Exploring the use of a dialogue process to tackle a complex and controversial issue in forest management

Abstract

This article explores the use of a dialogue process to approach complex issues related to forest management. An interdisciplinary research team set up an experimental dialogue process concerning the use of introduced tree species in Southern Sweden for the purposes of climate change adaptation. The process involved stakeholders at a regional level, including those with divergent opinions regarding introduced tree species and their use in forestry. Through a process of repeated meetings and exchanges with researchers, the participant's knowledge was deepened and group relationships developed such that the group was able to jointly formulate a set of policy recommendations. The investigation revealed that dialogue processes may improve decision-making by identifying priorities for action or further research. However, when a collaborative process targets complex environmental issues on larger geographical and temporal scales, as matters about forests typically do, a collaborative process must be integrated with external actors and institutions in order to attain tangible outcomes. Consequently, to fully access the benefits of using collaborative processes to handle complex challenges in forest policy and management, the connections between political sphere, the private sector, authorities and research institutions must be concretely established.

Keywords:

• Collaborative processes
• forest management
• climate change adaptation
• introduced tree species
• complex problems
• policy recommendations

Acknowledgements

We are grateful the individuals who took part the Future Forests Exotic's workshop series and contributed knowledge and ideas which inspired this study. We also want to thank the editor of Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research and the two anonymous referees for their valuable comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The research was funded through Future Forests, a multi-disciplinary research programme supported by the Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (MISTRA), the Swedish Forestry Industry, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå University and the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden.