Extractivist valorization in industrial forestry in the Global North – Elements of an analytical framework and illustration for the cases of Finland and Alberta, Canada

Abstract

This paper contributes to the political economic analysis of industrial forestry in the Global North (GN) by introducing and applying elements of an analytical framework for extractivist valorization. The proposed framework serves as a complement, systematization, and extension of the concepts of valorization and (post-fossil) extractivism. It scrutinizes the political-economic constellation and social as well as ecological sustainability challenges of current dominant practices in industrial forestry in the GN. The (potential) contribution and role of industrial forestry in social-ecological transformation processes is contested, although forestry is often perceived as a sustainable sector per se, and its services and products are crucial for many sustainability, bioeconomy, and decarbonization strategies. With the proposed analytical framework, the paper investigates forestry as an industry that socially and economically mediates relationships between individuals, society, and nature. The paper illustrates the analytical potential of the proposed framework by applying it to two exemplary cases of industrial forestry: Finland and the Canadian province of Alberta. The paper concludes that such a framework can provide relevant insights into the sustainability challenges in industrial forestry in both cases examined. New pathways of valuing and using forests need to be actively pursued to integrate the forest sector into the broader project of social-ecological transformations.