Exploration of how cultural values are identified, explored and taken into account in forest planning and decision-making processes.
Summary
Forest managers have to take account of cultural values as one of the central themes of Sustainable Forest Management. Cultural values are taken into account in sustainability appraisals such as the European Commission’s Impact Assessment process, and also increasingly in monitoring systems such as the Montreal Process and the Pan European Indicators of the Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe.
Cultural values influence the way we react and behave in relation to woodland access and management. There is a two way cultural relationship between stakeholders and trees and woods. Our cultural values drive the way in which we access woods physically and mentally and through our access we change the nature of the wood and our cultural relationship with it. The physical nature of woodlands is altered by our access, for instance through management choices of silvicultural systems, or by creating cultural features like artworks or archaeological remains and in turn these physical features create new opportunities and change our cultural access.
This project reviewed the existing and potential role of cultural values in forest planning, and included field work and interviews. Recommendations for planning and research were made, including those focusing on the role of cultural values in consultation and community engagement.
Brief research summary with findings and recommendations (PDF-474K)
Objectives
Explore with a range of stakeholders how the cultural benefits provided by trees and woods can be more clearly articulated and through what processes.
Examine a selection of the cultural benefits of trees and woods through participating in/attending events/activities and holding discussion groups with users and participants.
Identify where further research is needed to provide a more comprehensive or detailed view of particular aspects of cultural benefit
Results and report
Based on the range and importance of the cultural factors found to have an impact on forest management, a typology was developed for use in forest planning (see table below). This helps to distinguish between sources of cultural value such as local knowledge or attractive diversity and types of cultural benefit received such as health or social contact.
| Cultural resources (of both the visitor and the wooded site) | Benefits (that can potentially be experienced by visitors) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Intrinsic to visitors/users (e.g. what visitors bring to their woodland experiences) | Intrinsic to site (these can be enhanced and conserved through site management) |
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The research highlights a distinction, in consultation and community engagement activities, between decision making processes and service provision.
Decision-making processes such as Forest Design Plan procedures entail a mixture of formal consultation and dialogue with relevant authorities, and more informal engagement with publics and interested parties. A similar process is associated with large scale decisions such as those demanding Environmental Impact Assessment.
Service provision involves the everyday activities undertaken by Forestry Commission community, recreation and education rangers as they lead walks, run events, and education visits in which they engage with local communities, find out about their needs and as they encourage new groups to participate in forest activities. Through this service provision an understanding is gained of how people engage with and enjoy woodlands and this knowledge can help to improve delivery.
Report
Final report: Cultural Value of Trees, Woods and Forests (PDF-1556K)
Executive summary (PDF-438K)
Future research
Research is needed in relation to the three major issues raised by this study:
- The cultural status of stakeholders (especially visitors) including their knowledge and ability to access the cultural value of woodlands
- Cultural assets of trees, woods and forests
- How cultural values are taken into account in forest planning.
Consultation and public engagement are the means by which managers gather information about cultural values and negotiate how these might be managed. Further research is needed to explore ways in which consultation and public engagement processes might be improved.
Funders and partners
Ths research was funded by the Forestry Commission.
Contact
Liz O’Brien
Forest Research
Social and Economic Research Group
Farnham
Surrey, GU10 4LH
Email: liz.o’brien@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
