Assessing Small-Scale Forestry by Data Base for Forest Owner Analysis

Abstract

In Sweden, as in other countries with a growing and increasingly diverse population of forest owners, there is an apparent need for more detailed quantitative data of high quality in order to describe and understand present forest conditions and predict and explain future trends. Therefore, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has developed a Data Base for Forest Owner Analysis (DBFOA) by combining existing forest measurement statistics, gathered on a regular basis by the Swedish Forest Agency since 1992, with records of the individual forest owners. The database consists of selfreported measurement statistics in terms of cuttings, cleaning, scarification and planting from about 30,000 forest management units. It includes information on the owner age, gender, residential proximity to the management unit and the extent of work undertaken by the owner. From 1999 it also indicates whether the forest is certified. This paper demonstrates the use of the database by presenting results from (1) a comparison of management practices on properties that are certified with those that are not, and (2) an examination of how the area of planting and final felling have changed from 1999 to 2006 in total and between male and female forest owners. Results from the first analysis show that the willingness to certify increases with the size of the forest property and also that harvesting activities are more frequent on certified than non-certified properties. The second analysis, show a higher ratio of final felling during 2003-2006 on properties owned by women than properties owned by men.

Look at what they do – a revised approach to communication strategy towards private forest owners

“…The data was gathered by the Swedish Forest Agency and consists of a stratified sample of single units with at least 5 ha of forest land owned by physical persons. The inquiry methodology and some comprehensive results are presented in Berg Lejon et al (2011). It should be stressed that self-activity in this material was defined as work performed (partly or completely) by the owner or family members of the owner or his/her employees.…”

Can voluntary standards regulate forestry? — Assessing the environmental impacts of forest certification in Sweden

“…We combined three data sets: i) the Swedish National Forest Inventory (NFI) presenting long-term forest monitoring data for different ownership categories, corresponding to the interim targets for enhanced biological diversity and forest conditions for the quality objective for Sustainable Forests; ii) the Swedish Database for Forest Owner Analysis (Fortlöpande markägaranalys) measuring small-scale forest owner management behaviour and numbers of PEFC-certified private forest owners (Berg Lejon et al, 2010); and iii) data from a follow-up survey including attitudes towards certification and forest management activities, sent out to all those small-scale forest owners with certified properties in 2005 and 2006 (recorded in the Swedish Database for Forest Owner Analysis) (see Table 1). In total, 637 forest owners were approached and the response rate was 71%.…”

“…Within each stratum, the management units are sampled randomly. Detailed information on the database is reported in Berg Lejon et al (2010). The design of the database Harvesting, silviculture, self-activity and certification among small-scale forest owners…”