Promoting Landscape-Level Forest Management in Fire-Prone Areas: Delegate Management to a Multi-Owner Collaborative, Rent the Land, or Just Sell It?

Forest management at the landscape level is a requirement for reducing wildfire hazard. In contexts where non-industrial private forest ownership prevails, the collaboration among multiple owners has been proposed as the way forward to reach consistent fuel management at that level. The current literature has been focused on identifying the factors that lead to collaboration among owners. In this study we explored other ways to reach landscape-level management in addition to the collaborative way, such as those that may be promoted through land renting or selling. Different contexts and owner types may require different solutions. Thus, we explicitly asked which alternative would be chosen by a given forest owner, from the following set: keeping individual management, entering a multi-owner collaborative arrangement where they delegate management, renting to a pulp company; or selling the land. In a context of small-scale ownership and high recurrence of wildfires in Portugal, a face-to-face survey was carried out to a sample of landowners. Our results suggest that there is not an a priori generalized unwillingness of owners to delegate management, rent or sell the land and thus they seem prone to align themselves with policy strategies to promote management at the landscape level. Multinomial logit regression modelling allowed us to explain and predict owners’ choices among the aforementioned set of alternative management options. We found that choosing multi-ownership collaboration, as opposed to keeping current individual management, is associated with passive management under harsher conditions, by non-residents without bonding capital. The identified factors of owners’ choices show the limited scope of tenancy and land-market mechanisms to promote landscape-level management. The best policy option was found to depend on the owner profiles prevailing in the target area. This suggests that studying the existing context and owner types is required to design effective policies.

The Management Response to Wind Disturbances in European Forests

Purpose of the Review The review synthesises the current knowledge of post-windstorm management in selected European countries in order to identify knowledge gaps and guide future research. Recent Findings Despite the differences in forest ownership and national regulations, management experiences in Europe converge at (1) the need for mechanization of post-windthrow management to ensure operator safety, (2) the importance to promote operator training and optimise the coordination between all the actors involved in disturbance management and (3) the need to implement measures to consolidate the timber market while restoring forest ecosystem services and maintain biodiversity. Summary Windstorms are natural disturbances that drive forest dynamics but also result in socio-economic losses. As the frequency and magnitude of wind disturbances will likely increase in the future, improved disturbance management is needed. We here highlight the best practices and remaining challenges regarding the strategic, operational, economic and environmental dimensions of post-windthrow management in Europe. Our literature review underlined that post-disturbance management needs to be tailored to each individual situation, taking into account the type of forest, site conditions, available resources and respective legislations. The perspectives on windthrown timber differ throughout Europe, ranging from leaving trees on site to storing them in sophisticated wet storage facilities. Salvage logging is considered important in forests susceptible to bark beetle outbreaks, while no salvage logging is recommended in forests protecting against natural hazards. Remaining research gaps include questions of balancing between the positive and negative effects of salvage logging and integrating climate change considerations more explicitly in post-windthrow management.

Comparative analysis of regulatory framework related to private forest management in Slovenia and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Forest policy and forest ownership patterns in Slovenia and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) have changed considerably in recent decades due to unprecedented scale of social, political and economic change. The distribution of ownership types varies between the countries – in Slovenia private forest ownership predominates (77%), while in FBiH only about 20% of forest is private-owned. In both countries, private forest properties are small-scale and fragmented, which affects management opportunities and the scale at which policy interventions need to be made. This paper analyses the Slovenian and Central Bosnia Cantonal Law on Forests to assess how the regulatory framework affects private forest owners’ (PFOs) rights, forest management and accelerates cooperation of PFOs. Both laws impose exclusive rights and responsibilities of PFOs, as well as limitation on how they can use their forests. In both countries, legislation contains detailed regulations for forest management activities and stipulate that mandatory forest management plans (FMPs) are an important tool that supports the implementation of sustainable forest management. In Slovenia, FMPs are prepared as common plans for all forests regardless the ownership, while in FBiH the Cantonal Law prescribes a separate forest management planning system for private forests. To improve the efficiency of private forest management, both laws support voluntary cooperation of PFOs. From the analysis, it can be concluded that there is a need for better harmonisation of public and private interests in relation to forest resources, especially in the case of FBiH, and that the deregulation of property right is needed as well as that the level of involvement of PFOs in the forest policy making process is unsatisfactory, in most cases only formal.

KONSEP DAN PERSEPSI MASYARAKAT ETNIS MEYAH TENTANG HUTAN ADAT DI KAMPUNG MEREJEMEG, KABUPATEN MANOKWARI

The study was aimed to obtain the concept of indigenous forest according to the Meyah ethnic community, the Meyah ethnic community's perception of indigenous forest, and the factors that influence the use of the indigenous forest by the Meyah ethnic community. Descriptive methods with observation and interview techniques are used in this study. Respondents were selected by purposive sampling, as many as 30 families. The results show that the concept of indigenous forest according to the Meyah ethnic community is a forest area given by God the Creator of the Universe as human property rights to live for generations, reproduce and adapt to their environment, and utilize the resources in the forest. Ownership of indigenous forests is controlled by individuals or clan groups for generations in certain areas marked by natural boundaries. The first activity in utilizing the forest as a source of life was by clearing land for houses and gardening as well as collecting forest products, which were used as the basis for determining the boundaries of land and forest rights. The Meyah ethnic community has a strong perception of indigenous forests, both perceptions of indigenous forest ownership, indigenous forest sustainability, and indigenous forest use. The factors that influence the Meyah ethnic community in the use of indigenous forests consist of a) determining factors, namely: customs and way of life about the forest; b) supporting factors, namely: livelihood and length of stay, and c) driving factors, namely: the role of traditional and religious leaders.

Institutional analysis of forest governance after the implementation of Law Number 23/2014 in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia

After the implementation of Law Number 23/2014 on Regional Government in Indonesia, the authority for forest management rests with the central and provincial governments. This study aims to (1) assess forest governance performance after the implementation of this law, (2) analyse the institutional aspects of forest governance after the implementation of this law and (3) formulate strategies to strengthen forest governance institutions. This study finds that although Law Number 23/2014 has been implemented in North Sumatra Province, the forestry sector remains centralistic; the characteristics of forest resources have not changed (these continue to be common pool resources) and the behaviour of the actors lacks synergy. In this scenario, the performance of forest governance has not improved significantly, as indicated by the incomplete designation of forest areas; the number of Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan that have not implemented the Badan Layanan Umum Daerah scheme; the low rights of access and low forest utilisation by the community; and the slow service process for permits; however, the costs for obtaining permits are according to regulations. This is in line with the results of this study’s institutional analysis, which show that (1) the provincial jurisdiction boundaries have narrowed, given that only the central government has authority over the forestry planning sub-function and forestry supervision; (2) many central government regulations continue to be used in forest management, characterising the low aspect of provincial regional representation rules; and (3) despite clear forest ownership rights, there are claims from other stakeholders, which indicates the low legitimacy of the parties. This study suggests that forest governance performance can be improved by expanding the jurisdiction boundaries through the assistance task mechanism to the provincial government; ensuring provincial government participation in formulating forest policies; and increasing the status of forest permit holders and managers from claimants to proprietors.

Journal "Lesa Respubliki" as a Source on the History of Forest Policy of the RSFSR in 1918-1919

The article provides a source analysis of the journal "Lesa Respubliki", published in the RSFSR in 1918-1919 and which was the official press organ of the People's Commissariat of Agriculture. Issues of forest policy gained particular relevance after the revolutionary events of 1917, the abolition of all types of forest ownership, a radical restructuring of the entire state apparatus and the rejection of forest legislation of pre-revolutionary Russia. The journal discussed various directions of development of the forestry sector of the national economy of Soviet Russia. Special attention was paid to the issues of forestry legislation, the system of local and central government, forest protection, the development of forest trade and industry, staffing of forestry, and the organization of specialized education. Under the influence of the civil war and the deepest socioeconomic crisis associated with it, the issue of providing fuel to industrial enterprises, transport, Soviet institutions and individual citizens acquired the most acute sound. The journal "Lesa Respubliki" is a valuable source in the study of the genesis of the national state forest policy.

Forest Cover Change and Legal Pluralism in Forest Management: A Review and Evidence from West Sumatra, Indonesia

This study analyzed the functions of shifting (phenomenon of legal pluralism) and identified forest conversion at Production Forest Management Unit of Dharmasraya (PFMU Dharmasraya), West Sumatra, Indonesia from March 2018 to December 2019 using a qualitative research design with a case study approach. The identification of changes in forest cover analyzed by satellite images using the NDVI method to obtain the distribution of forest cover. Discussion on legal pluralism were examined using a non-ethnographic qualitative research approach through interviews with local communities, companies/permit holders, and related institutions (government). From 2000 to 2019, the PFMU Dharmasraya forest area reduced from 86 to 12%, and plantations increased from 10 to 81% of the total area of 33,539 ha. The legal pluralism of forest ownership occurs because local communities use traditional law, claiming the PFMU Dharmasraya area as Ulayat land. In contrast, the government claims the forest belongs to the state. The motives for the conversion of forest functions are the expansion of oil palm and rubber plantations, forest clearing to mark forest ownership rights, and illegal logging.

Dynamics of Large Corporate Forestland Ownerships in the United States

Ownership of forestland in the United States has changed in recent decades, including the proliferation of timber investment management organizations (TIMOs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the potential to alter forest management and timber supply. This article quantifies forest ownership transitions among ownership categories between 2007 and 2017 and investigates how and why large corporate ownerships own and manage their forestlands. Ownership transitions were determined from refined USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis data; we also conducted a survey of large corporate forestland ownerships. Corporate forestland acreage increased between 2007 and 2017, while family and public forestland decreased. Large corporate landowners report multidimensional, financially focused land management, although industry, timber investment management organizations, real estate investment trusts, and other owners report some different motivations and income streams. This work provides a baseline to track future ownership transitions and the behaviors of large corporate forestland owners.

Subjective Well-Being as a Potential Policy Indicator in the Context of Urbanization and Forest Restoration

The enhancement of human well-being is one of the ultimate goals of resource management; however, it is not explicitly considered by forest policy indicators. Our previous studies examined how Japanese citizens in the Yasu River watershed of the Shiga Prefecture perceived subjective well-being related to forests (forest SWB). We found a negative correlation between forest SWB and forest ownership, suggesting dissatisfaction with the low profitability of forest ownership. Based on this result, in this paper, we argue that forest SWB can be an important indicator for policymaking in the context of urbanization and forest restoration and can complement existing forest indicators focusing mainly on physical and objective properties. First, we propose that a direct measurement of well-being (e.g., forest SWB) is preferable over an indirect measurement (e.g., GDP), for policymaking processes related to forests. Second, forest SWB can reflect the quality of our interactions with forests, which is important in urbanized societies which tend to have reduced experiences with nature. Third, forest SWB could identify inequalities between the users of forest ecosystem services and forest managers. Overall, forest SWB can be a holistic indicator to capture a variety of perspectives held by citizens.