Small-scale forest ownership across Europe: Characteristics and future potential

The concept of small-scale forest ownership means different things to different people in different countries. Traditionally, within Europe, many small-scale forest owners were economically dependent on their forests, either for home or commercial use, usually linked with farming activities. However, many small-scale forest owners are no longer economically dependent on their forests and these owners appear to increasingly focus their management on amenity functions rather than on production functions. These changes in forest ownership are related to more general trends in rural dynamics. As a result of these dynamics, increasingly rural development is not focused on agricultural modernisation, but on rural restructuring. A description of how forest owners themselves perceive their forests has been made on the basis of a survey amongst 1401 small-scale forest owners in eight European countries. Data were collected on ownership and management characteristics as well as on the perspectives regarding the future of the rural area in which the forests are located. The median forest size varies between 1.3 ha in Greece to 4.5 ha in Spain. About 30% of the forest owners have an indifferent attitude to their forests. This group includes many absentee owners and retired local owners, who own only forest lands but who are not economically dependent on these forests. Almost 40% of the forest owners are only modestly interested in forest management; often they have an environmental management orientation. This group includes many hobby owners and part-time employed people. Only one-third of the private forest owners are still economically dependent on their forests; they have predominantly a multifunctional management orientation. The survey findings suggest that policies to stimulate forestry development should be diversified in respect to these different types of small-scale forest owners.