Communication campaigns to engage (non-traditional) forest owners: A European perspective

Jerylee Wilkes-Allemann, Philippe Deuffic, Robert Jandl, Kerstin Westin, Eva Lieberherr, Cecilie Foldal, Gun Lidestav, Gerhard Weiss, Astrid Zabel, Ivana Živojinović, Mireia Pecurul-Botines, Nancy Koller, Emmi Haltia, Zuzana Sarvašová, Milan Sarvaš, Marta Curman, Marcel Riedl and Vilém Jarský

Forest Policy and Economics, 2021, vol. 133, issue C

Abstract: In Europe, private forest owners play an important role in achieving sustainability goals, such as those set by the European Green Deal. Efficient communication and coordination with these actors is therefore central. However, ongoing structural changes in forest ownership have in many cases silenced traditional communication channels, especially those involving owners of small forests. Their economic performance is often negligible at an individual level, yet collectively their forests play a pivotal role in a context of increasing demand for wood products. In this article, we analyse and compare forest campaigns in nine European countries. Specifically, we assess one-way and two-way communication models applying different techniques to engage (non-traditional) forest owners. Our analysis of 34 campaigns shows that (i) one-way communication models are still more widely used in the forest sector to engage non-traditional forest owners than two-way communication models; (ii) one-way communication aims at informing and is effective for short-term awareness raising, while two-way communication aims at persuading and is essential to trigger forest management activities over the long-term, (iii) interactive learning tools can play a crucial role for reaching and engaging (non-traditional) forest owners. We further conclude that campaigns could be improved by having 1) joint campaigns with public and private actors, 2) convincing narratives developed based on a good understanding of forest owners' motivations, 3) adapting the timing of campaigns to windows of opportunities and 4) developing intermediary associations (e.g. non-traditional forest owner associations) as connectors and trust builders between different actors as they play a crucial role in providing information to forest owners and supporting their engagement.

Keywords: Campaigns; Small-scale forest owners; Communication channels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:forpol:v:133:y:2021:i:c:s1389934121002276

DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102621

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