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This exploratory research of four Canadian cities, conducted in 2003, compares the impact of forest certification labelling and advertising on the purchase intent of wood and paper products by end-use consumers. Telephone survey results indicate that Canadians are concerned about the environment, have positive attitudes towards certification, and are willing to alter their purchase habits to favour certified wood and paper products. Respondents indicated that labelling would more likely influence their purchase decision than advertising. They also indicated a lack of awareness regarding forest certification, and that advertising was the preferred strategy to increase general awareness among consumers. A segment of consumers was identified, representing 70% of the sample, which is highly concerned about the environment, willing to seek out certified products, and favours labelling as a source of information to assist with their purchase decisions for certified forest products.Key words: forest certification, eco-labelling, green advertising, consumer purchase intent, green consumers RÉSUMÉCette recherche exploratoire menée dans quatre municipalités canadiennes en 2003 compare l'incidence de l'étique-tage et de la publicité reliées à la certification forestière dans le cas d'intention d'achat de bois et de produits de papier par des consommateurs. Les résultats du sondage téléphonique indiquent que les Canadiens et les Canadiennes s'intéressent à l'environnement, ont une attitude positive envers la certification et sont prêt à modifier leurs habitudes de consommation pour favoriser le bois et les produits de papier certifiés. Les répondants ont indiqué que l'étiquetage pourrait plus vraisemblablement influencer leur décision d'achat que la publicité. Ils ont également indiqué un manque de sensibilisation en matière de certification forestière et que la publicité constituait la stratégie de préférence pour accroître la sensibilisation générale des consommateurs. Un segment des consommateurs, représentant 70 % de l'échantillon, a été identifié comme étant très soucieux de l'environnement, prêt à rechercher des produits certifiés et qui favorise l'étiquetage comme source d'information pour les aider dans leurs décisions d'achat de produits forestiers certifiés. For personal use only.of Canada 2002). This growing concern about environmental issues has led companies to rethink product offerings and marketing strategies to account for changing consumer needs (Post et al. 1999, Prakash 2002, Willard 2002, Paine 2003. As the number of "green" consumers increases, corporations are beginning to recognize that these individuals may be cohesive and accessible enough to create large and feasible market segments, resulting in strategic opportunities for marketing and business growth (Zinkhan and Carlson 1995, Ottman 1998, Environics 2000. Corporate Web sites and sustainability reports contain empirical evidence of this shift, with a plethora of environmental policies and press releases communicating commitment to enviro...

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In recent decades, the context in which institutions of forest management make decisions to formulate management priorities has changed radically. Today, it is widely accepted that members of the public should be involved in decision-making. Despite a tremendous gain in support, however, previous literature remains critical of the design, implementation and effectiveness of public participation processes. In seeking to identify the attributes that constitute successful public participation, we conducted a critical assessment of a current process. This paper reveals the results of a case study of a land use and forest management planning initiative in central British Columbia. Our primary data include: document review; qualitative interviews with citizen members actively involved in the process (n = 14); and a random telephone survey (n = 100) of local residents (response rate = 45.6%). Through the application of six a priori evaluation criteria, we establish strengths, weaknesses and gaps of the process. Results of the study reflect a lack of institutional mechanisms in place to ensure appropriate public access and adequate representation. The findings also indicate that the incorporation of teamwork, collaborative learning and two-way information flow are important as a basis for constructive and effective public participation. Finally, we argue that the value added by such attributes can be enhanced through better design and facilitation at both the structural and operational levels. Key words: public participation, public involvement, public representation, sustainable forest management, Innovative Forest Practices Agreement

Natural resource managers, environmental interest groups, and public agencies need identifiable, measurable indicators of sustainability based on meaningful fine-scale specifics that are appropriate for both fine and increasingly broader sociaVecological scales. The "Identify the Specifics" framework, field tested in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, uses collective local expert knowledge to integrate and prioritize social/ecological concerns that become the foundation for both local and increasingly broader-scale indicators of sustainable management. Results to date suggest that: (1) local experts have valuable knowledge to contribute; (2) identified local indicators, once reviewed, can contribute to both local-and broader-scale indicators; (3) fewer than 10 indicators may provide an adequate foundation for assessing the sustainability of local range and forest management practices; and (4) local and broader-scale experts commonly identify different indicators because they have different knowledge bases, priorities, and responsibilities. Differences in the indicators identified among experts representing different scales may be minimized if indicators at broader scales are developed with knowledge of specifics from finer scales. The Specifics approach is presently being used across British Columbia to help identify knowledge gaps and related research and extension priorities. Les diffkrences entre les indicateurs retenus par les experts reprksentant diffkrents niveaux peuvent &tre minimisCes si les indicateurs des kchelles gBnBrales sont ClaborCs en fonction des connaissances acquises des indicateurs spCcifiques locaux. L'approche spkcifique est presentement utiliske en Colombie-Britannique pour aider % identifier ce qui manque au niveau des connaissances, de la recherche qui y est relike et des prioritCs % suivre .