Abstract
With growing demands on forests, there is a need to understand the drivers of managing the forest for diverse objectives, such as production, recreation, and climate adaptation. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge and value basis of forest management behaviors, including different management strategies and management inactivity, among private forest owners in Sweden. Different dimensions of knowledge (declarative and procedural knowledge, assessed in terms of objective and subjective knowledge measures) and value priorities (basic values and forest values), as well as the role of forest owner identity, were examined. The study was conducted by means of a postal questionnaire to a random sample of private forest owners in Sweden (n = 3000, response rate 43%). The distinctions between actual knowledge (objective knowledge), confidence (subjective knowledge), and value priorities, in addition to the hierarchical structure of how these factors are linked to management behaviors, proved to be valuable. Results revealed that different knowledge dimensions and value priorities were jointly important for forest management behaviors. In addition, the role of forest owner identity for management behaviors was confirmed. Insights from the study may be used to develop policy and outreach to private forest owners and thereby facilitate different forest functions in private forestry.
Highlights
In 2015, the United Nations agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030 and how forests are managed have implications for the attainment of several of these goals, for example clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, climate action, and life on land, including sustainable forest management (United Nations 2015)
Whereas previous studies of forest management activities have generally not compared the determinants of different management strategies, the present study explored predictors of different types of management behaviors, including management for production, biodiversity, recreation, climate adaptation, and climate mitigation
The environmental and production objectives in the Swedish forest policy are considered important, and forest is to be used for a variety of different purposes, including adapting it to climate change and using it for climate mitigation
Summary
In 2015, the United Nations agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030 and how forests are managed have implications for the attainment of several of these goals, for example clean water and sanitation (goal 6), affordable and clean energy (goal 7), climate action (goal 13), and life on land, including sustainable forest management (goal 15) (United Nations 2015). There are growing societal demands to use and manage the forest for production (e.g., timber), biodiversity
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