Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Forests cover nearly 70% of Sweden’s land area, making them a cornerstone for biodiversity as
well as an important economical asset. As demands for sustainable forest management increase,
tensions have emerged between environmental concerns and economic interests. These ultimately
impact forest managers and advisors, creating challenges in their practical day-to-day work with
forest owners. In this study, I examine how forest advisors see variation and approach the needs
for a more diverse forest management in Sweden. I make emphasis on their role and how the
services they provide can affect the conditions for a more varied forest management in southern
Sweden, with an additional focus on how they navigate and operate within the governance context
of Swedish forestry. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with forest advisors
employed at diverse geographical locations within the forest owner association Södra. Forest
advisors identified that members who choose alternative management approaches value their
forest beyond economic reasons, which strongly influences management goals and practices.
Advisors influence forest variation and diversity through both active and passive means and the
outcome of their service depend on the interactions between several factors: trust, values,
motivations, communication, and knowledge & information. While advisors express an interest in
promoting variation, there are aspects that can hinder the establishment of more alternative
management practices such as standard forestry norms. Moreover, participants expressed how the
growing polarisation in forestry creates a challenging and rapidly evolving professional
environment where forest advisors feel to be unfairly portrayed as one-sided. This research
reinforces the importance of studying the role of the advisor and their practice in shaping Swedish
forests ecosystems, and how they are critical for more varied forest practices in Sweden.