Forest Policy and Economics最新文献

{"title":"Cross-sectoral policy integration of forest biomass for renewable energy in Indonesia","authors":"Sukasno ,&nbsp;Nunuk Supriyatno ,&nbsp;Johanes P.G. Sutapa ,&nbsp;Ahmad Maryudi","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Promoted as a strategy to reduce emissions, the use of forest biomass for renewable energy requires cross-sectoral policy integration between the forest and energy sectors. In this paper, integration is examined through coherence and consistency of policies. Policy coherence refers to alignment of policy objectives of the focal sectors with the goal of reducing carbon emissions. Consistency is assessed by looking at: 1) conformity with stated objectives, 2) consistency across regulations, 3) unaddressed trade-offs, and 4) regulatory gaps. We used those indicators to assess 18 key thematic areas. An initial analysis shows a coherence of the policy objectives of both sectors, centered around the overarching national goal of reducing emission through forest biomass utilization. However, findings on the consistency of regulatory instruments are more nuanced. While the indicator of regulatory alignment is largely fulfilled, we found several inconsistencies of rules and unaddressed trade-offs in several thematic areas, mainly related to the absence of prioritization by and formal commitment of the forest sector to supply biomass due to issues related to fair prices and tariffs. In addition, there is a great deal of regulatory vacuum governing the utilization of biomass for energy. Overall, we conclude the cross-sectoral policy integration is largely symbolic, driven by higher-level pressures, rather than the result of genuine cooperation. While this study focuses on Indonesia, the identified challenges such as sectoral silos and top-down alignment appear common in forest-based biomass initiatives in many countries, where institutional fragmentation often impedes coherent energy transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"182 ","pages":"Article 103684"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145734347","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":"Not an easy ride: Economic research priorities for pro-environmental trade regulation","authors":"Dario Schulz ,&nbsp;Johanna Coenen ,&nbsp;Mairon Bastos Lima ,&nbsp;Laila Berning ,&nbsp;Jan Börner ,&nbsp;Mathias Cramm ,&nbsp;Cecilia Fraccaroli ,&nbsp;Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira ,&nbsp;U. Martin Persson ,&nbsp;Metodi Sotirov ,&nbsp;Sven Wunder","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Demand-side trade regulation is promoted as a policy tool to reduce negative environmental and socioeconomic footprints associated with global commodity supply chains. We present a theory of change (ToC) that explains how the economics of pro-environmental trade regulation can be expected to work, using the recent EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products (EUDR) as a topical illustration. Along this complex ToC, we review and characterize multiple factors that might either constrain overall policy effectiveness or enhance it. Evidence suggests that, in addition to land-use leakage (the displacement of environmental pressures to unregulated domains), predictably strong market-segregating responses might rearrange sourcing and trading patterns, especially where EU commodity import shares are low. Lacking observable and attributable land-use changes, segregation spillovers are harder to document. We outline an economically informed interdisciplinary research agenda around the potential impact pathways of demand-side trade regulations. However, our ex-ante conceptual policy assessment also cautions of potential functional shortcomings in reaching the desired global forest-protective goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"182 ","pages":"Article 103682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145689379","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 biblio-econometric analysis of tropical forest loss dynamics","authors":"Serge Silatsa Nanda ,&nbsp;Francis B.T. Silatsa ,&nbsp;Martin Jemo ,&nbsp;Martin Yemefack ,&nbsp;Junna Iwano ,&nbsp;Takahiro Fujiwara","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103673","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103673","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical forests, crucial for the planet, are witnessing alarming rates of loss. Literature resulting from research on tropical forest loss (TFL) has been extensive over the last three decades, but its connection with TFL drivers and contribution to halting TFL remains unexplored. This study spotlights the TFL and its related research trends, merging bibliometric analysis and econometric modeling using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Granger causality approaches. We relied on data encompassing 4132 publications on TFL and 1683 observations for each driver from 51 tropical countries, covering the period 1990–2022. The TFL bibliography has increased primarily outside of tropical countries, although its impact is still hampered by weak policy endorsement. Agricultural expansion is identified as the strongest TFL driver, with 1 million hectares of new farmland inducing 1.5 million hectares of TFL. Similarly, logging has a delayed but significant impact on TFL. In contrast, mining and improvement of GDP per capita initially increase TFL but contribute to its reduction after two years, supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis. Our findings reveal that research on TFL is crucial for reducing TFL, as each additional 10 publications contributes to a reduction of 0.7 million hectares of TFL in the subsequent year. Literature citations revealed a delayed and indirect effect, highlighting a research-policy gap. The outlined results emphasize the importance of translating scientific knowledge into governance actions. Strengthening science-policy interfaces, enhancing research alignment with conservation goals and investing in policy-responsive knowledge systems are crucial for transitioning to effective sustainability in tropical forests<strong>.</strong></div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"182 ","pages":"Article 103673"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145689380","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":"Decomposing the drivers of forest carbon sink changes from the perspective of digital input: Balancing timber utilization and ecological conservation","authors":"Yan Huang ,&nbsp;Hanting Yu ,&nbsp;Zhelin Liu ,&nbsp;Jin Zhang ,&nbsp;Jinhuang Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The conservation-utilization conflict between carbon sinks and timber production in forest resource use remains the central constraint on sustainable forestry, while the expanding adoption of digital technologies offers new opportunities to address this challenge. Against this backdrop, this study evaluates carbon sinks and timber production across 31 provinces in China from 2012 to 2022. This study first employs a non-radial directional distance function (NDDF) under an overall technology framework to develop a dynamic time-series classification of forestry development modes. It then introduces a “digital input utilization” indicator to measure the utilization of digital input in the two forestry outputs. Finally, digital input is integrated into a decomposition framework for carbon-sink growth to systematically determine how various factors drive changes in carbon sinks. The results indicate that: (1) Temporally, China's forestry can be categorized into three modes: win-win development, carbon-sink improvement and timber-production improvement. Observed changes in forest carbon sinks within regions corresponding to each mode closely match the characteristics of that mode. (2) The utilization of digital inputs in the two forestry outputs differs significantly across development modes, often contradicting the characteristics of their corresponding modes. (3) The dominant drivers of carbon-sink growth vary across modes, and the marginal contribution of digital inputs to enhancing the coordination between carbon sinks and timber production exhibits diminishing returns. Overall, this study enhances understanding of how digital investments influence sustainable forestry outcomes and offers guidance for developing differentiated forestry policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"182 ","pages":"Article 103688"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880112","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":"Hardening sustainability: Supply chain laws complement cocoa and coffee certifications","authors":"Lena Partzsch","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The European Union (EU) has recently adopted several supply chain laws. The 2023 EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the 2024 Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) are still the subject of fierce debate. This article examines the extent to which the new legislation complements, or even falls short of, existing voluntary sustainability standards (VSS). The focus is on the two affected commodities with the highest share of certified sustainable production, cocoa (41.8 %) and coffee (24.7 %). Using an analytical framework of scope, process and enforceability, I compare EUDR and CSDDD with the most widely used certification initiatives, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade International, for cocoa and coffee. The results show that the public legislation is more stringent than the VSS in some aspects, in particular, reporting (procedure) and supervision (enforcement). Nevertheless, other aspects of the new legislation are already addressed by the VSS and implementation of the laws would provide first-mover advantages to certified companies. It is thus in their interest to weaken the public legislation but not to abolish it.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103661"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145461654","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":"Decision support systems to improve the provision of forest ecosystem services: Stakeholders' opinions and expectations in Italy and North-Macedonia","authors":"Sofia Baldessari ,&nbsp;Makedonka Stojanovska ,&nbsp;Vladimir Stojanovski ,&nbsp;Isabella De Meo ,&nbsp;Alessandro Paletto","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent decades, Decision Support Systems (DSSs) have become increasingly relevant for supporting decision-makers in forest planning and management. In the literature, several studies have developed DSSs to optimize the provision of certain ecosystem services (ESs) such as timber production, biodiversity conservation and recreation, but there is a knowledge gap on the users' perspective. This study investigates stakeholders' opinions on the role and usefulness of DSSs in forest management planning and the importance of different ESs provided by forests to be considered in DSSs development. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 55 stakeholders from Italy (32) and North-Macedonia (23) to gather their points of view. Results highlighted that 43.8 % of Italian stakeholders and 30.4 % of North-Macedonian stakeholders are familiar with DSSs concept, while only a minority regularly uses these tools in their work (6.3 % and 13.0 % respectively). Despite limited direct use, respondents demonstrated strong expertise in ESs and in assessing the effects of forest management on ESs. On this topic, stakeholders of both countries converge in considering the regulating services (natural hazards protection and climate change mitigation) as the most important ESs provided by forests, followed by provisioning services (timber and bioenergy production). Regarding forest management strategies, “combined objective” and “close-to-nature” approaches were identified as having the most positive impacts on ESs. The “combined objective” strategy is considered most effective for enhancing climate change mitigation, timber and bioenergy production, while close-to-nature management is preferred for improving biodiversity and genetic resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103651"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145334189","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":"Strategic financial decision-making for forest bioenergy: investment scenarios and policy insights for charcoal enterprises in Brazil","authors":"Gabriel Browne de Deus Ribeiro ,&nbsp;Sebastião Renato Valverde ,&nbsp;Angélica de Cássia Oliveira Carneiro ,&nbsp;Márcio Lopes da Silva ,&nbsp;Gleison Augusto dos Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103659","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103659","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bioenergy is widely recognized as a cornerstone of global energy transition strategies. In Brazil, charcoal represents a critical renewable energy source, largely supplied by small and medium-sized forest producers (SMFP) who often operate with limited financial planning and restricted policy support. Unlike previous studies that have focused on technical efficiency or environmental aspects, this paper pioneers a financial decision-support framework explicitly tailored to SMFP. Using primary data from producers in Minas Gerais, Brazil, seven strategic scenarios were modeled – including coppicing, sharecropping, rural credit, legal formalization, and surplus cash reinvestment – through discounted cash flow analysis and a SWOT-based policy assessment. Results show that coppicing and credit-financed strategies deliver the highest profitability, while sharecropping alternatives reduce risk and capital requirements, offering inclusive options for undercapitalized producers. Reinvestment of surplus cash flows into low-risk financial products significantly enhanced returns and resilience, even under adverse conditions. A SWOT-based policy analysis highlights opportunities to improve rural credit access, simplify formalization, and promote financial inclusion, and concludes with five key policy takeaways to guide inclusive, effective, and sustainable bioenergy development. Overall, the findings underscore the need for tailored financial instruments and fiscal incentives that encourage legal formalization. By integrating financial planning into bioenergy policies, this study provides actionable pathways to strengthen rural livelihoods and advance low-carbon bioeconomies in Brazil and other emerging markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103659"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145396623","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":"Frame analysis of attitudes towards forest-based bioenergy in Europe: Exploring the criticism to improved dialogue","authors":"Daniel Bergquist ,&nbsp;Elvira Caselunghe ,&nbsp;Gustaf Egnell ,&nbsp;Johnny de Jong","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this study is to investigate the criticism against forest-based bioenergy. It is based on a qualitative study and provides a comprehensive understanding of critical attitudes towards forest-based bioenergy among environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) in Europe. Through semi-structured interviews with 12 representatives from Swedish and European ENGOs a frame analysis was done. The analysis shows how these respondents conceptualize challenges related to forest-based bioenergy, what processes that underpin these views and what concrete solutions the respondents suggest to the risks they perceive. Frames refer to what arguments the respondents use to justify their opinions and conclusions, whereas framing is the process of applying their frames to situations. The analysis also accounts for system boundaries set among the respondents, since that influences their problem definitions and conclusions. The ENGO representatives reported rigorous and profound criticism of forest-based bioenergy and, not the least, of current forestry practices in general. Also, respondents within the same ENGO differed in approach to forest-based bioenergy, which suggests that individual characteristics need consideration for dialogue to be constructive. Lack of trust was identified as one major obstacle for constructive dialogue. Understanding the socio-personal factors and diversity in perspectives behind forest-based bioenergy criticism is crucial for development that is socially acceptable. To this end, policy processes need to involve facilitation and well-designed dialogue processes oriented towards mutual learning, where actors are invited early and allowed to engage in the very problem definition. Crucial is also to maintain continuity among the participants. To get a complete picture of the discourse on forest-based bioenergy a similar analysis of proponents would complement this study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103657"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145396622","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":"Conflicts and policy priorities drive differences in the EU Forest strategy implementation: Insights from 15 European countries","authors":"M. Pecurul-Botines ,&nbsp;A. Giurca ,&nbsp;H. Pülzl ,&nbsp;K. Niedzialkowski ,&nbsp;M. Brockhaus ,&nbsp;L. Bouriaud ,&nbsp;V. Brukas ,&nbsp;S. Hajtmarova ,&nbsp;M.A. Hoogstra-Klein ,&nbsp;A. Konczal ,&nbsp;L. Marcinekova ,&nbsp;K. Øistad ,&nbsp;Š. Pezdevšek Malovrh ,&nbsp;N. Pietarinen ,&nbsp;L. Secco ,&nbsp;J.-L. Roux ,&nbsp;B. Wolfslehner ,&nbsp;G. Winkel","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conflicts have arisen between Member States and the European Commission around the European Union Forest Strategy either because of differing opinions on whether forests should be considered as a commodity, as nature to be conserved, or because of disagreements about the EU's competencies vis-à-vis national sovereignty of forests. These conflicts highlight high and diverging stakes in the EU's governance of forest ecosystems. At the national level, impending changes related to EU regulations impact the forest-based sector and its governance, including monitoring and access to finance. Despite not being legally binding, the EU Forest Strategy is significantly influencing national policies within the broader EU political framework. To what extent this new strategy exacerbates existing conflicts or shapes new ones is not well understood. The main objective of this study is to understand whether and how conflicts and different policy prioritization may influence the implementation of this key EU Strategy at the national level. Theoretically, this study draws on Europeanization studies to understand how different forest-related conflicts are connected to attempts to integrate European forest policy at the EU level. Empirically, an analysis of policy documents and interviews with policy experts in 15 European countries was conducted. Our analysis provides a rich overview of the extent to which diverse national policy developments align with the EU Forest Strategy goals and how these developments connect to existing or newly emerging conflicts around the Strategy's implementation. Based on these insights, we suggest potential ways to overcome the challenges and advance forest policy in Europe.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103652"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359232","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":"Conflicting interests in the standard setting process of the PEFC forest certification scheme in Finland","authors":"Tiina Piiroinen,&nbsp;Minna Pappila,&nbsp;Anna Ott","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2025.103641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the revision of the PEFC forest certification standard, a multi-stakeholder process, using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). It addresses changes in the standard's ecological criteria and the factors affecting them. Ten members of the standard working group were interviewed, supported by a document review. Three advocacy coalitions—forestry, environmental, and social— were identified, contrasting with prior studies on Finnish forest policy. The forestry coalition outnumbered the other two coalitions in their policy-relevant resources. Decision-making authority and opportunities for equal participation were perceived as weak by the others. It had sufficient resources to invest in strong participation, access to information and skilful leadership. The historical dominance of the forestry coalition when it comes to Finnish forest policy persisted, and the revision process indicated a lack of trust and a divide between coalitions. Dissatisfaction with the ecological criteria led to the withdrawal of the environmental coalition representatives from the standard working group. Changes in the ecological criteria between 2014 and 2022 were minor, despite the urgent need to reverse impairments from previous updates of the standard. The influence of ecological science on the revision was weak. Attempts to weaken criteria on old-growth forests were observed, raising questions about the forestry coalition's commitment to biodiversity protection. The level of environmental, social, and economic sustainability in PEFC standards were largely determined by the forestry coalition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 103641"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145434487","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}