Multiple choice in silviculture
KEY POINTS- Private forest owners have different objectives
- Willingess to invest in silviculture and in accepting risk also varies
- Providing knowledge and opportunities facilitating forest owners reaching their individuals goals will create multifunctional landscapes
Project overview
Participants
More related research
Global goals
- 15. Life on land
Short summary
Individual forest owners have different objectives for their ownership, yet most Swedish forests are managed in the same way. Why is this? Could we achieve a more varied landscape by making it easier for forest owners to meet their objectives? These are the questions we investigate.
Even-aged stands dominated by a single tree species are often the objective in Swedish forestry, although studies show that more varied forests provide greater benefits to society and forest owners often have different objectives for their ownership. One possible explanation is that forest owners perceive alternative methods as risky and costly, while the benefits mainly accrue to others. Forest owners' willingness to invest and take risks, for example of wildlife damage, probably also varies. Optimal choices will therefore differ among individuals.
In Multiple choice in silviculture, we investigate what shapes private forest owners' choices of silvicultural methods, including perceived costs, benefits and risks. We also examine forest advisers' objectives and influence over choices of management strategies, including through analyses using the Heureka decision-support system. Finally, we compare the benefits, costs and risks of conventional forestry with three alternative strategies: continuous cover forestry, extended rotation periods and the establishment of mixed conifer–broadleaf stands.
The results will make it possible to tailor advice so that forest owners with different objectives can find their optimal solution. At the same time, greater variation in silvicultural methods at the landscape scale will increase the value of public goods that primarily benefit people other than the forest owners themselves. This will enable more sustainable forest management and important steps towards achieving Sweden's environmental objectives, its commitments under the EU Forest Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. The project is conducted in close dialogue with other projects funded under the same call, with results communicated to the forestry sector through channels including SLU's Forest Damage Centre.
Publications
Hallberg-Sramek, I., Widemo, F., Hekkala, A.-M. & S. Dressel. 2026. Closing the policy-practice gap: What shapes forest owners' intentions to apply alternative harvesting methods? Forest Policy and Economics 190: 103879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2026.103879
Hantula, J., Elfstrand, M., Hekkala, A.-M., Hietala, A.M., Honkaniemi, J., Klapwijk, M., Koivula, M., Matala, J., Rönnberg, J., Siitonen, J. & F. Widemo. 2024. Forest Damage. In Continuous Cover Forestry in Boreal Nordic Countries, Eds: P. Rautio, J. Routa, S. Huuskonen, E. Holmström, J. Cedergren & C. Kuehne. Springen Nature Link. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-70484-0
Widemo, F. 2022. Balans med acceptans: samförvaltning av skogens vilda värden. I Skogens värden – forskares reflektioner. Mittuniversitetet, ISBN: 978-91-89341-70-8, http://miun.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1670833/FULLTEXT02.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1ubf6pqkRgZpP1IIIKjBhx__Ivor7fqIHxg11pJaFK4zJgEykhrDX6OOY