Herry Purnomo , Beni Okarda , Lila Juniyanti , Sonya Dyah Kusumadewi , Dyah Puspitaloka , Monica Azzahra , Salwa Nadhira , Prasetya Irawan , Nining Liswanti , George C. Schoneveld , Michael A. Brady
{"title":"Advancing palm oil sustainability to address the climate crisis: Leveraging theory of change and system dynamics model at the jurisdictional level","authors":"Herry Purnomo , Beni Okarda , Lila Juniyanti , Sonya Dyah Kusumadewi , Dyah Puspitaloka , Monica Azzahra , Salwa Nadhira , Prasetya Irawan , Nining Liswanti , George C. Schoneveld , Michael A. Brady","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global green deals, such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), aim to enhance the environmental governance of key commodities, including palm oil, cocoa, timber, and soy, by requiring them to be deforestation-free, legally sourced, and traceable. EUDR poses both challenges and opportunities for producing countries. This study explores how Indonesia's palm oil sector can align with EUDR-defined sustainability standards through inclusive and systemic approaches. We employed a participatory Theory of Change involving key stakeholders across the palm oil value chain, supported by systems dynamic modeling to simulate trade-offs and identify strategic pathways toward sustainability. The approach revealed inevitable trade-offs between economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Practical solutions are available to support EUDR compliance by reducing deforestation and illegal activity while sustaining the palm oil economy. These include production intensification, certification, carbon credit, payment for environmental services, and ecological fiscal transfers from the central government. These strategies have been collaboratively developed and endorsed by both the government and stakeholders. Indonesia's experience demonstrates that participatory, system-based methods can facilitate alignment with global sustainability regulations while addressing local priorities. The lessons and approaches apply to other environmentally sensitive commodities and geographies that aim to meet global environmental and social standards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103594"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aisling Sealy Phelan , Gianluca Grilli , Elena Pisani , Laura Secco
{"title":"Using the life satisfaction approach to economically value the health and wellbeing benefits of forest and green space visits in Italy","authors":"Aisling Sealy Phelan , Gianluca Grilli , Elena Pisani , Laura Secco","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite increasing attention and growing evidence of the health benefits of spending time in forests and green spaces (GS), very few studies have attempted to place an economic value on these benefits. The life satisfaction approach represents a promising method of non-market valuation that could capture holistically the health and wellbeing benefits of such environments. Employing primary data from a representative sample of 1400 respondents in Italy, we present value estimates from the life satisfaction approach and the well-established contingent valuation method. We find that visiting forests and GS at least once in the past year is associated with higher life satisfaction. Using the marginal rate of substitution between income and forest/GS visits, our results indicate that an additional €11,171 in annual income would increase life satisfaction by the same amount as visiting forests/GS in the past year. This value is complemented by estimates of stated willingness to pay (WTP) from the same sample using the contingent valuation method. WTP per forest/GS visit is estimated as €18 and aggregate annual values are calculated based on visit frequency. Results from both methods complement each other, providing estimates of both experienced and decision utility, offering more comprehensive information to policy and decision makers. Both methods indicate that forests and green spaces are important contributors to health and wellbeing, associated with significant economic values. This is the first paper to use the life satisfaction approach to value the benefits of forest and GS visits in Italy, making an important contribution to the literature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103640"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145195761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forest product footprint convergence in the Amazon: A panel data analysis of ACTO countries","authors":"Veli Yilanci, Maxwell Kongkuah","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the convergence of forest product footprints (FPF) among seven Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) countries from 1961 to 2022. The research investigates whether FPF levels are converging or diverging across these nations, which share the Amazon rainforest. Employing a panel unit root test that accounts for smooth and sharp structural breaks, the study identifies both convergence and divergence patterns. Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana show evidence of convergence, potentially driven by conservation policies and indigenous land management. Conversely, Brazil and Peru demonstrate divergence, likely influenced by extensive agriculture, mining, and international trade in forest products. The findings emphasize the need for coordinated regional policies within ACTO to foster sustainable forest management practices, address divergent national interests, and prioritize environmental conservation in the Amazon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103632"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hsu Y. Kyaw , Andres L. Susaeta , Mindy S. Crandall
{"title":"Optimal forest management of Douglas-fir in Western Oregon: Stochastic prices, carbon sequestration and wildfire risk","authors":"Hsu Y. Kyaw , Andres L. Susaeta , Mindy S. Crandall","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Douglas-fir (<em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>) forests in Western Oregon provide economic and ecological benefits but increasing wildfire risks and timber price fluctuations challenge sustainable management. This study applies reservation price model to assess how these uncertainties affect optimal harvest timing and economic returns in even-aged Douglas-fir plantations. Results indicate that wildfire risk reduces reservation prices by up to 15 %, prompting earlier harvests to minimize losses. Under high wildfire risk (λ = 0.04), optimal harvest age decreases from 65.2 years to approximately 24 years, while land values decline by 50 %, from $14,104/ha to $6414/ha. This decline is steeper than previous estimates, where land values declined between 28.7 % and 41.2 % under wildfire risk scenarios. The larger reduction in this study suggests higher fire arrival rates and salvageable timber may amplify wildfire-induced economic losses. Underage-dependent wildfire risk, land values also decline, from $14,104/ha to $8297.5/ha at λ = 0.04, with mean harvest age decreasing from 65.2 to 33.2 years. Increasing salvageable portions from 30 % to 70 % elevates reservation prices by 5–9 %, mitigating losses. At a carbon price of $35/tCO₂e, optimal rotation age reaches 65.2 years in the absence of wildfire risk. However, it drops to 24.0 years under high constant risk and to 32.4 years under high age-dependent risk, indicating that wildfire risk offsets the rotation-lengthening effect of carbon pricing. These findings underscore the need for adaptive management strategies that integrate wildfire risk and market uncertainty. Policy recommendations include enhanced carbon pricing, improved salvage incentives, and risk-adjusted forest management strategies to sustain long-term economic viability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103629"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The influence of science within forest policy making - the case of payments for forest ecosystem services for climate-adapted forest management in Germany","authors":"Tabea V. Schaefers, Max Krott, Michael Kirchner","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest science provides extensive scientific information. Its influence on forest-related political decision-making, however, has often proved to be negligible. For this reason, a case study on the payment of forest ecosystem services (PFES) in Germany examines the extent to which other factors influence the political knowledge transfer process and demonstrates, through a power-based definition of actors, the opportunities for political influence of researchers in the political process. An innovative approach for a quantitative analysis of political influence is employed, consisting of the four elements “coercion”, “(dis-) incentives”, “dominant information”, and “scientific information”. Using the newly introduced terms “focused interest” and “focused influence”, a differentiated analysis of the political influence of actors in relation to political issues is enabled. It becomes evident that the use of political influence resources by actors varies between political issues. For greater political impact of scientific information, a stronger consideration of the individual roles of actors and issues is recommended. The study further positions the augmented actor-centered power (ACP) framework vis-à-vis broader power theories and other ACP scholarship, highlighting its distinct suitability for tracing influence in forest policy making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103599"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychological ownership and forest management behavior: Development and validation of a multidimensional bifactor scale","authors":"Leonie Wagner","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103624","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Private forest ownership in Germany is undergoing profound demographic and structural transformation, resulting in a more heterogeneous population of owners with diverse values and management practices. These changes necessitate new theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding owner behavior. This study develops and validates a novel measurement instrument for psychological ownership in the context of private forestry in Germany, using a bifactor model with five specific factors. Drawing on two large-scale surveys in Bavaria and Lower Saxony, we employ exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis as well as structural equation modeling to examine the factorial structure and predictive validity of psychological ownership. Our results demonstrate that psychological ownership is significantly associated to self-implemented forest management and extensive climate change adaptation strategies, while visit frequency emerges as the most important exogenous predictor. In contrast, psychological ownership does not affect delegated forest management. Factors such as property size and membership in forest owner associations primarily influence the orthogonal factor self-investment, which is not connected to psychological ownership. Notably, the presented instrument requires further refinement and validation, particularly with regard to the stability of the identity and knowledge factors. We recommend extending the psychological ownership approach to encompass broader actor networks involved in forest management. Our findings underscore the need for policy instruments and advisory services that address the full spectrum of owner motivations and identities, and for further research into the complex actor networks that shape forest management decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103624"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145156693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Community resource management areas and household food security in northern Ghana: Insights from a socio-ecological systems perspective","authors":"Cornelius K.A. Pienaah","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103628","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food insecurity remains a pressing challenge in rural Ghana, particularly in the semi-arid northern regions where sociodemographic, socio-economic, and environmental factors heighten household risks. In response, Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) have been introduced as decentralized governance structures to promote sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity, and improve livelihoods. However, the extent to which CREMAs influence household food security remains underexplored. Grounded in the Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) framework, this study has two main objectives: (1) to determine variations in food security between households located within CREMAs and those outside CREMAs (non-CREMA households), and (2) to analyze the socio-demographic and socio-economic factors that explain such variations. Cross-sectional data were collected from 517 smallholder farmer households across four community contexts, Wechiau, Dorimo, Zukpiri, and Chakali, in northern Ghana. Using ordered logistic regression analysis, the results show that households within CREMAs experience lower levels of severe food insecurity compared to non-CREMA households. Food security outcomes varied across zones, influenced by factors such as age, education, gender, household size, wealth, home gardening, livestock rearing, access to credit, and remittances, with context-specific effects. These findings underscore the vital role of CREMAs in enhancing household food security by promoting improved resource governance and sustainable practices. A dual approach is recommended to address food insecurity in northern Ghana. This entails scaling up CREMAs and reinforcing community resource management, while simultaneously strengthening governance, broadening financial and livelihood opportunities, and providing targeted support to vulnerable households.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103628"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145120163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brayan Tillaguango , Rafael Alvarado , Munir Ahmad , Muntasir Murshed , Cem Işık
{"title":"Applying the forest load capacity factor to assess environmental sustainability in the Global South","authors":"Brayan Tillaguango , Rafael Alvarado , Munir Ahmad , Muntasir Murshed , Cem Işık","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forests play a critical role in achieving environmental sustainability because they absorb polluting waste from anthropogenic activities and produce biomass. However, the forest load capacity of developing countries has deteriorated due to the overload of unregulated economic activities. This study examines the determinants of environmental sustainability, as measured by the forest load capacity factor, in countries of the Global South. The factors considered are GDP per capita, governance, gender inequality index, women's political empowerment, youth unemployment, and the informal sector. The study covers the period 1991–2022, and we employ a suite of advanced panel data models. The econometric strategy includes cointegration techniques with structural breaks, long-run elasticities, quantile regressions, and causality models. The findings show that environmental sustainability exhibits a cointegrating relationship with the regressors when considering structural breaks in the series resulting from external and internal shocks. We also show that the regressors have a heterogeneous effect on environmental sustainability across the distribution. The estimators differ between sustainable and non-sustainable countries in the Global South. The results of the causality test show that environmental sustainability has a structural relationship with GDP per capita, governance, women's political empowerment, and informal sector This research contributes to the debate on environmental sustainability by covering a large sample of developing countries, and we consider the role of gender in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103631"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Håkon Endresen Normann , Erkki-Jussi Nylén , Anne Toppinen , Jani Lukkarinen
{"title":"Building on solid ground? (In)Coordination within Norwegian and Finnish wood construction policies","authors":"Håkon Endresen Normann , Erkki-Jussi Nylén , Anne Toppinen , Jani Lukkarinen","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increased use of wood represents a potential way to reduce emissions from construction. However, its adoption depends on coherent and well-coordinated policy support. This paper examines how policies in Norway and Finland align, or fail to align, across sectors and levels of governance. We investigate how policy consistency and coordination shape the development and implementation of wood construction policies in Finland and Norway.</div><div>Drawing on literature on innovation policy sustainability transitions, and policy mixes, we analyse the consistency and coordination of goals, strategies, and instruments across policy domains and governance levels. The analysis is based on policy documents and interviews in both countries.</div><div>Both countries have promoted wood construction for decades, leading to innovation and the adoption of new solutions, but with varying levels of policy integration and commitment. In both cases, fragmentation across policy fields and limited vertical integration have hampered more transformative change. Horizontal coordination has been hindered by fragmented ministerial ownership, while vertical coordination is challenged by differences in local capacity and priorities, and a lack of stronger national level requirements.</div><div>This paper contributes to sustainability transitions research by offering a comparative analysis of how policy consistency and coordination shape wood construction policies in two forest-rich countries. It shows that fragmented responsibilities, weak regulatory direction, and limited vertical and horizontal coordination hinder the realisation of wood's decarbonisation potential. Strengthening policy alignment and institutional coordination is essential to enable wood to play a larger role in low-carbon construction transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 103630"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adapting conservation easement to Chinese conservation context: from theory to practice","authors":"Siyuan He , Yu Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conservation easements (CEs) are efficient conservation tools to coordinate public-private interests. As China establishes a new national park system, CEs have been tested as a potential solution to the conservation-development trade-off in populated rural areas where collective forestland rights emerge as a major concern. However, limited research exists on their adaptability in China's National Park context. This study employs a qualitative approach to examine CEs' utility in forest management through theory and in practice in the Qianjiangyuan National Park Pilot (QNP). Through a necessity and feasibility assessment framework and structured interviews with key informants, findings indicate that CEs represent a promising conservation tool for achieving conservation targets by easing human pressures while maintaining land ownership and use rights at low cost under complex land tenure. Local governance, non-governmental organisations' participation, academic involvement, protected area management, and community governance were all identified as contributing factors for CE feasibility, with importance decreasing in that order. Further semi-structured interviews with qualitative content analysis revealed that the park agency prioritised CE's necessity for land tenure issues, particularly its cooperation with local governments to leverage a policy window for unified land management rather than state-owned land transformation. This cooperation emerged as a key condition for local CE adaptation. The study concludes that multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to develop CE as a science-based land management tool that maximises its “minimum restriction for maximum comprehensive benefit” role.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 103627"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}