Attitudes towards various forest functions: A comparison between private forest owners and forest officers

Abstract

In Sweden, privately owned forests provide timber as well as recreational opportunities and biodiversity. In general, forest officers from organizations, whose business is to serve private forest owners, manage these forests. Through survey data, this study compared the attitudes of private forest owners towards various forest functions to how forest officers understand these attitudes. The views of forest owners and forest officers did not always coincide, nor did the attitudes of forest owners in different regions of Sweden. Forest officers regarded timber production as more important than did forest owners. Forest owners considered recreational and environmental functions of the forest as more important to them than did forest officers. Possible explanations for these differences were discussed, along with forest policy implications.

Keywords

attitudes; biodiversity; recreation; timber production

Published in

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
2008, volume: 23, number: 2, pages: 133-136
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS AS

SLU Authors

• Kindstrand, Claes

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Norman, Johan

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Boman, Mattias

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Mattsson, Leif

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation
Forest Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02827580801944842

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/17994