Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Swedish private forest owners’ perceptions and intentions with respect to adopting exotic tree species

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Journal of Forest Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Swedish forest growth can be increased through intensive forestry practices, enabling an increased use of forest biomass for climate-change mitigation. However, the diffusion of such practices depends on the forest owners’ adoption of them. We study Swedish private forest owners’ perceptions and intentions with respect to increasing forest growth by adopting exotic tree species. The results of a mail-in questionnaire survey show that although a majority of forest owners desire increasing forest growth, most owners have only a basic understanding of exotic tree species and a smaller proportion is interested in adopting them. The intention to adopt exotics seems to depend on the perceived performance of the species with respect to the economic aspects of forest management rather than on environmental or recreational concerns. Whereas a knowledge gap among the private forest owners regarding how to increase forest growth is implied, forest owners with higher self-rated knowledge of forestry and exotics have stronger intentions to adopt such species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Attitudes are considered to possess the three components: affective (emotions or feelings), cognitive (beliefs) and behavioural (response tendencies). This paper primarily evaluates the cognitive component of attitudes, which consists of perceptions (beliefs or knowledge) of the attributes of a phenomenon (e.g. how an exotic tree species performs with respect to forest growth). Although the other components of forest owner attitudes are not analysed here, all three components of an attitude are generally consistent (Hawkins et al. 2007).

  2. Factor analysis is based on the assumption that all variables are correlated to a certain degree. Variables that are correlated with one another but largely independent of other subsets of variables are combined into factors (Tabachnick and Fidell 2006).

  3. In terms of species, the largest number of ‘do not know’ answers involved Sitka spruce (a mean value for the consequences for forest management of 60 % ‘do not know’ answers). In terms of consequences for the forest management, the greatest number of ‘do not know’ answers was regarding performance with respect to nitrogen leakage (a mean value across the species of 60 % ‘do not know’ answers) followed by performance with respect to vulnerability to insect and fungi attacks (a mean value of 55 %).

  4. The regression equations controlled for whether the respondent resided in Sweden’s northern (SE3) NUTS (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) region or in the east or south (SE1 and SE2). This division of Sweden follows approximately the 60th parallel.

References

  • Ajzen I (2005) Attitudes, personality, and behaviour, 2nd edn. Open University Press, Maidenhead

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson M, Gong P (2010) Risk preferences, risk perceptions and timber harvest decisions: an empirical study of nonindustrial private forest owners in northern Sweden. For Policy Econ 12(5):330–339. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2010.02.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anon (2006) På väg mot ett oljefritt Sverige. Kommissionen mot oljeberoende [Swedish], (Swedish)

  • Anon (2010a) Focus on forestry: Increased profitability through increased growth. Focus on Forestry campaign pamphlet, JustNu

  • Anon (2010b) Kraftsamling skog: Verktygslåda för ökad lönsamhet i familjeskogsbruket. Kraftsamling skog [Swedish]

  • Arano KG, Munn IA (2006) Evaluating forest management intensity: a comparison among major forest landowner types. For Policy Econ 9(3):237–248. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2005.07.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beach RH, Pattanayak SK, Yang J-C, Murray BC, Abt RC (2005) Econometric studies of non-industrial private forest management: a review and synthesis. For Policy Econ 7(3):261–281. doi:10.1016/s1389-9341(03)00065-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergseng E, Vatn A (2009) Why protection of biodiversity creates conflict: some evidence from the Nordic countries. J For Econ 15(3):147–165. doi:10.1016/j.jfe.2008.04.002

    Google Scholar 

  • Blennow K, Sallnäs O (2002) Risk perception among non-industrial private forest owners. Scand J For Res 17:472–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohlin F, Roos A (2002) Wood fuel supply as a function of forest owner preferences and management styles. Biomass Bioenergy 22(4):237–249. doi:10.1016/s0961-9534(02)00002-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christersson L (1996) Future research on hybrid aspen and hybrid poplar cultivation in Sweden. Biomass Bioenergy 11(2–3):109–113. doi:10.1016/0961-9534(96)00014-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elfving B, Ericsson T, Rosvall O (2001) The introduction of lodgepole pine for wood production in Sweden: a review. For Ecol Manage 141(1–2):15–29. doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00485-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engelmark O, Sjöberg K, Andersson B, Rosvall O, Ågren GI, Baker WL, Barklund P, Björkman C et al (2001) Ecological effects and management aspects of an exotic tree species: the case of lodgepole pine in Sweden. For Ecol Manage 141(1–2):3–13. doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00498-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fahlvik N, Johansson U, Nilsson U (2009) Skogsskötsel för ökad tillväxt. Faktaunderlag till MINT-utredningen. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences [Swedish]

  • Favada IM, Kuuluvainen J, Uusivuori J (2007) Optimal timber stock in Finnish nonindustrial private forests. For Policy Econ 9(5):527–535. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2006.03.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins DI, Mothersbaugh DL, Best RJ (2007) Consumer behaviour: building market strategy. McGraw-Hill/Irwin series in marketing, 10th edn. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York

  • Ingemarson F, Lindhagen A, Eriksson L (2006) A typology of small-scale private forest owners in Sweden. Scand J For Res 21:249–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi S, Arano KG (2009) Determinants of private forest management decisions: a study on West Virginia NIPF landowners. For Policy Econ 11(2):118–125. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2008.10.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karacic A (2005) Production and ecological aspects of short rotation poplars in Sweden. Doctoral thesis, Swedish university of agricultural sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

  • Karlman M (2001) Risks associated with the introduction of Pinus contorta in northern Sweden with respect to pathogens. For Ecol Manage 141(1–2):97–105. doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00492-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlman L (2010) Genetic variation in frost tolerance, juvenile growth and yield in russian larches: Implications for use in Sweden. Doctoral thesis, Swedish university of agricultural sciences, Umeå, Sweden

  • Karlsson B (2007) Sitka- och Douglasgran: alternativ för ett nytt klimat. vol 17. Skogforsk [Swedish]

  • Karppinen H (2005) Forest owners’ choice of reforestation method: an application of the theory of planned behaviour. For Policy Econ 7(3):393–409. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2003.06.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight DH, Baker WL, Engelmark O, Nilsson C (2001) A landscape perspective on the establishment of exotic tree plantations: lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in Sweden. For Ecol Manage 141(1–2):131–142. doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00496-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koontz TM (2001) Money talks but to whom? Financial versus nonmonetary motivations in land use decisions. Soc Nat Resour 14(1):51–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson S, Lundmark T, Ståhl G (2009) Möjligheter till intensivodling av skog: Slutrapport från regeringsuppdrag Jo 2008/1885. (Swedish)

  • Larsson-Stern M (2003) Aspects of hybrid larch (Larix x eurolepis Henry) as a potential tree species in southern Swedish forestry. Licenciate, Swedish university of agricultural sciences, Alnarp

  • Lidestav G, Ekström M (2000) Introducing gender in studies on management behaviour among non-industrial private forest owners. Scand J For Res 15(3):378–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindkvist A, Mineur E, Nordlund A, Nordlund C, Olsson O, Sandström C, Westin K, Keskitalo ECH (2012) Attitudes on intensive forestry. An investigation into perceptions of increased production requirements in Swedish forestry. Scand J For Res 27(5):438–448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lönnstedt L, Svensson J (2000) Non-industrial private forest owners’ risk preferences. Scand J For Res 15(6):651–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordlund A, Westin K (2011) Forest values and forest management attitudes among private forest owners in Sweden. Forests 2:30–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pallant J (2007) SPSS survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (version 15), 3rd edn. Open University Press, Maidenhead

    Google Scholar 

  • Rämö AK, Järvinen E, Latvala T, Toivonen R, Silvennoinen H (2009) Interest in energy wood and energy crop production among Finnish non-industrial private forest owners. Biomass Bioenergy 33(9):1251–1257. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2009.05.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers EM (2003) Diffusion of innovations, 5th edn. Free press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Skogsstyrelsen (2009) Regler om användning av främmande trädslag. Swedish Forest Agency, Jönköping [Swedish]

  • Statistics Sweden (2008) Statistical yearbook of forestry 2008. Official statistics Sweden and the Swedish forest agency, Jönköping

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS (2006) Using multivariate statistics. 5, rev. edn. Allyn and Bacon, Boston

  • Tengberg F (2005) A production comparison between Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and spruce (Picea abies). Master thesis, Swedish university of agricultural sciences, Alnarp, Sweden

  • Young J, Watt A, Nowicki P, Alard D, Clitherow J, Henle K, Johnson R, Laczko E et al (2005) Towards sustainable land use: identifying and managing the conflicts between human activities and biodiversity conservation in Europe. Biodivers Conserv 14(7):1641–1661. doi:10.1007/s10531-004-0536-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The financial support of the European Union, the county administrative board of Jämtland, Sveaskog, SCA Forest Products, Norrskog and Jämtkraft is acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kerstin Hemström.

Additional information

Communicated by Martin Moog.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hemström, K., Mahapatra, K. & Gustavsson, L. Swedish private forest owners’ perceptions and intentions with respect to adopting exotic tree species. Eur J Forest Res 132, 433–444 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-013-0682-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-013-0682-5

Keywords

Navigation