Actors, discourses and relations in the Finnish newspapers' forest discussion: Enabling or constraining the sustainability transition?

Abstract

In many countries with plentiful forest resources, forests are at the core of the agendas to achieve sustainable societies. However, there is plenty of disagreement among societal actors about forest-related issues. This is also the case in Finland, where culture and income have traditionally relied on the forests. However, promoting the sustainability transition requires in-depth knowledge of the involved actors. The main goal of this article is to identify key actors, their discourses and relations in the Finnish newspaper discussion on forests and their utilization. The data consists of the leading national newspaper Helsingin Sanomat (HS) and Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (MT), which is addressed to rural actors. The sample consists of 283 articles from 2019 to 2021. Critical discourse analysis was chosen as the method of analysis. The key actors in HS were the researchers and politicians and in MT the forest-based companies, forest owners and their interest organizations. In MT hegemonic discourses originated from the needs of forest owners and businesses whereas in HS the forest per se was the origin of many discourses, with a focus on forest-related policies and environmental sustainability. In both newspapers, politicians were seen as the most powerful actors steering the forest-related transition. Otherwise, direct discussion of power relations was almost non-existent. Forest industries were criticized rarely, and large companies had a passive role in the debates. Market sector actors hold existing structures, creating structural power that hampers the change. However, there are signals that many actors are seeking platforms to create shared understandings.