Maintenance and enhancement of forest ecosystem services: a non-industrial private forest owner perspective

The transition to a fossil-free society in Sweden is expected to cause an increased demand for forest-derived products which may intensify existing conflicts between environmental goals. This study investigated the role of non-industrial private forest owners in sustaining multiple forest values and their prioritizations among forest ecosystem services, management strategies, as well as their views on future needs. The study results were generated through the means of a survey which revealed a consistent high valuation among all respondents of ecosystem services relating to water quality, timber quality, recreation, and biodiversity. A majority of the respondents desired increasing proportions of mixed species and broadleaved stands within the future forest landscape. Certified forest owners who were members of a forest owner association (CMs) were characterized by favoring values relating to forest production, such as high stand growth and high timber quality, with carbon substitution as the preferred means of mitigating climate change. Forest owners lacking both certification and membership in a forest owner association valued the ecosystem services recreation and biodiversity significantly higher, and also preferred retaining more old forest within the landscape. The survey results revealed a higher management activity among CMs, resulting in a more frequent establishment of mixed and broadleaved stands. Forest owners with medium to large scale properties were well-represented within the CM-category. The results indicated that while the CMs are more interested in production than owners of small properties, they are also more likely to have taken adaptive measures favoring risk management and biodiversity.