Forest Policy and Economics最新文献

{"title":"Deforestation and human development in the Brazilian tropical dry forest","authors":"Lucas Alencar ,&nbsp;Luke Parry ,&nbsp;Felipe Melo","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationship between tropical deforestation and human development is unclear and contested. We evaluated the boom-bust hypothesis across agricultural frontiers in the Brazilian Caatinga dry forest, one of the largest dry forests in the world and home to 28 million people. We used panel data (1991, 2000 and 2010), and cross-sectional data (2010) from 1207 municipalities to assess how development indicators are linked to deforestation through a quasi-experimental approach. Our main finding is that deforestation in the Caatinga is associated with a boom-bust development pattern or at least to a stagnation in development in highly deforested municipalities. Municipalities at the advanced stage of deforestation (&lt;33 % of forest cover remaining) in 1991 generally had higher development indicators than the initial stage (&gt;66 % remaining), but differences between these groups disappeared by 2010. Intermediate stage municipalities (33–66 % remaining) consistently outperformed initial and/or advanced stage municipalities in four out of six development indicators (longevity, monetary income, extreme poverty prevalence, and child mortality), indicating a temporary ‘boom’ during frontier advance, followed by a stagnation. Evidence of a boom-bust was supported by cross-sectional analysis of 2010 data using propensity score weighting and a spatial autoregressive model. Overall, our findings contribute to on-going debate and strengthen the boom-bust hypothesis. By implication, the mere consumption of natural resources is inadequate to ensure sustained development progress. Achieving sustainability in Brazil's agricultural frontiers necessitates more than apolitical technical solutions; it requires active engagement by the state, non-state institutions, and society as a whole to address the country's deep-seated inequalities and imbalanced power dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103571"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491105","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":"Empowering women in Southeast Asia's small-scale wood processing sector: The practitioners' perspective","authors":"Thomas Colonna ,&nbsp;Ratchada Arpornsilp ,&nbsp;Iola Leal Riesco","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103563","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103563","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This commentary draws on field-based experience to explore strategies for promoting gender equality in Southeast Asia's small-scale wood processing sector, with a focus on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Despite women significantly contributing to the development of these enterprises and being drivers of rural employment and economic growth, gender-focused research in the Southeast Asian wood processing sector remains limited. Most literature on gender and forest economics has concentrated on forest management and community forestry.</div><div>Addressing this gap from the practitioners' perspective, this commentary describes three broad strategies for promoting gender equality among wood-based MSMEs, tested in four Southeast Asian countries: capacity building, enhancing public engagement, and promoting inclusive value chains. The analysis is grounded in practical implementation under the European Forest Institute's Forest Smallholders Project (2018–2023), which aimed to improve gender equality and women's economic empowerment in timber value chains. Insights from the three strategies highlight pathways to increase women's access to decent work and employment opportunities in this traditionally male-dominated arena.</div><div>The commentary concludes that while all three strategies proved effective, their replication and scaling potential depend on contextual factors, available time and financial resources, and local adoption. A common feature in all three strategies is the importance of actively engaging government authorities and non-government partners, such as technical vocational schools, civil society organizations, and industry associations. The findings also reaffirm that combining gender sensitisation in technical capacity building and leadership development is more likely to be transformative when delivered alongside improved market access and other economic opportunities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103563"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491033","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 transformation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification Scheme in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine","authors":"Maria Tysiachniouk ,&nbsp;Alexander Vorbrugg","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103559","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103559","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article investigates the transformation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme in Russia into the complementary Forest Etalon (FE) scheme after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Before the invasion, Russia had the largest FSC-certified forest area worldwide. The FSC gradually withdrew from Russia following the invasion and the sanctions that followed. Yet, forest certification did not disappear with the FSC. The FE, composed largely of former FSC staff and national FSC members, has emerged as the most prominent forest certification organisation in Russia to date (2024). It uses FSC standards for its certificates, and carries on many principles, mechanisms, and resources inherited from the FSC. The article draws on semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and the concept of Governance Generating Networks to analyse the transformation of the FSC into the FE certification scheme and underlying institutional arrangements. It shows how former FSC staff in Russia used the FE to preserve FSC values and standards, and traces how changes in political-economic circumstances since 2022 impacted the agency of and relationship between actors and institutions relevant to the certification network. We argue that this case may be a precursor to future contractions and disruptions in global (forest) governance. Against this background, this analysis contributes to a better understanding of adaptation to fundamental political-economic changes and uncertainty significant beyond the specific case.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103559"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330488","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":"Integrating economic and ecological drivers in forest product yield forecasting: A Finnish case study","authors":"Xuekun Cheng ,&nbsp;Mengchen Hu ,&nbsp;Sarita Keski-Saari ,&nbsp;Xudan Zhu ,&nbsp;Yufeng Zhou ,&nbsp;Frank Berninger ,&nbsp;Guomo Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As global climate change intensifies, sustainable forest resource management is essential for carbon storage, climate regulation, and providing forest products. This study integrates the Cobb-Douglas function with the random forest model to predict forest product yields. The Cobb-Douglas-random forest model achieves high accuracy, predicting 96 % of historical data (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Our analysis highlights the significant role of solar radiation (52 %) and the interaction between environmental factors (62 %) and societal factors (38 %) in forest production. While the photoperiod remains unchanged, our findings show that forest yield can be influenced by policies, especially in the face of climate change. Under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios, Finnish forest products remain stable under SSP126, demonstrating the benefits of stringent environmental policies. However, under SSP370 and SSP585, significant declines in forest products occur, especially in high-emission scenarios. Spatial variability in forest responses to climate change is observed, with northern Finland being more vulnerable. This study introduces an innovative model for predicting future forest product yields, essential for long-term sustainable forest management. We emphasize the importance of sustainable forest management that balances economic development with ecological protection, yet also considering region-specific contexts in Finland. This case study serves as a solid foundation for the global application of our model.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103564"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330489","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":"Reality gaps in formalisation of wooden furniture microenterprises in Kenya","authors":"Rattiya Suddeephong Lippe ,&nbsp;Stephen Maina Kiama ,&nbsp;Veronica Alonso ,&nbsp;Thomas Buchholz ,&nbsp;Jörg Schweinle","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103534","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103534","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The informal wooden furniture microenterprises, Jua Kali-WFMEs, play a crucial role in job creation and securing livelihoods across Kenya. Due to their informal status, however, Jua Kali-WFMEs face numerous social and economic difficulties. Formalisation, which involves bringing enterprises under regulations, is a crucial approach to address these challenges. To enable an effective formalisation strategy, this study applies a mixed method research design to characterise Jua Kali-WFMEs in Nairobi and examine key factors influencing formalisation. Findings show that Jua Kali-WFMEs operate along the formality continuum, exhibiting a dualistic structure of lower- and upper-tier informality. The upper tier consists of Jua Kali-WFMEs that achieve higher profits and labour productivity, while demonstrating better adoption of formal business practices. Underlying factors influencing formalisation include business premises, access to affordable credit, revenue and profit. Additionally, unofficial financial transactions and rising timber prices, partly driven by supply shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic, hinder formalisation by reducing business profitability. Findings reveal that formalisation strategies need to be tailored to the specific needs of Jua Kali-WFMEs. For the lower tier, interventions need to emphasise the provision of business premises and facilitation of affordable credit. By contrast, adequate high-value market access to promote business growth, coupled with fair enforcement, can enable upper-tier microenterprises to fully formalise their business. For social security compliance, schemes aligned with entrepreneurs' financial capacity and sustained dialogue with relevant authorities are crucial for microenterprises in both segments. Future studies require the explicit assessment of the impact of environmental policy on enterprise formalisation and vice versa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103534"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330491","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":"Workload in wood harvesting and among transportation professionals — A study based on survey research in Finland","authors":"Marja K. Kallioniemi ,&nbsp;Hanna-Riitta Kymäläinen ,&nbsp;Janne Kaseva ,&nbsp;Esa Katajamäki","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focused on workload in forest harvesting and among transportation professionals and included all professional groups of the occupational sector: timber truck drivers, plant drivers, loggers and timber workers, officers, and other workers. A postal and Internet survey (<em>N</em> = 1282, response rate 32 %) comprised five variables indicating workload: stress, sense of control, mental load, working hours per week, and harmful factors at work. A random sampling (<em>N</em> = 4000), adjusted to professional groups, was carried out based on different databases and a register including information about forestry professionals. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated the associated variables of stress. Over half of the sample respondents (59 %) reported stress and nearly half (47 %) assessed their work as mentally straining. Poor recovery from work was especially associated with stress. The average number of working hours per week (44.9 h) was large, and several respondent groups worked over 50 h per week. The most common harmful factors at work were sitting for a long time, similar, repetitive work movements, working alone, vibration, and coldness or draft. Vulnerable groups to workload were those with higher education levels, officers, women, and employers. Cooperation between stakeholders is needed to alleviate the heavy workload in this work sector, which includes a lot of small enterprises and self-employed persons working in a changing operational environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103530"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144322720","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":"Unlocking a transition to alternative forest management in intensive management contexts: Stakeholder perceptions of constraints and opportunities in Sweden","authors":"Lucas Dawson ,&nbsp;Jayne Glass ,&nbsp;Ulrika Widman ,&nbsp;Jenny Friman ,&nbsp;Sara Holmgren","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forests are increasingly recognized as providing key nature-based solutions for societal challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development. This is driving a shift towards greater consideration of alternative forest management (AFM) approaches that promote ecological integrity and social values alongside economic viability. This study investigates constraints and opportunities influencing the adoption of AFM practices in contexts dominated by intensive management. Using a case study of Sweden, we conducted a literature review and a workshop with 53 expert participants to identify 26 topic clusters related to the transition from intensive management to AFM. Key findings reveal that knowledge gaps, socio-cultural norms, and institutional support are perceived as the most significant factors affecting AFM adoption. Participants highlighted conservative traditions and inadequate advisory services as major constraints, while increasing interest among forest owners and potential regulatory support from the <span>European Union</span> were recognized as opportunities for change. Notably, economic and biophysical factors were ranked as less important than socio-cultural, institutional, and knowledge/technology themes. The results indicate that AFM has not yet gained sufficient traction in Sweden to challenge intensive practices, suggesting that incremental change is the most likely outcome in the short term. However, growing public awareness of the limitations of intensive management, societal demands for sustainability, and changes in ownership demographics may catalyse more substantial changes. These opportunities have received less attention in the reviewed literature and the findings therefore emphasize the need for enhanced knowledge dissemination, collaborative networks, and supportive policy and economic instruments to facilitate uptake of AFM. The Swedish case also offers insights for international efforts to support a transition away from intensive forest management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103560"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330490","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":"Current status of improved forest management carbon offset projects in the US voluntary market","authors":"Srijana Baral ,&nbsp;Sabhyata Lamichhane ,&nbsp;Anil Koirala","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The voluntary forest carbon market facilitates the purchase and trade of carbon credits from forest-based projects for emission offsetting. Improved forest management (IFM) carbon projects have gained considerable attention for their potential to boost net carbon stocks and lower greenhouse gas emissions by altering business-as-usual forest management practices. Despite the rapid expansion of IFM projects, a comprehensive analysis of their status in the voluntary market is lacking. This study examines registered IFM projects in the US by collecting data on these projects from three public carbon registries: American Carbon Registry, Climate Action Reserve, and Verra. Findings show that nearly 2 million acres of forestland have been enrolled across 24 states. More than half of these projects are located in the Northern region and are primarily managed by private companies. Although the issuance of credits by carbon registries has risen in recent years, credit retirement has decreased. These findings underscore the need to better understand the flow and impacts of credits from forest-based projects on emission offsetting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103567"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144322718","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":"A comparative analysis of timber harvesting, timber supply, and tree planting across ownerships and regions of the United States","authors":"David N. Wear ,&nbsp;John W. Coulston","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forests in the United States support the world's largest wood products sector while providing several other ecosystem services. Forest management in the form of timber harvesting and reforestation determines the overall sustainability of all service values. We use remeasured forest inventory plots to define harvest rates and intensities and estimate economic harvest choice and tree-planting models for subregions and ownership groups. Annual harvest rates range from near zero in the southern Rockies to 3.8 % of forest plots in the South-Central region. We find that harvest choices for all regions and ownerships except public ownerships in the Pacific Coast region are responsive to changes in timber prices. We estimate regional timber supply equations using Monte Carlo simulations of harvest choices applied to current inventory plots. This defines supply as a function of both quantity of standing biomass and the detailed composition of inventory. Timber supply is shown to be more responsive to sawtimber prices than pulpwood prices and is mostly inelastic; the exception is the Pacific Northwest, where supply is price elastic (∼1.5). Estimated tree-planting models indicate that tree planting on private land is also responsive to timber prices in the South, Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rocky Mountains. Combining estimated harvest and tree-planting choice models with long-run inventory plot projections, we find no indications of unsustainable harvesting or increasing timber scarcity. Projected shifts in long-run timber supply indicate that nearly all potential for supply growth is in the eastern United States, especially in the South-Central region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103542"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144322719","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":"Forests are more than trees and communication is more than words: Inter- and transdisciplinary research about effective multi-stakeholder communication in Germany","authors":"Sandra Liebal ,&nbsp;Lena Riemann ,&nbsp;Josephine Köhler ,&nbsp;Norbert Weber","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This Special Issue presents a collection of current research contributions that examine the role of communication in the context of forest policy in Germany. Against the backdrop of increasing pressures on forests and evolving governance structures, the nine research articles and two commentaries included highlight how communication acts as both a shaping force and a strategic tool in the policy process. The contributions cover a range of empirical settings, including digital media, professional education, and deliberative fora, thereby offering multi-faceted insights into how communication practices vary across institutional, regional, and thematic contexts. By focusing on Germany, characterized by a federal structure and pluralistic democratic context, this volume offers a unique opportunity to explore how forest-related communication varies across political, ecological, and institutional settings, providing nuanced insights into the dynamics of forest policy and public discourse in a complex governance landscape. In doing so, it seeks to inform both academic discourse and practical approaches to communication in forest governance.</div><div>In our editorial, we outline how communication influences and constitutes the different stages of the policy-making process. As such, we illustrate how discourses, framing processes, and media performance influence e.g. agenda setting, policy formulation, and public engagement. Furthermore, we highlight the relevance of communication for participatory governance, stakeholder interaction, and the negotiation of societal expectations concerning forests and forestry. By pointing out that communication is linked to each stage of the policy cycle, this editorial contributes to a differentiated understanding of the functions and challenges of forest-related communication in policy processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"178 ","pages":"Article 103562"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144297555","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}