Seeing both heritage and resource: A relational approach to forest owners' decision‐making

The loss of forest habitats calls for a change in the intensity and scale at which forests are managed. With voluntary policies on the rise, there is greater focus on understanding the motivations of private forest owners. While private forest management is likely driven by both economic and non‐economic factors, previous literature has paid less attention to how forest management decisions are influenced by private owners' connection to and care for the land. Departing from care as a relational value, this study seeks to understand the relationship between private forest owners and their forests, the activities that shape this relationship, and how it affects forest management decisions. From May to December of 2024, walking interviews with 23 active forest owners were conducted in southern Sweden. Although the participating forest owners were all strongly engaged with their forests, their motivations for forest ownership varied. Interviewees often perceived themselves as stewards, caring about the forest's heritage and future generations. Individual owners expressed care through various practices, such as tending to specific trees and protecting cultural sites. However, caring acts are not necessarily beneficial to biodiversity. Some forest owners see production‐oriented management as necessary to prevent the otherwise perceived decline of the forest. To better understand the tensions between care and control, the study draws on diverse values of nature and theories of care, developing an understanding of care as either an instrumental, relational or intrinsic value. The study enhances our understanding of how private forest owners practise care and the contexts in which this leads, or does not lead, to alternative management approaches beyond the dominant rotation forestry regime. These insights may be useful for policymakers seeking to understand what enables or hinders the implementation of biodiversity policies in privately owned forests. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.