Guillén Alm, Luis Andrés
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research article2015Peer reviewedOpen access
Social capital in small-scale forestry: A local case study in Southern Sweden
Guillén, Luis Andrés; Wallin, Ida; Brukas, Vilis
Abstract
Small-scale forestry builds upon interactions among local stakeholders. Forest management entails multiple social situations such as consultations or cooperative engagements between owners and forest professionals. Successful social endeavours rest on positive social capital as operationalised via trust. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews with forest owners, managers and other forestry stakeholders, this study explores how trust influences the social relationships in a local context of Southern Swedish forestry. Most strikingly, the analysis reveals large differences in owners' trust towards two major actors: the Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) and the forest owner association (FOA) Sodra. Permanence of personnel, a client-based approach, and personal features of SFA's local forest officer lead to strong local anchoring and high trust towards SFA Sodra proved to be a trustful partner in the aftermath of calamities; however its industrial priorities seem to erode owners' trust. The empirical findings of this study demonstrate the importance of recognising personal relationships and the catalysing role of bonding social capital in order to understand the local forest management situations. Our results are useful for forestry organisations and policy-makers willing to comprehend the local context and implement best practices in small-scale forestry. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Bonding social capital; Particularised trust; NIPF owners; Swedish Forest Agency; Sodra
Published in
Forest Policy and Economics
2015, volume: 53, pages: 21-28
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
SLU Authors
Wallin, Ida
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Brukas, Vilis
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Associated SLU-program
Forest
UKÄ Subject classification
Forest Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2014.12.006
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/67153