization of GOFM among forest owners and inside institutions. The observed level of awareness of GOFM and its implementation among forest owners, and the engagement of professionals reflects a situation where the informing process is ongoing, and where the forestry advisors need tools to engage forest owners more effectively. At the same time, it is difficult to estimate the effectiveness of the voluntary-based approach of GOFM. In this study, the double sampling design removed volunteer bias and increased the reliability of the results.