{"title":"Community engagement in the governance of Cambodian recreation forests","authors":"Emerson Carias Padilla , Alessandra Giuliani , Kang Subhadd Kanniya , Vuth Lay Heang , Tol Sokchea , Kalyan Hou , Jérémie Gilliéron","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the institutional, socio-cultural, and environmental factors influencing community participation in recreational forest governance in Cambodia. Recreational forests, essential for promoting well-being and environmental stewardship, face governance challenges that hinder their sustainability and economic viability. Using a mixed-methods approach, we evaluated institutional, socio-cultural, and environmental factors by gathering perspectives from stakeholders across three communities—Ou Khladek, Prey Kbal Bey, and Changkran Roy—to identify specific challenges and opportunities for improvement. Key findings reveal significant differences in policy implementation and community engagement among the communities, with Changkran Roy demonstrating effective governance through robust stakeholder collaboration. Conversely, Ou Khladek and Prey Kbal Bey exhibit inconsistencies in policy execution and community involvement. Demographic and economic factors further influence forest management practices, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies. Enhancing institutional frameworks, strengthening community capacities in financial management and tourist services, and fostering greater involvement of powerful yet disengaged stakeholders like the Forestry Administration are crucial. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of effective governance and sustainable management practices for recreational forests, offering valuable guidance for policymakers and practitioners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103386"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining the adoption of PEFC chain of custody certification in the Italian forest-based industry: An empirical study on motivations and impacts","authors":"Stefano Bruzzese , Filippo Brun , Antonino Galati , Valeria Borsellino , Claudio Mirabella , Antonio Brunori , Simone Blanc","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>PEFC is the world's largest forest certification system, with more than 295 million hectares of certified forests and over 28,000 companies currently involved in the Chain of Custody (CoC). In this context, this research investigated the governance mechanisms influencing the decisions of Italian forest-based industry operators to adopt such certification and the results of its adoption. A questionnaire was administered to 1326 PEFC-certified Italian companies of forest-based sector between November 2022 and March 2023, and 236 valid responses were collected. The main findings highlighted that internal values and beliefs within the company primarily influence the decision to adopt the scheme through the ‘Moral’ mechanism. Key motivational levers included the environmental awareness of employees, the improvement of environmental quality, and the way the company communicates its brand and products on the market. There was also good alignment between pre-adoption expectations and outcomes achieved after CoC certification, demonstrating the effectiveness of PEFC's role as a ‘Signalling’ and ‘Moral’ mechanism. The adoption of the CoC certification scheme significantly enhanced corporate image and highlighted the need to train employees in the management of Environmental Management Systems. The study makes a significant contribution from a theoretical point of view, enriching the literature in this line of research, but also from a practical point of view by providing useful information for practitioners wishing to strengthen their certification system or for companies wishing to adopt a more sustainable approach to their business through the adoption of certification schemes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103385"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823082","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}
Roberto Kimura , Bruno Kanieski da Silva , Changyou Sun
{"title":"A needle in a haystack: Projecting the climate impacts on Brazil's pulp and paper industry","authors":"Roberto Kimura , Bruno Kanieski da Silva , Changyou Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is expected to severely impact the forestry industry by increasing wildfire occurrence, triggering pest outbreaks, or modifying trees' productivity. To understand the long-term impact of climate change on forest production, we investigated how fluctuations in forest productivity and land availability would impact the expansion of Brazil's pulp and paper industry. We used a Mixed Integer Nonlinear Model to evaluate the financial returns, costs, and potential mill locations under multiple climates and land market scenarios. The study area was the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil, which is among the world's most attractive natural resources investments in pulp and paper. Our results showed that the region needs to expand its plantation forest area by at least 586,166 ha from the current land base of 912,371 ha in the upcoming decades to supply enough pulpwood for incoming mills and offset potential productivity losses driven by climate change. Pulpwood production cost is expected to increase by 0.61 % annually (or 16.4 % in the next 25 years). These results highlight the risks associated with losses in the productivity of plantation forests due to the changes in climate and land use. We assessed the importance of land use change rate in the market development. If it remains unchanged, the industry's success could be restrained, reducing positive externalities in the region. Furthermore, the model we proposed here can be extended to other industrial problems (e.g., wood pellet mills and biochar collection points) and assess different climate scenarios (e.g., climate shocks like droughts or wildfires).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103393"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873930","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":"Exploring technical efficiency in the European forest sector: A two-stage chance-constrained data envelopment analysis","authors":"Alireza Amirteimoori , Tofigh Allahviranloo , Majid Zadmirzaei","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study analyses the technical efficiency of the forestry sector in Europe which comprises 40 countries. The novelty of this study is the stochasticity of the data and the existence of contextual variables in the two-stage production process of the forest sector. We first developed a two-stage chance-constrained data envelopment analysis model in which the forestry and exploitation stages occur at country-specific levels within the European forest production sector. It was found that the forest management stage is generally more efficient than the exploitation stage and total production at the country-specific level. Contextual variables have a significant impact on efficiency scores, which means that efficiency calculations in the subsequent stage need to be adjusted to take these influences into account. By mitigating these contextual effects, the study improved technical efficiency scores, highlighting top performers like the Russian Federation (DMU31 in North zone), Switzerland (DMU37 in Central-West zone), and Iceland (DMU16 in North zone) with TE scores of 1.0322, 1.0209, and 1.0198 respectively, while also identifying areas for enhancement in countries such as Turkey (DMU38 in South-East zone), Slovakia (DMU33 in Central-East zone), and Romania (DMU30 in Central-East zone) which fall into the lowest three ranks based on their performance with TE scores of 0.5583, 0.5058, and 0.4482 respectively. An important conclusion is that these findings are crucial for policymakers and stakeholders in Europe when developing strategies to improve efficiency and sustainability in the forest sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103370"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823083","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}
Mahesh Tiwari , Changyou Sun , Donald L. Grebner , Ayoung Kim , Eric McConnell
{"title":"Partition actions on forestland owned as heir property and the determinants of court decisions","authors":"Mahesh Tiwari , Changyou Sun , Donald L. Grebner , Ayoung Kim , Eric McConnell","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103392","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103392","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the United States, family forest landowners own a substantial portion of the forestland. Some of the forestland is heir property, which is created when an owner dies without a will or with a defective will. Each co-owner of heir property has an undivided fractional interest in the entire land, and any co-owners can file a partition action to isolate their interest from the land. While a physical division of the land is possible, a partition action often results in a forced sale of the entire land and unwilling loss of land for some co-owners. In this study, published legal cases were utilized to collect empirical evidence of heir property partition on forestland, and furthermore, logit models were employed to examine the determinants of court decisions. The analyses identified several influential factors behind judges' decisions. These included whether incomes from forestland were shared among co-owners, the magnitude of fractional interest of a partition claimant, the presence of absentee co-owners, the physical and financial work related to the land, and the availability of detailed facts about heirs and land. The empirical findings have implications for heir property owners to administer their properties, institutions to design legal strategies for partition disputes, and policymakers to address and improve the legal framework encompassing heir property and its partition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103392"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873934","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":"Policy forum: Opportunities and challenges for Vietnamese companies to source sustainable timber from Africa, and implications for future implementation of the EU deforestation regulation","authors":"Thu Thuy Pham , Thi Kim Hong Tang , Andrew Lowe","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103387","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103387","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores the perceptions of 114 Vietnamese companies regarding the opportunities and challenges they face in trading timber and wood with African countries, drawing the implications for future implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in Vietnam and African countries. More than half of the surveyed companies imported African timber for construction, raw material resale, and furniture production. For most companies surveyed, imported African timber was used in 25 %–50 % of their products; just 10 % of companies were entirely dependent on imported African timber. Surveyed companies had a diverse supplier list, with those from the United States and European Union contributing higher percentages of timber than their African counterparts. African countries were considered high-risk for illegal logging; yet surveyed companies also believed African timber imports to be an opportunity due to the continent's significant expanse of tropical forests, high consumer demand for African timber, and favourable conditions when dealing with African businesses. However, importing African timber also brought major challenges for Vietnamese companies due to pressure from consumer countries to ensure timber product legality, and due to the lack of accountable, transparent governance and legal frameworks – in both Vietnam and African countries – required to validate sources. Our paper sheds light on challenges for timber- and wood-processing companies in Vietnam in complying with the EUDR and highlights the need to strengthen governance frameworks around timber imports and exports in Vietnam, African countries and consumer countries to monitor and control the illegal timber trade.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103387"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823077","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}
Alexander Mäder , Monika Bachinger , Andreas Ziermann , Patricia Harprecht , Volker Kromrey , Franziska Schlemmer
{"title":"Social media, deliberative communication and conflict management: Reflections based on the example case of Freiburg Im Breisgau (Germany)","authors":"Alexander Mäder , Monika Bachinger , Andreas Ziermann , Patricia Harprecht , Volker Kromrey , Franziska Schlemmer","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recreation in forests may be conceived of as a common pool resource. This resource degrades if a too large number of recreationists or recreationists with too different activities populate the forest. In such cases conflicts due to resource degradation might occur. Deliberative communication is a respectful form of communication, which enables individuals to develop a mutual understanding and realize accepted solutions. Deliberative communication might take various forms, also being mediated by social media. These media, however, contain specific challenges. By taking the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework by <span><span>Ostrom (2010)</span></span> as a conceptual base, the commentary looks at the conflict between cyclists and other forest visitors in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany) to discuss whether and how social media posts could live up to the principles of deliberative communication and thus contribute to the mitigation of recreational conflicts in forests. Results show that social media posts host a great opportunity for deliberative communication, enhancing interactivity, rationality, constructiveness, empathy and a common-good reference. However, there are shortcomings of social media as well, which relate to the communication's solution-orientation and the inclusion of silent voices. Moderation of communication on social media appears to be a complex undertaking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103390"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873931","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":"Developing a supply chain model for sustainable aviation fuel using logging residues in Georgia, United States","authors":"Hosne Ara Akter , Yu-Kai Huang , Puneet Dwivedi","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a drop-in fuel from biomass feedstocks can reduce carbon emissions and provide resiliency to the aviation sector in light of the volatile nature of conventional aviation fuel (CAF) prices. This study aims to develop a supply chain model for SAF derived from unutilized logging residues across Georgia, a prominent forestry state located in the southern region of the United States. We employed a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to minimize the total discounted cost of the SAF supply chain using the Ethanol-to-Jet (ETJ) production pathway over ten years of operation. Three SAF demand scenarios were selected, i.e., meeting 20 % (high), 10 % (medium), and 5 % (low) of total SAF demand at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Results indicate a unit production cost of US $1.92 L<sup>−1</sup>, US $2.03 L<sup>−1</sup>, and US $2.25 L<sup>−1</sup> for the high, medium, and low demand scenarios, respectively. Over a period of ten years, to produce 3.74, 1.87, and 0.94 billion liters of SAF in scenarios A, B, and C, respectively, 38.5, 19.2, and 9.6 million Mg of logging residues are required. The capital investment and operating cost at biorefineries accounted for an average of 77 % and 22 % of the total unit cost, respectively, across scenarios. The GHG intensity of the SAF was 767 g CO<sub>2</sub>e L<sup>−1</sup> on average across scenarios, providing about 70 % of carbon savings relative to CAF. The supply chain model suggested 54 biomass processing units (BPUs) and 13 bio-refineries across Georgia under the high demand scenario, 27 BPUs and 7 bio-refineries under the medium scenario, and 14 BPUs and 4 bio-refineries under the low SAF demand scenario. Our study is expected to provide new insights into the emerging market of SAF in Georgia and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103401"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142889294","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":"“Missing” power features in the Actor-Centered-Power framework: Systematic review and empirical insights from Central Africa's Dja and Faro Landscapes","authors":"Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi , Shambhu Charmakar , Roland Azibo Balgah , Lukas Giessen","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since its introduction about a decade ago, the Actor-Centered-Power (ACP) theoretical approach has been applied to analyze power manifestations and outcomes – particularly in forest resource management. This approach emphasized three power features, namely, coercion, (dis)incentives and dominant information. After a decade of empirical validation, it is imperative to take stock of its application while reflecting on potential “missing power features” in the ACP. In this paper, we propose four “missing power features” in the ACP theoretical approach. These include <em>social cohesion</em> (the societal glue), <em>geography</em> (landscape remoteness), <em>process</em> (the switch in the roles of potentates and subordinates in the same transaction), and <em>convictions</em> (narratives that steer an us-versus-them discourse). A fifth overarching missing element is <em>time</em> – here we argue that all power features in the ACP have a temporal dimension. The paper draws from theoretical reflections in other power studies, and a systematic review of 61 empirical literature on power in forest management institutions. To verify empirical trends from the systematic reviews through a contemporary example, qualitative data generated through the interview of key informants (<em>n</em> = 51), experts (<em>n</em> = 12), and focus group discussions (<em>n</em> = 10) from two cases in Central Africa is provided. Analysis of articles selected through systematic reviews and own empirical data allows us to draw the following conclusions: Firstly, 88 % of the reviewed papers captured the four missing power features with <em>social cohesion</em> and <em>geographical remoteness</em> dominating the literature (67 %). Secondly, empirical insights from the two cases in Central Africa confirmed the recurrence of <em>social cohesion</em> linked to ties with forest-related livelihood strategies, and <em>geographical remoteness</em> which enhances insecurity. Thirdly, conservation interventions are also shaped by the power and potency of <em>process</em>, indicating a role switch between the potentate and subordinate within the same transaction, and convictions linked to people's heritage. While <em>process, social cohesion and convictions</em> presents a useful opportunity for an actor-cum-institutions theoretical framework, geography elucidates the scale dimension which should be clarified. We suggest the incorporation of these power features with time standing as an overarching power feature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103395"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Campos Fernandes , S. Valente , E. Figueiredo , A. Polido
{"title":"Stakeholder and social network analysis for understanding forest (fires) management – A contribution based on a systematic literature review","authors":"C. Campos Fernandes , S. Valente , E. Figueiredo , A. Polido","doi":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103396","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103396","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Finding strategies and measures to prevent and mitigate wildfires is at the top of the socio-political agendas in Europe. This is due to an increase in the recurrence and intensity of wildfires, but also to constraints related to fire planning and management system, which includes and deals with multiple organizations, entities, and stakeholders, fostering diverse potential tensions and conflicts, and generally based on poor communication, which, altogether, may compromise a successful operationalization of fire management policies.</div><div>Stakeholder analysis (SA) is a methodology that can help to understand and cope with those limitations. Its application enables the understanding of the relevant actors, their goals, interests, plans, influence levels, resources, behavior, and interrelations. Considering the limitations of SA methods in determining the role of communication networks and understanding the patterns of interaction, Social Network Analysis (SNA) emerges as an essential tool for assessing the relationships among actors, their positions within a network, and the drivers of the different interactions.</div><div>In this vein, a systematic literature review was conducted to explore how SA and SNA have been addressed by European studies regarding forests and, particularly, wildfires. The 41 articles selected were subjected to a quantitative and qualitative thematic analysis considering several dimensions, such as its main purpose and expected impact, the research methods used, the stakeholders' categorization, or the limitations and contributions. One of the study's more significant findings relates to the crucial roles played by the different approaches to understand the existing system and to support policy- and decision-making processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12451,"journal":{"name":"Forest Policy and Economics","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 103396"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}