Transparency at the Swedish Forest Agency: What does the evidence show?

Abstract

Since February 2016, the Swedish Forest Agency (hereafter the ‘Agency’) has uploaded all requests for clear cuts on its Forest Data web-portal, which includes detailed forest maps which can be magnified online in order to pinpoint exactly where the clear cut is expected to take place (see https://skogskartan.skogsstyrelsen.se/skogskartan). The reason for doing so is to simplify the work of the Agency, as well as to assist forest and energy companies, environmental organizations and other bodies to get access to relevant information. In addition, the Agency believes that greater transparency will lead to more public trust and greater public understanding of the Swedish forest sector. In this study, evaluating the Agency’s transparency measure, it was uncovered that a majority of the Forest Agency’s board members and senior executives were in favour of the Agency’s transparency measures, something that a majority of the public interviewed also agreed with. Forest owners, however, had exactly the opposite view. That said, it is unclear whether the recently improved transparency measures will actually lead to greater public trust and knowledge of the Swedish forestry model. As most Swedes are unaware of how the Swedish forestry production model actually works, they will most likely be opposed to clear cuts if they found out that this was the main method for harvesting mature tree stands. Hence, the Agency’s transparency measures may actually decrease public trust in the forestry sector rather than anything else.

Keywords:

• Transparency
• Swedish Forest Agency
• Sodra
• risk communication

Acknowledgements

In conducting this research, materials, assistance and advice were provided by Sodra and the Swedish Forest Agency. I am grateful to the following individuals who have either provided me with materials or who have commented on earlier drafts of this paper: Patrik Andre, Asa Boholm, Katarina Eckerberg, Goran Ohrlander, Ullrika Sahlin, Marcus Svensson and Dominic Way. This research was in part supported by a grant from the Sodra Foundation and in part by the Swedish Research Foundation FORMAS, via the University of Gothenburg, where the author is a visiting professor.