Involving people in forest and woodland planning develops knowledge and understanding for all concerned. Foresters learn the public’s interests, concerns and needs, and people learn the benefits, opportunities and limitations of forestry. This exchange of knowledge and understanding is vital to the updating of all our forestry plans.
Forest Enterprise Forest Design Planning process
The FE’s Forest Design Planning process has been developed and formalised over recent years and the need for public involvement clearly stated. The differing levels of public involvement can be related to the process and these are shown in the figure below. Generally, the more that is at ‘stake’ for an individual, the greater their commitment to the process.
Forest Enterprise's Forest Design Planning process and levels of public involvement.
‘Forest planning with public involvement’ or ‘Public involvement for forest planning’?
When we open our planning processes to public involvement we receive a range of responses, many of which will not be related to our particular management concerns. For example, we may want the public to make comment or give suggestions on the felling and restocking proposals for a forest or woodland plan. What we receive, however, may be concerns about dog mess on a path; timber wagons passing the local school; employment opportunities for local people in forestry. The danger is that these concerns are not heard or taken into account because they don’t fit into the current task to prepare the forest or woodland plan.
All the responses we receive should be heard and taken into account if we wish to build trust and commitment. Some responses will be relevant to short-term site plans (operational plans), some will be relevant to longer-term site plans (Forest Design Plans, forestry/woodland grant scheme plans), and some will be relevant to strategic or corporate plans.
Public involvement is therefore relevant to all levels of forest or woodland planning, and should be considered as a continuous process that feeds important information into all planning processes, rather than an activity that is part of a planning process (see figure below). One advantage of this approach is that it begins to reduce the peaks and troughs of public involvement activities relating to particular planning processes.
The relationship of public involvement processes to differing levels of forest or woodland planning.
