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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2012

Forest management plan as a policy instrument: Carrot, stick or sermon?

Brukas, Vilis; Sallnäs, Ola

Abstract

Technical aspects of forest management planning as decision-support have been addressed in numerous scientific studies. However, forest management plans (FMPs) also play a significant, but largely neglected, role as forest policy instruments. We have examined the policy context and planning practices in two contrasting case countries, revealing striking differences in policy instrumentation. In Sweden, FMPs mainly serve for informational steering, with under-utilised potential for providing individualised advice. In Lithuania, the plans are primarily regulatory, serving for effective control but with several deficiencies, notably excessive costs and institutionalised corruption. The study demonstrates that policy analyses can be fruitfully grounded in the empirics of planning practices. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Forest management planning; Policy tool; Lithuania; Sweden

Published in

Land Use Policy
2012, Volume: 29, number: 3, pages: 605-613
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD