Sustainable development, support mechanisms and the opinions of wood-using micro-business owner/managers: The case of a community forest

Abstract

This paper outlines the findings of a study into sustainable support systems for wood-using micro-businesses1 (MBs) within a Community Forest. The study looked at how the Community Forest interacted with local MBs, and explored how these could be more successfully integrated into the Community Forest's strategic plan, with the aim of achieving a more sustainable level of development.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Chris Franses, Steve Suckling and Wyn Jenkins for providing research support.

Notes

Micro-businesses are businesses that employ fewer than 10 people.

See: www.communityforest.org.uk/. There are five other community forest initiatives in Great Britain.

Forestry Commission, ‘A Joint Accord between the Forestry Commission and England's Community Forests’.

See: www.statistics.gov.uk

For all categories, see MBD Ltd (2004).