Uliczka, Helen
- Department of Conservation Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Before a forest operation Swedish forest owners need to fill in a registration form. Since 1994, when a new Swedish Forestry Act came into force, intended nature conservation measures can also be noted on the form. I evaluate 1) if the self-reported nature conservation intentions displayed any trends from 1995 to 2000, and 2) if the intentions were implemented. All forms from these years, in one municipality, were analysed and the stand structure retention was measured on 40 clear-cuts. The intentions, noted as check-marks on the form, showed an increasing trend during these years. However, the increase may be an artefact of changes the form during the time period. The number of check-marks on the forms and the stand structure items actually present on the 40 clear-cuts showed a positive relation. The clear-cuts with less than or equal to 3 check-marks on the form had lower amounts of the three most common items, than those with greater than or equal to4 check-marks. To conclude 1) a true increase in the self-reported intentions of the forest owners could not be established; 2) the intentions were generally followed by associated practices on the clear-cuts; 3) the amounts of stand structures retained were probably not enough to reach the biodiversity goal of the Forestry Act. The registration form could be improved to become less open for interpretation and contain quantified recommendations. Self-reported intentions of the forest owners could then possibly be used as indicators of real structural retention, which could facilitate planning and allow for making predictions about the future forests.
Keywords
biodiversity assessment; boreal forest; forest conservation; forest policy; indicators; policy implementation
Published in
Silva Fennica
2003, volume: 37, number: 4, pages: 459-475
Publisher: FINNISH SOCIETY FOREST SCIENCEFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.485
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/1515