Born to be a forest owner?

A recent study conducted by the University of Helsinki’s Ruralia Institute highlights the important role of emotions in forest management decisions. The study analyses the phenomenon of ownership, a complex issue that encompasses legal, social, and emotional aspects. For this, the researchers undertook in-depth interviews with forest owners in Finland and applied the theory of psychological ownership.

The authors explore the phenomenon of ownership in the context of forests, namely how private forest owners who inherited forest land construct ownership feelings, which also include strong social and emotional aspects. Such aspects are particularly taken into account here in order to understand how feelings of ownership influence owners’ management decisions.

Results indicate that the sense of identity and control can influence the direction of forest management, weather guided by tradition, economics, or property. Based on these results the authors then construct a forest owner typology as follows: restricted, indifferent, informed, and detached forest owners.

Such aspects are often overlooked in research on forest owners' decision making process and behavior. Hence, this study is of great importance by shedding light on the complex sociological aspects influencing forest management, a field that has yet to be understood in its full intricacy.

The Scientific article can be downloaded here