Abstract
In the article, I look at a phenomenon present in many small-scale European forests, their underutilisation. This underutilisation is obvious when it comes to timber extraction, but it can be argued that it is also present in relation to certain ecological or social uses of the forest. I do not want to judge this phenomenon in the article, but want to understand the reason this underutilisation occurs. Looking at forest resources worldwide and also in history, we conventionally face a problem of overuse. Taking first the property rights theory, I then refer to the tragedy of the anticommons to analyse the underutilisation. We observe a spatial anticommons in our forests. Even if the outcome of the tragedy of the commons and of the tragedy of the anticommons are opposed, I argue that analysing the solutions to the problems requires the same theoretical background. Both are collective action problems. However, compared to problems observed in forests elsewhere, the conditions for collective action are substantially different in the regarded case. In closing, I briefly compare forests as anticommons with other debates on the anticommons going on in the other debates around the commons.
Highlights
The following article looks at the typical problems of small-scale private forestry in most contemporary Western and Central European countries
Compared to problems observed in forests elsewhere, the conditions for collective action are substantially different in the regarded case
Instead of having property rights without a sufficiently clear definition, the problem in small-scale private forests is that the property rights are too fragmented
Summary
The following article looks at the typical problems of small-scale private forestry in most contemporary Western and Central European countries. What is new here, is that it is approached from a different angle – from the perspective of property rights and common property theory This is fruitful from the perspective of European small-scale private forestry, and for the reason that an extensive attempt to understand collective action and collective management of forestry resources in the world is underway (see e.g. the IFRI project).. The article argues that the small-scale private forest owners have difficulties producing those values, in the interest of the community as a whole, and in the interest of the particular small-scale private forest owner After exposing this astonishing (for an economist) phenomenon of underutilisation, I try to understand it with the help of the property rights theory. The tragedy of the anticommons describes the problem, but does not provide an understanding for its solution In this respect, the problem of small-scale European forest owners is similar to problems faced by commoners elsewhere.
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