Forests as Social Mirrors: What do Approaches to Forest Management Tell us About Human Social Relations?

Abstract

There is evidence to suggest that the nature of human impact upon forests, measured both quantitatively and qualitatively, tells a story about dominant social paradigms throughout recent history. In this sense, forests are social mirrors. Collectively, we are consuming ecological resources at 1.5 times the rate they can be replenished, while often simplifying or adversely impacting forest ecosystems. At the same time, ecocentric and enlightened self‐interest movements are emerging, manifest in woodland management approaches that embrace multiple values, ecological sensitivity, and traditional ecological knowledge. The evidence therefore shows that contradictory paradigms exist alongside each other, exerting influence over landscapes at shared temporal and spatial scales simultaneously. Consequently, forest management reflects the sociocultural dynamics of a species experiencing cognitive dissonance; responding to human ideals around the need to tread lightly and the contradictory reality of an ever‐increasing economic output.