Teppo Hujala

Decision making among Finnish non-industrial private forest owners: The role of professional opinion and desire to learn

Abstract The primary basis of contemporary forest planning research, which assumes the forest owner to maximize his or her expected utility, has left aside cognitive and social patterns of reasoning in real decision-making situations. To add on to present knowledge, the decision aid needs were approached by assessing different ways of solving decision problems among non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners in Finland. The study investigated how the diversifying goal structure of NIPF owners would be reflected in practical decision-making strategies. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and qualitative analysis were used to acquire a deeper understanding of NIPF owners’ decision making. Altogether, 30 purposively selected owners from southern Finland provided information to analyse the level of sharing decision power and eagerness to learn in decision making. Five decision-making modes were distinguished among the interviewees: (A) substantial trust in professionals, (B) desire to learn for self-reliance, (C) sequential, managerial judgements, (D) balanced, considerate decision making, and (E) strong decisions of ones own. According to these modes, corresponding decision aid approaches were constructed. The results show a broad variety of problem-solving strategies and thus decision aid needs. To facilitate unprompted and genuine decision making, the presented modes should be taken into account when owner-orientated forest planning services for NIPF owners are developed.

Boosters of and barriers to smooth communication in family forest owners’ decision making

Abstract The internationally recognized need to adjust non-industrial private forest policies inspired this study, which seeks a deeper understanding of the communication around decision making among family forest owners. Elements of smooth communication constituted the theoretical basis. The data comprised transcripts of 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews with Finnish family forest owners. Narrative statements associated with information exchange and discussions between people were investigated with the aim of assessing instances and implications of personal relationships, advising services and mediated interaction in the social system of decision making. The analysis was conducted by combining theory- and data-driven approaches. The role of personal face-to-face communication with trusted advisors proved essential. However, some interviewees found internet services and online peer-to-peer communication tempting. The interviewed family forest owners are more or less self-directive in obtaining general information about timber trading or topical forestry issues, but for specific decisions they desire profound, socially reliant consultancy. Elements of distrust and limited comprehension, and tension between service and actual needs seem to be the greatest communicative barriers reducing the supportiveness of consultancy. Communicative decision support services for family forest owners should be developed on the grounds of reliable atmosphere, sense of fellowship, contextuality, customer care and facilitation for peer networking.

Reaching forest owners through their social networks in timber sales

Abstract This study maps forest owners’ communication relationships in timber sales in Finland. The study applies the concept of structural equivalence from social network analysis. The aim is to recognise the existing communication channels that forest owners have during their timber sales to be better able to reach different forest owners. The egocentric data were collected from Finnish forest owners via a mail questionnaire (n=1244, response rate 59.7%). After a multiple imputation of incomplete network data, 753 respondents were included in the analysis. The most typical network structures were identified through a TwoStep Cluster Analysis, yielding non-committed Forest Management Association (FMA)-members (34%), independent timber traders (27%), relationship builders (24%) and FMA-partners (15%). The FMA-partners have an exclusive connection with the FMA, whereas the connections of independent timber traders are directed towards the timber buyer. It is essential for both the FMAs and timber buying companies to maintain and develop these existing relationships with their committed customers. Relationship builders differ from the others by having the largest networks with both forestry professionals and peer forest owners. The results suggest that these active forest owners could be channels to reach passive forest owners.

A statistical approach to assessing interval scale preferences in discrete choice problems

This paper introduces two statistical interval scale techniques for assessing preferential uncertainty in discrete choice problems. The main benefit of interval scale techniques is that the evaluations can be done by local best–worst scale so that there are concrete reference points defining the utility scale. However, since value measurement is based on the decision-makers’ subjective preferences, information is also subject to uncertainty. For example, decision-makers may have difficulties in evaluating certain alternatives or they are not necessarily consistent with their own pairwise evaluations. The proposed methods differ from previous interval scale methods in that also the decision-makers uncertainty is evaluated. The advantage of the statistical approach is that it permits inconsistency in evaluations and can thus lead to more realistic description of the overall preferences when compared to deterministic approaches. Furthermore, the statistical approach permits the examination of the impacts of uncertainty on overall decision making.

Mixing methods – assessment of potential benefits for natural resources planning

Multi-objective forest planning is a multi-methodological endeavor whose success largely depends on how well the combined use of different methods contributes to the goals of the planning. This review assessed the benefits of mixing methods in natural resources planning. A sample of 30 peer-reviewed research articles was analyzed using an evaluation framework, designed based on democracy and planning theories, and participatory planning literature, including four dimensions: transparency, flexibility, consensus building, and operability. According to analyses, mixing different types (i.e. qualitative and quantitative) of methods generally yields greater benefits than the combination of similar methods. The subsample of 12 planning cases that utilized simulation-optimization software (SOS) appeared operable and moderately transparent, whereas flexibility and consensus building were often lacking. In comparison to the wide scholarly discussion on multi-methodology and mixing methods, it was observed that successful mixing examples in natural resource planning are still scarce and there are weaknesses in bridging the methods together. There is an evident need to pursue and to better communicate the benefits of mixing. Some good mixing examples utilizing SOS provided evidence that forest planning processes would make an excellent venue for studying the benefits and caveats of using mixed methods.

Gender in European forest ownership and management: reflections on women as “New forest owners”

ABSTRACT The group of female forest owners is growing across Europe and currently estimated to be about 30% of all private owners. This new category of forest owner merits a closer look. By introducing a gender perspective across three different research frameworks, this paper substantiates that gender matters in forest ownership, management, operations, and the understandings of these three aspects. Where gender-disaggregated data is available, and gender is assessed as an empirical variable, we find the differences in numbers between male and female forest owners in most countries. By adding the concept of gender as a relational and structuralizing category, we demonstrate that gender structures affect, for example, actual behavior of female and male forest owners and the self-evaluation of forestry competence. Further, when considering gender as a meaning category we explore how meaning produces behavior and behavior produces meanings, and how both shape institutions and natural and artificial matter. Here forestry competence is the applied example. To further increase the knowledge on new forest owners, we recommend (i) fellow researchers in the field to assume that gender matters and design their empirical studies accordingly and (ii) policy-makers to guarantee access to gender-disaggregated data in official registers and statistics.

An Internet-Supported Planning Approach for Joint Ownership Forest Holdings

This article proposes a planning approach for private forest holdings that have more than one decision maker, e.g. a heirship group or a joint ownership between siblings. Through a case study example, we illustrate the phases of the proposed planning process and describe the communication and planning tools used in this process. The final aim is that in the future the forest planners’ toolkit would include this kind of approach for rather common situations where it is not easy to reach all the owners for synchronous face-to-face planning sessions. The process started with initial telephone interviews with the forest owners. From these interviews appropriate alternative forest plans were developed. Indicators and their values from the forest plans were inputted into the Mesta internet application. The forest owners were also given guidance on how to use the program. After this they were given time to independently use the program. Once the forest owners finished the use of the program, the results were collected and analyzed. Among the alternative forest plans, one was approved by all of the forest owners. The results of trial use involving a North-Karelian forest holding were encouraging. The main benefits of the approach according to the participants were learning that there are alternatives between which to choose, and reaching a common base level of understanding holding’s production possibilities for future decisions. After developing the process and technical tools further, the proposed model could serve joint ownerships over distance also in practice and in larger scale, and, as a result, foster owners’ engagement on their own forest.

Identifying and rating cultural sustainability indicators: a case study of wood-based bioenergy systems in eastern Finland

Cultural sustainability has become a much discussed topic in the forestry and bioenergy sectors. However, there are not many indicators available for measuring cultural sustainability. In order to identify indicators for the assessment of the cultural sustainability impacts of wood-based bioenergy in eastern Finland, two-phased expert interviews were conducted. The process was supported by a hybrid approach: A qualitative mapping technique was applied when the indicators were identified, and weights for the indicators were set using a quantitative rating technique. The experts identified 49 indicators of cultural sustainability. Most of the generated indicators were relevant for local uses and highlighted the perceptions of the general public. Furthermore, most of the indicators were relevant from the perspective of raw material acquisition. Applying methods of differing backgrounds enabled advanced problem structuring, which allowed the identification of indicators suitable for assessing cultural sustainability of wood-based bioenergy in Eastern Finland. The quantitative rating technique enabled the determination of the importance of the indicators generated. Nevertheless, it seems that the hybrid approaches have many challenges related to the quantitative measuring of the participants’ perceptions. Cultural sustainability indicators should be identified within a case study, since it seems that most of the cultural sustainability indicators are case specific. The process introduced here offers steps for identifying case-specific cultural sustainability indicators; however, the concept of cultural sustainability cannot be strictly defined.

Change in forest planner's advisory role

Abstract Urbanisation and related lifestyle changes, as well as the opportunities offered by new information and communication technology, are altering decision-making among family forest owners. Consequently, the approaches and tools of communicating with forest owners are under pressure towards becoming more customer-orientated. The present study looks at forestry advisory practices connected with forest management planning using the theory base and methods of activity theory and the active involvement of practical forestry professionals. Collaborative developmental meetings with a group of foresters were conducted in three organisations. A total of 22 sessions were held within separate developmental projects. Tacit knowledge and good communication practices were observed among the foresters involved in this. New flexible service models and improvements to current service chains were designed and experimented to support forest owners in their forest management activity. Analysis of experiences suggests adjusting forestry advisory practitioners’ roles. A more meaningful customer-compatible role of the forest planner fostering the planners work-related well-being could include two sub-roles: a mediator is sensitive to the owners needs and wishes and s/he informs the owner about the forest holding and its various long-term opportunities and an activator, in turn, supports the realisation of the suggested operations in the forest holding.

Facilitated Group Decision Making in Hierarchical Contexts

Decision-orientated negotiation faces a particular challenge as regards information logistics when the acting group is part of a larger decision-making hierarchy. This is typically the case in large companies, policy processes, and in land-use planning. In hierarchical planning, the higher (top) levels of decision making frame, and are informed by the lower levels. Concurrently, the lower (subordinate) levels implement, and further specify, the directions given by the higher levels while feedback concerning the lower-level situation and staffs’ anticipations is collected and passed upwards. The groups of stakeholders may use several hard and soft OR methods to assist hierarchical negotiation, but their co-usage needs to be fitted with the requirements of the hierarchical case. This chapter discusses the tasks of groups and their moderators in hierarchical decision making and presents three generic approaches to be applied in solving hierarchical planning problems. In addition, three in-depth examples from natural resources management are presented; the first introduces strategic participative planning of state-owned forests, the second describes forest policy on regional and national scales, and the third illustrates how hierarchical negotiation can be accelerated by using an incentive