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Anna Maria Jönsson

Professor

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Maintenance and enhancement of forest ecosystem services: a non-industrial private forest owner perspective

Author

  • John Bergkvist
  • Alexandra Nikoleris
  • Hanna Fors
  • Anna Maria Jönsson

Summary, in English

The transition to a fossil-free society in Sweden is expected to cause an increased demand for forest-derived products which may intensify existing conflicts between forest ecosystem services. This study investigated the preferences among non-industrial private forest owners for maintaining multiple forest ecosystem services and their preferences for future forest development. The findings were related to their prioritizations for and knowledge of forest management. The study results were generated through the means of a survey which revealed a consistent high valuation among all respondents of ecosystem services relating to water quality, timber quality, recreation, and biodiversity. A majority of the respondents desired increasing proportions of mixed species and broadleaved stands within the future forest landscape. Certified forest owners who were members of a forest owner association (CMs) prioritized achieving high economic income through roundwood production with strong preferences for the ecosystem services high stand growth and high timber quality. For CMs, carbon substitution was the preferred means of mitigating climate change. Forest owners lacking both certification and membership in a forest owner association ranked the ecosystem services recreation and biodiversity significantly higher, and also preferred retaining more old forest within the landscape. The survey results revealed a higher management activity among CMs, resulting in a more frequent establishment of mixed and broadleaved stands. Forest owners with medium to large scale properties were well-represented within the CM category. The results indicated that while the CMs have stronger preferences for roundwood production compared to owners of small properties, they are also more likely to have taken adaptive measures favoring risk management and biodiversity.

Department/s

  • Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • Environmental and Energy Systems Studies
  • Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC)
  • LU Profile Area: Nature-based future solutions

Publishing year

2023-10-13

Language

English

Publication/Series

European Journal of Forest Research

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Forest Science
  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Keywords

  • Forest ecosystem services
  • Forest management
  • Non-industrial private forest owners
  • Mixed-species stands
  • Certification

Status

Published

Project

  • Envisioning forest management practices for a fossil free society in the face of goal conflicts and uncertainties

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1612-4669