Forest Owner Preferences Impact Ecosystem Services in Fennoscandia

Research conducted in Fennoscandia by the Natural Resources Institute Finland reveals that decisions made by private forest owners significantly impact the provision of multiple ecosystem services. The study found that integrating owner preferences into forest planning can lead to improved biodiversity and carbon cycling, despite resulting in economic losses. In contrast, prioritizing sustained yield maximization resulted in trade-offs between ecosystem services.

Key Takeaways:

• Decisions by forest owners in Fennoscandia impact the supply of ecosystem services, including wood provisioning, non-wood timber products, aesthetic value, carbon cycling, and biodiversity conservation.
• Owner preferences influence forest management and multifunctionality at the landscape level, with six broad categories identified based on published surveys.
• Integrating owner preferences into forest planning resulted in improved biodiversity and carbon cycling, but at the cost of economic losses.
• Maximizing sustained yield led to a focus on rotation forestry, resulting in trade-offs between multiple ecosystem services.
• The synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services depend on the owner priorities.

Statistics:

• The study involved hundreds of thousands of private forest owners in Fennoscandia.
• Owner-level preferences were assigned to holdings through a Monte-Carlo approach.
• Economics showed losses due to including owner preferences, but improved biodiversity and carbon cycling.

Sources:

• Assessing the impact of private forest owner preferences on the supply of ecosystem services. Journal of Environmental Management, 2025;391:126482.
• NewsRx. Natural Resources Institute Finland Reports Findings in Science (Assessing the impact of private forest owner preferences on the supply of ecosystem services). Ecology, Environment & Conservation. August 1, 2025; p 410.