“The production forest is, after all, quite boring for a planner” - Integrating landscape perspective in forest planning under laissez-faire governance
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https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3899-3787
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Abstract
The importance of a landscape scale for multiple benefits is well established; yet the adoption of a landscape perspective in forest management constitutes a formidable challenge, especially in countries where forest governance rests on a laissez-faire approach, and forests are dominated by non-industrial private landowners. Forest management plans (FMPs) constitute a viable, if often overlooked, option for better accommodating the increasingly diverse needs of forest owners and improving consideration of the landscape scale. With the southern Swedish forest owner association Södra as the case, this study investigates the key challenges of advancing FMPs in these respects. We consider forest management planning as a nested human endeavour, where agency of planners and owners is embedded in particular organisational and governance contexts. In-depth interviews and ethnographic observations at Södra reveal that, despite improvements in the status and capacity of forest planning, considerable scope remains for better eliciting and accommodating owners’ needs at planners’ front-office. Regarding the landscape perspective, major hinders lie in the back-office, including outdated planning templates, a lack of harmonised data, and a lack of tailored planning software. The study concludes by discussing potential remedies at organisational and governance levels.
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