Forest Values and Application of Different Management Activities Among Small-Scale Forest Owners in Five Countries

Forests is a key in the transition towards a bio-economy. As 60% of the European forest area is owned and managed by small-scale forest owners, the owners management behaviour is central. In this study in forest values and management behavior among private small-scale forest owner's in five EU-countries is examined. Identifying similarities and differences enhances an effective implementation of EU strategies for a sustainable transition to a wood-based bioeconomy. Based on a questionnaire survey in Austria, Finland, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden (n=2524) we analyzed the small-scale forest owners’ forest values, and how different management activities were perceived with respect to management strategies. Overall the respondents assessed economic, social and environmental forest values to be very important, but more so in Austria, Finland and Germany than in Slovenia and Sweden. Finland and Sweden had a low share of respondents in the value group “economic and environmental values” indicating that economy and environment cannot be combined for Finnish and Swedish small-scale forest owners. Forest management activities were applied to various extent in the five countries. Our analysis highlighted the importance of context, suggesting that the propensity to use a particular activity was explained to a lesser extent by owners’ characteristics and forest values and, in the case of most activities, more strongly by the country.